shonab Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 Our little girl has just turned 4 and is into her 3rd week of Reception class in the UK (she has just done a year of 'nursery' at the same school - 2.5 hours a day 5 days, but now she starts learning properly - reading and spelling are on the cards for the next months. I think it is way too young but hey, she loves it and it is only 9 till 12 each day, from January she will be able to go till 3.15pm but we won't be forced to go fulltime until she turns 5 next July and I intend to hold her back until the very last minute, she needs playtime while she can - she's got 12 years in school coming up. By the way, the school year doesn't work like South Africa either, the academic year is Sept. to July and the age break divider is 31 August, unlike the Jan - Dec, age break 30 June in South Africa. It's crazy, they end up with kiddies a whole year older in the class instead of 6 months either wayAnyway, my question is the system pretty much the same in kindergarten in Oz. I know that the academic year is Jan - Dec and believe that the age break in NSW is 31 July. can someone give me a bit of guidance? My second question is should i bother keeping any of the school uniforms - grey skirts, pinafore trousers that still fit or is the uniform really different.I love this forum, when we moved to the UK I never had anywhere to ask such normal kind of questions.thanksShona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 They start a year later here compared to the UK. My daughter finnished reception and had just started year 1 there when we left in the November. She went into year 1 here in the January and could already read and write and spent the first half of this year learning the names and sounds of the alphabet again. I've read somewhere that they think play and social interaction is more important at this early age and the accademic stuff happens later. I don't think they do as much accademic stuff in Pre primary here compared to Reception there.The uniforms here in Perth are different colours depending on what school you go to. My kids are red polo t-shirt and navy skirt/skort/ trousers. I've seen other schools that are lemon and grey, or gold and brown, or bottle green and red. So chances are, you wont use your UK uniform. I would buy lots of multi packs of white socks to bring over. They seem to sell them individually here, or maybe I just haven't found the right shops yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annette Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 The only thing I miught bring if I were you is grey trousers if that's what she wears in winter to school. But, mind you, summer is approaching, so maybe not? I second the socks suggestion though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 I've seen kids at some schools even wear jeans. But there was something on the news about that and I think they are trying to discourage it. Alot of kids seem to wear trainers (running shoes) instead of the usual school shoes. But, for all the relaxed dress code, the kids here seem so much happier and more friendly than those in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sa2auz Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 Hi thereI have found that Kindy in New South Wales is ahead of South African grade 0, the kindy children here learn to read and write and stand up and speak in front of the class. Each state and school can be different with their cut off dates. Some schools have an young starters class for chiildren a bit too young for kindy but who are too old for pre school.I have used my sons grey pants and shorts here and he uses plain grey socks summer and winter. I have found that for example all the catholic schools in one area will have the same colour shirt. The girls wear the same colour pinny. The children also wear a sports uniform once or twice a week. If your child has plain white shirts I would bring them I have found that they use them often for concerts and plays.Coming from the Uk I don't think your child will battle with the standard of eduction here.Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Noeks Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 We arrived from the UK in March this year, and my daughter has used nothing of her school uniform (greys/ white shirts) from England. We even changed her socks as she now wears anklets with her trainers to school and not the short school summer socks.I also found / find her to be way ahead academically, as she had already started her Year 2 in England last year in September! (She started here in April) - which is all good! About them starting so young in the UK, I was absolutely heartbroken when I had to send my little pumpkin patch to school (Reception) at the age of 4 years! I started school at the same age in Zambia!But its all cool bananas! We l-o-v-e it here!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sunshine Sister Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Hey there,At our school (also in NSW) kindy is seen as the first year of school (much the same level as Grade 1 in SA). My youngest turns 5 in November and will start kindy in January. I must say I find it a lot easier than when I took my eldest to big school at age 4 in Holland.. I lost it, was an emotional wreck for a while, even went into the ugly cry a couple of times at home at the thought of him all alone in a school where he couldn't even speak the language. But of course, as kids do, he had a whale of a time, played his heart out and adjusted in no time. *sigh* Moms, we are something else, aren't we !! I can't imagine you using much of the old uniform, especially not if you have a girl. The dresses/skirt/etc of the girls do seem to vary even more than the uniforms for boys. I am with the other girls on the white socks issue, I have struggled to find plain white socks for my boys.LoveSS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest B H Posted October 17, 2006 Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 Hi Sa2Aus - When you say they use plain white shirts often do you mean T-shirts or the collared ones? I was just repacking cupboards this afternoon and about to get rid of 6 or 7 of my son's winter uniform white collared shirts when I remembered your tip.Is it worth hanging on to them? Thanks, Bronwyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pisces Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Hi thereI found that the kids mostly wear golf shirts in various colours and blue shorts. Tho the colours do vary from school to school. The only schools that seem to wear the white shirts and grey pants are the catholic and private schools here in Perth.Regards Pisces Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jongman Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 At my high school, in Western Australia, we wore Jeans, a polo shirt with the collage logo on and sneakers/trainers. We had a very relaxed dress code. In our rules it stated that we may ware any type of shorts/pants, as long as it was navy blue. The school itself sold the polo shirts.kind regardsFred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ungerers (Tanja U) Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 At my high school, in Western Australia, we wore Jeans, a polo shirt with the collage logo on and sneakers/trainers. We had a very relaxed dress code. In our rules it stated that we may ware any type of shorts/pants, as long as it was navy blue. The school itself sold the polo shirts.kind regardsFredHi Fred,I just want to ask you, in a previous thread you wrote that you are looking for a job and has studied and qualified. Now you are saying the above but you only landed in Aus in Jan 07??? Just a bit confused, I don't want to start a war or something, just wondering, are you currently still in school perhaps??Regards,Tannie Tanja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted April 23, 2007 Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 (edited) . Edited April 23, 2007 by Betsy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jongman Posted April 23, 2007 Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 (edited) Its fine Tannie TanjaWe lived in Perth during 2002-2004. (when i was in high school)Then we moved back to south-africa. 2005-2007. (When I attended collage )And then we landed here in Adelaide on the 5ht of Jan 2007. So no im not still attending school. Hope this clarifies it.Kind regards.Fred Edited April 23, 2007 by Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ungerers (Tanja U) Posted April 23, 2007 Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 Its fine Tannie TanjaWe lived in Perth during 2002-2004. (when i was in high school)Then we moved back to south-africa. 2005-2007. (When I attended collage )And then we landed here in Adelaide on the 5ht of Jan 2007. So no im not still attending school. Hope this clarifies it.Kind regards.Fred Mmm, that makes sense now!Thanks for clarifying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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