NEW ARRIVAL ENTRY INTO PRIMARY SCHOOL

[HuggyBear]

Hi

We will more than likely be arriving the end of the current year.

Hoping to live in Perth or Sydney.

For state schools how long in advance do you need to apply to get kids in. My son will going into grade 1 next year ie 5 turning 6 in Australia.

I believe terms start at end January. Will I be able to get son in for 2016 if I only arrive end November etc.

Is process of enrolling at school quite straightforward. I believe Vaccinations need to be complete but they wont refuse entry if not done, please confirm if this is correct.

 

Cheers

[SML]

We contacted the school that was close to our short term rental in June 2015, from SA & the boys started after the July holidays at the school. We arrived in the school holidays and asked for the P&C representative's contact details to arrange a play date. (was recommended by someone on the forum). There were no problems getting them in and we sent them copies of their vaccination cards which were accepted. Hope this helps...

Good luck!

[OubaasDik]

As far as I know, if you are living in the catchment area for a government school, they have to let you in.

 

I could be wrong, but I am not unsure ..... 

[DXB2OZ]

If you are in zone, you are in the school. They don't have a choice. You can pitch up having moved in yesterday and they will make a plan.

 

if you are not in zone, they do not have to talk to you. You don't have a choice. Enrolling before you have residency is generally not an option for a government school.

 

Having said that, if you contact the school and nicely outline your plans for moving to the area, they can assist with initial information, but as far as documents and applications, that will generally not happen until you can provide proof of residency (tenancy contract, etc).

 

Once you have chosen your final area (or two or three) it may be worth chatting to the local schools (there are usually several and they are very good about providing their zoning maps, usually on their websites - be warned, zones can change from one year to the next), explain your situation and ask for a list of what they will require should you be successful in securing a rental in the zone. This will help you to prepare and have everything ready to go.

 

You will battle to contact them during school holidays so your timings sound excellent. They will probably also give him a quick introduction before end of term in December, so he is familiar with the school when they start end Jan. We found the primary school to be incredibly welcome and they really bent over backwards to help my son feel settled and secure as quickly as possible.

[Sibella]

They have become very strict with vaccinations so I would make sure that this is in order. For instance they just cut of my child care benefit due to my child's vaccination schedule not being up to date without checking with me first.

 

I found out that one of the vaccinations that was done in 2012 wasn't registered with Medicare, not my fault at all but still mine to sort out!

 

The schools might not be as strict but just a warning. Also might even be better to just wait until you get here and then visit the council and check which ones need to be done as the schedule is a bit different here than in South Africa.

 

You won't have any problems getting into a public school at that time, they have to accept you. Private schools of course are a different matter.

[Guest]

I made sure that our son was upto date with his vaccinations prior to leaving SA. Unfortunately though Australia has different rules and he needed to get 3 more injections. They explained that the injections given in SA were given too close together and so he needed them again. I took him to the local community Centre as the nurses were visiting on that day. Maybe contact your local one when you arrive and find out about immunisation programs. You will need your Medicare card first as they take the number down and register you, thereafter you will receive a status certificate in the mail roughly about 2 weeks later saying your child has had all his/her vaccinations. You need the certificate for school enrolment. If you are in the catchment zone the school has to take you so I wouldn't worry about getting the kids into school.

[Mel-B]

I looked at primary schools in Victoria regarding immunization status:

 

Parents or guardians must provide an immunisation status certificate to the school regardless of whether the child is or is not immunised. Note: Homeopathic immunisation is not a recognised form of immunisation, and therefore cannot be listed on an immunisation status certificate.

 

Prospective students will not be prevented from enrolling in primary school if they have not been immunised.

 

Collecting immunisation status certificates will assist health authorities in protecting students in the event of a vaccine-preventable disease occurrence at the school.  An unvaccinated student may be excluded from school for a period of time.

 

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/participation/Pages/admission.aspx

[HuggyBear]

thanks all for the valuable feedback. Much appreciated

[HuggyBear]

hi all.

 

glad to advise my visa was granted last week. My son will be starting grade 1 in oz next year. Not sure where. Prob sydney. Can you guys tell me where i my son should be at from a school readiness point of view. He is at a creche in sa but his numeracy and a-z need work. I heard its more about maturity ie can he work independantly etc and follow instructions.

[RYLC]

I've found school to be more about social / emotional development than academics.  There is no school readiness test or requirement.  They will meet him where he is at at the time.  For your own peace of mind (NOT a school requirement) I would make sure he knows his basic colours (rainbow ones), basic shapes, can count to 10 and maybe write his name.  My eldest couldn't write his name but the youngest could.  School assume that everybody is starting from scratch and then work from there.  There is a wide range of abilities in each class and the teachers handle it.  It'll be fine so try not to stress.

[Guest]

In Victoria they do a free health assessment at age four at the medical health centre they also check if they can count to 10 and if they know colours etc. I have found that schools in Australia are fairly laid back in terms of education. I k ow my two South African friends in Perth complain about the lack of homework etc. They just don't put pressure on kids here and I think its a good thing. If your child has already been in school in SA though I can understand that it may take time getting used to the Ozzie way. The school that I am going to enrol my son in next year has a no homework policy, some parents love it, some don't.

[SmellyN]

@HuggyBear Your child might not be in Gr 1 in VIC check this out it differs from state to state too:

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/primary/Pages/enrol.aspx  http://www.aussieeducator.org.au/education/enrolments/enrolments=2.html 

Also will depend if your child is born before or after +- June/July of the year. In private schools they have lee-way to support putting your kids in "higher" classes, but in public they will go strictly according to school-age in the state.

This is for the Immunisation requirements which is being clamped down on now very strictly so make sure up to date. Also a lot more lurgies around and the Flu vac's also advisable.

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/medicare/australian-childhood-immunisation-register

Also regarding Immunisation - each town has a council/shire -there are generally free immunisation clinics held through the Maternal Nurse Centre in the town/ at halls/churches - they will help you if there is anything missing. We battled to get information listed on the system with 4/5 different Doctor practices. Otherwise a good Immunisation Nurse at the Doctor's practice where they also generally hold immunisation clinics. Be AWARE: The one immunisation that will 90% be outstanding is for the Meningicoccal C (NEISVAC/ Equivalent ONLY) They DO NOT accept MenceVac C which we had done prior to coming over privately through Paed. (RSA doesn't cover on schedule due to non-prevalence of Men.C in the country) so we had to get kids covered again.

[SmellyN]

https://bettereducation.com.au/Default.aspx This is for research on your chosen area schools etc to make informed decision where possible. If you like an out of bounds public school it is possible to do an out of bounds application, but it is not guaranteed. Public schools IN your catchment area of where you live CANNOT LEGALLY deny enrolment either. Hence people move to live where they want their kids to go to the good public schools. Private/ Independent schools aren't as picky, but you pay of course.

[HuggyBear]

thanks all. Feel better about this. My son is turning 6 in april next year so i think that means grade 1 depending on state.

[rozellem]

1 hour ago, HuggyBear said:

thanks all. Feel better about this. My son is turning 6 in april next year so i think that means grade 1 depending on state.

Hi Huggy, from my experience with kids around here in Syndey, is that parents are quite cautious with putting (especially) boys in school on the "early" side. In NSW we have Kindy and then Year 1. Kindy is a fantastic year of getting the foundation solid for future learning. This year, I know five kids who turned 6 in Jan and Feb, who's parents decided to only send them to Kindy in 2017. I have heard lots of the parents talking about wanting their kids to be more mature/older at the end of their school careers, not just in the beginning.

There will be others along with different opinions and personal stories of their little geniuses, but this is my obersvation of the trend in my community in Sydney. 

[HuggyBear]

thanks rozellem. I see some schools have kindy as part of schools? Is that correct. If so i assume those fees are also free? I hear you but there is a financial consideration so perhaps will make more sense for son to start grade 1. I have a daughter turning 2 this year. Would like her to stay home with my wife. I believe kindergarten is only compulsory one year before grade1?

[rozellem]

Its quite confusing for many reasons. Mainly because all the states call their child services by different names. In NSW, "Pre-School" starts at 3 (2days a week, 8:30 to 3:30) and the 4 year olds (3days, 8:30 to 3:30). Then, Kindy is the first year of real school and is virtually free (in state schools). Kindy is not optional and a is very important step. 

[rozellem]

You can Google it, but it comes down to this: 

"In NSW, children can start Kindergarten at the beginning of the school year if they turn 5 on or before 31 July in that year. All children must be enrolled in school by their 6th birthday. There is great variation in when children start school. Some children start at 4½, others at 6."