State vs Private School Brisbane

[Rush22]

Even though I have been lurking for over a year, this is my 1st serious post.

My family and I land in Brisbane mid May 2015. We have PR.

I have a 11 year old and an 8 year old that needs to get into year 5 and year 3. We have heard and read so many views on state vs private school. I think coming from SA, I am battling with the concept that state schools can actually be good. My kids are currently in a top private school in JHB. Please share your views and recommendations on specific Brisbane schools. We have looked at the Eastern and Western suburbs of Brisbane and will initially be staying with friends in Carindale.

Any information on this will be appreciated.

[Sunnyskies]

Rush22

Ask 10 people the question and you will get 10 different answers.

My views are:

- state schools can be great, but it really depends on where you are located. The select entry schools are excellent and their ranking reflects that.

- state schools that are not select entry can be good, but they can also be a bit mweh (check their ranking on the Better Schools website, compare their naplan scores and try and make an informed choice). Remember that state schools are area bound and you may struggle to get a rental in an area with a great state school. They change the boundaries all the time so check the enrolment plan for any school you are looking at (on their website - you can access a map to see exactly if your house is in the school catchment area or not)

- private schools are probably not worth the effort before year 7 in Brisbane (generally there aren't many that run from prep to year 12 and only a few that run from year 5, most of them only start in year 7)

- private schools fit in three categories, those with a religious afflilation (catholic, Anglican, Lutheran) those with a Christian orientation (versus a particular religion) and generally found in the suburbs further outside of the city centre, and those without a religious affiliation (Brisbane Boys Grammar, Brisbane Girls Grammar). The Christian orientated schools are generally much newer schools in that they have only been operating for 10 to 15 years, the other schools are usually quite old, some as old as Brisbane.

- if you want your child to go to a private school put their name down early, some of the catholic secondary schools give preference to children who come out of the parish school system (effectively catholic primary school which is more expensive than the state system but less than the private schools that operate from year 1 to 12 - ie cost around $2,500 per annum), but you may be lucky as there are some spots kept for immigrants.

We recently moved up from Melbourne and my daughter moved from a private school in Melbourne (where she started in year 5 having come out of a catholic parish school) to a public school in Brisbane for year 6 as her high school here that is affiliated to the Melbourne school only starts in year 7. Comparing the state school with the school she was in it is chalk and cheese. I can't say that I'm over the moon with the state school, but it will do and I don't have to much of a choice. I am grateful that she will be moving next year. Now, I'm sure there will be a flurry of responses to say that private school is a waste of money and that the state system is fine. Yes it is fine, but if you are used to private school education just be aware it is not the same.

If you decide to go private school, choose your school wisely, invest in spending time with the registrar so that they can understand your case and see how they can best accommodate your child. We managed to get our children into schools in both Melbourne and Brisbane that we were told we would not get into due to demand. Now we just have to work out how to pay the school fees!

[mvluik]

Following this post-- we Brisbane bound with 3 boys...

[Fish]

...Now, I'm sure there will be a flurry of responses to say that private school is a waste of money and that the state system is fine. Yes it is fine, but if you are used to private school education just be aware it is not the same.

...

My take would be that state schools can be not just fine but better than non-state schools, in some circumstances.

From what I can tell looking at outcomes, opinions etc there is a big overlap where plenty of state schools are better than non-state schools and vice versa. I would just say a higher percentage of non-state schools would beat state schools but it is not a given between any two schools. For example many of the top 10 primary schools each year are from the state system in the higher socio economic suburbs. Often with schools in either system it is highly affected by the catchment of children they take in. Private primary schools in the outer suburbs often have a lower socio-economic intake than the state schools in the high socio economic inner suburbs so are we comparing apples vs oranges.

For example, Rainworth state school in Bardon is a consistent top performer in the state. Upon entry to every Australian school parents have to fill out various socio economic indicators on the application form.

So a statistically "average" school would have 25% parents in the lowest quarter, 25% in the lower middle, 25% in the upper middle and 25% in the highest category. Rainworth state school though has 87% of parents in the highest category, 10% in the upper middle, 2% in the lower middle and NONE in the lowest quarter. Unsurprisingly they often are in the top 5 in the state.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Fish

[Caz]

If you are in the Carindale area, you might like to visit Mansfield State School (primary and secondary, but apart). Both excellent. Citipointe Christian College is but a short drive from these two. Obviously private with a big South African presence.

[JackieO]

Belmont State School in Carindale is a really good school and very well rounded. The only thing that will be an adjustment is sports.

Most sports are done on a club level, there is hardly any focus on school sports. I guess if I had spare cash to throw around I would still go private, but not if it meant having to budget in other areas (IYKWIM) , not for academic reasons though, since Belmont is a really high performer.

It very much depends on the area you settle it.

wrt to Citipointe, I've been to an open day there and really like it, but we are not church goers so it wouldn't work for us. It is a lovely school though and the grounds are great. I've heard they teach "intelligent design" as apposed to evolution (not totally sure if its the truth), a major no no for a logical, science loving family like ours. Also there are too many S.Africans for us, we came here for our kids to integrate and be Australian. We will always be South Africans living in Australia, but our kids have the opportunity to be "Australian" and thats what we would like for them.

[Caz]

I agree with you JackieO, I can't afford private school so my boys attend a state school which also happens to have very few South Africans but is still a good school. I just gave the info re Mansfield & Citipointe as they are the most popular schools in our area (my boys don't attend either one).