Public vs private schools

[Pell]

I'm sure this has been asked to death, so I'm sorry for the repetition.... but I'd like to hear opinions....

Having recently visited Sydney and Perth, I obviously enquired about good schools in both cities and have done some research on the results and rankings of state and private schools. Huge lot of information to trawl through and still undecided about which route to take. My kid will be gong into year 11 when we get to Australia, so I'm trying to make the best decision for the last two crucial years of her schooling.... That is why I can't just relax about this...

My friends in both Sydney and Perth have their kids in private Christian schools (and one sitting for tests to get into a government selective school) and seem to think that if the kids don't get into a good government selective school, the way to go is private schooling. The problem is, selective schools places for years 11 are few and far between, as I've been informed by the schools I sent enquiries to (most of them haven't replied, but I hear that is the norm), and government schools that are known to be good are very strict about zoning. As we're only moving towards the end of the year and we cannot be certain about getting a rental in the right area, I cannot simply leave it to chance that my kid will/won't be accepted in a good government school so I'm thinking more and more about private schooling.

I know there are private Catholic and Christian schools available at around $10k+ p.a., and also that there are more expensive private schools ranging from $20-$30k+ p.a.

My research shows that the expensive private schools (Barker College, Reddam House, International Grammar School etc.) have better results than the less expensive private schools, but there are many factors that contribute to the ranking like how many students sit for tests, the number of students in school etc.

I'd just like to know opinions about the various private schools in Sydney and Perth, if anyone is so kind as to share with a worried mom?

Many thanks in advance!!

[Sibella]

I'm in Melbourne so cannot help about schools in Sydney or Perth. But yes there is a variation in results, obviously the more affluent schools have more affluent parents which has an impact on the results they achieve.

In your case it might be easier to go for a private school as the zoning for good public high schools are tricky.

We have a reasonably good public high school in our area but we chose a Lutheran private high school (my daughter started today actually!). More for the Christian ethos but also because they achieve good results and have lots of opportunities for my child. And it's the touchy feely things that make private schools nice.

The call from the school yesterday to welcome my daughter and tell her what to bring for her first day. The elaborate breakfast they provided for parents this morning.

But the public school also seems great with opportunities for overseas travel etc. And while my daughter has a stack of books, the public school kids got an ipad with all their text books loaded on there already, so no heavy books to carry around!! (My daughter will get a laptop from the school though).

Remember in public schools you get all sorts, kids who want to learn and those who don't and whose parents don't really care either. But parents who pay for private school expects results both from the school and their children which is why you get better results overall.

You just need to come over, visit the schools and speak to people. For instance there is a private Christian school which has it all on paper and does well but not one child in my daughters' school is going there for high school. I don't have a clue why, probably just rumours going around. But weirdly enough I also didn't like it that much when I went to have a look.

So yes ask the feeder primary schools where their kids go to high school which is normally quite a good indicator.

Good luck!!

[ottg]

David Gillespie untangles the myths from the evidence based study of Australia's school system.

His research, only to discover he was wrong on most counts - as are most parents - when it comes to working out what factors deliver a great education.

He discovered that:

• class size doesn't matter,
• your kids aren't any better off in co-ed than single-sex schools (and vice versa),
• composite classes are fine,
• fancy buildings are a waste of money,
• the old-tie network won't cut it in the new industries and NAPLAN is misread by everyone so is largely meaningless as a measure of quality.
• our students, across the board, compare poorly with those from some countries with far fewer computers, and much bigger classes.

Listen about his findings here: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2014/01/30/3934902.htm?site=conversations

[Elvers]

Hi everyone, I don't have a solution, but similar dilemma. We will be arriving in September. My son is also in year 11.

Sibella, can jou please advise? We are coming to Melbourne.

Is it possible to obtain the curriculum so that he will be up to speed when we get there?

Good luck Pell. Will post info if I find something in the meantime.

Worried Elvers

[Enrica]

I don't believe that the Private schools out perform the semi private or government schools. They only reason this happens is that if your child is not a straight A student, and rather a C or D student ,they encourage them not to sit the year 12 exams....That way they look just wonderful on paper...not so great for the child that not a wonderfully for the school. Furthermore , a lot of the Private schools .... do the International baccalaureate program and not the WACE curriculum , well in at least in Perth, and there is no why that you can compare how they perform compared to a WACE curriculum.Even their scores are very different to a ATAR score for Uni entry.

The WACE curriculum is the same State wide, my opinion for what its worth get you kids into a good semi private school if they have the space, they probably would not cope very well in the Government system, especially with all the different walks of life. Unfortunately, Saffer kids are good academically , but the social aspect of their lives , and their confidence levels have been sorely neglected, and it can be a culture shock to them

Good luck

[Drought]

Not wanting to be anal, but is no such thing as a semi private school; there are however high-fee paying and low-fee paying schools private schools.Research shows that a child's academic advantage is strongly linked to their parents level of education and job. Stands to reason that parents that earn a high income and/or are highly educated can afford to send their children to a high-fee paying school, so you are looking at a totally different cohort to both low-fee paying and most government schools.

Attending a Private school does not guarantee that your child will perform well academically, but generally as a school their overall performance is better than most state/ government schools. It just depends on the cohort.

[rozellem]

Random news I learnt this weekend. I had a catch up with my friends (plus kids) from mothers group. Our kids are all Nov/Dec '09 births. The one boy has learning issues, somewhere on the spectrum and speech. The mum told me they have just had him assessed and the government will be paying for 15 hours a week of one on one support at pre school! I am pleasantly surprised, thought that is only possible in primary schools, not pre schools. Learnt something new.