Schooling

[ChipsAreLife]

Hi everyone! Love that there is this section!

I'm an Aussie but have been in the UK for over 20 years. After a recent trip back DH and I are looking to move back with our three kids (2,6 and 7)

Toying with either Sydney or Perth (that's another thread!)

2 year old turns 3 in September so does he start in 2026? Do most go to preschool before school?

Also for anyone whose moved back how have they found the switch for schools? As we start younger in UK I wondered if mine may be slightly more ahead? That said they're actually both behind because of covid!

Anyway any help or advice would be welcome!

For NSW the have to start school by the time they are six, and they all start at the same time at the end of jan/beginning of Feb. So he would usually start the Jan/Feb after he turns five.
Most DC seem to do some type of early learning before school but it's not mandatory. Most daycare centers follow the early years framework program and do the usual intro to counting, alphabet, sounds etc. The school program is targeted at the average five year old and kindy (reception year) is very much about bringing them all to a good baseline and introducing them to the concept of school, and managing themselves independently.
There is a pre school option before school and this follows the school terms and is 9-3pm.
The state schools are required to take you if you are in the catchment zone (there's a website you can check) and private schools have quite long waiting lists so move quickly on that if you're hoping to go private from primary.
I can only vouch for Sydney but it's been a great place to bring our dc up, and the school we're in has been fantastic so far.

Also with regards to if they're ahead, the schools around us keep them together for age but extend them work wise within the class as necessary. In our DD's class there is quite a range of abilities so they all work on the same concepts but at different skill levels.

Yeah he will start at five years, four months. Nearly all kids would go to preschool or daycare that has a kindy program first.

I was genuinely amazed by how much they cover in first year of school. Mine both went knowing how to write their first name and counting to 50. By the end of first year they could both read and spell the magic 300 words, knew how to add and subtract quite big numbers, could read well. It was really a lot more than what I think I knew at the same age.

Yes our government primary has extension maths groups, additional reading lists etc. They are definitely challenged to the appropriate level.

I think that's the difference with England. We start the "year they turn 5." So at 5yrs 4 months mine had FINISHED their first year. So at 5yrs 4 months my child could write sentences, capital letters, full stops, good with numbers and addition and Subtraction and read well. It's sounds like the same type of year/content but a year earlier!

It worked well for my daughter in England (bright, etc) but I think in general we start too early. (Some would be near 6 at the end of reception, some would be just turned 5!)

Thank you all so much for your posts. Really appreciate it!

Yes @LotsOfBalloons one of my dd started a couple of weeks after turning 4, is seems so young really!

@spottygymbag that's really good to know, thanks. I have been looking at some of the catholic schools in addition to the state/public ones, the fees seem relatively low. But it seems the public schools are very good? We are looking et eastern suburbs (I know it's bonkers expensive but that's where family is). We may consider private for high school but we have a few years till that.

@Matchymatchylemonscratchy that's really good to know, sounds like they do a great job in those early years!

There’s a difference between when they can start school and when they actually start school. In NSW and VIC in particular the trend is to start school as old as possible, especially in the richer, high socioeconomic status (SES) areas, and especially for boys. Something about giving them time to mature, being bigger and stronger, having a competitive edge, etc. Lower SES areas tend to have children starting school as soon as they’re eligible because school is cheaper than another year of childcare.

In other states like Tas and WA there’s pretty much none of that. Almost everyone starts at the same age eligibility so there’s no big spread of ages.

Each state should have an age eligibility calculator/chart to check.

To further add to the confusion, kindy, preschool, Prep, etc mean different things in different states. I’m in Qld. Here kindy is the year before FYOS (first year of school) and is 5 days per fortnight. It’s painting, craft, playing outdoors, etc. The FYOS is called Prep. That’s proper compulsory schooling with uniforms, desks, lessons, etc but should be play based but isn’t. After that there’s Year 1. In NSW I think our kindy year is called preschool and Prep is called Kindy. In SA Prep is called Foundation I think. See? Clear as mud.

In some states the pre-FYOS year is provided for free by the state government. In other states it will cost a few hundred dollars per year. There’s also the option of doing it as part of the program at a long daycare centre instead of a stand alone kindy/preschool. Great option if you’re working normal work hours and can’t be ferrying your child around on different days to different places. If you go through a daycare centre it will cost money but then there’s the Child Care Rebate from Centrelink to help with costs.

Almost all children do the year of pre-FYOS. Last I knew it was about 98%. It helps get them ready for the skills and routine of school eg shoes, opening a lunchbox, sharing, etc.

Yes you start very young in the UK. Our niece started school at four years, two months!

In NSW the technical cut off is turning 5 by 31 July so kids can start at four years, seven months. Most kids born post March are held back though.

September kids would all go at five years four months. There is no option to send early or late for that month without additional approvals for special needs etc.

I think it's like anywhere really- the state schools can vary massively based on area. We are lucky in that our school is new enough to not be maxed out for numbers, but old enough that it has worked out a lot of issues. Our friends one street over are in a different catchment. The school facilities are much older but the teaching is good as the area attracts and is easily accessible by public transport.
We are zoned for a good high school and have a couple of good selective schools if that suits the dc but are also looking into catholic as an option.
I also find the starting age really early in the uk- my db was in at just 4 in Scotland. I started in NZ where you go when you turn five. DC1 was just shy of her 5th birthday here in Sydney but was so very ready for the next stage. It does mean the age range is quite big though. One girl in her class has the same bday but a whole year older.

Just to add, since you haven't had any WA answers. In Perth your September born two year old could start kindy (part time, non-compulsory, but most go and are usually in schools with the pre-primaries) the year they turn five, so end Jan, beginning Feb, 2025, and pre-primary, the first year of compulsory, full time school, the next year.

Your six and seven year old, it would depend on their birth date. At the moment, they'd be in year one if their birthdate is between July, 2016 and June 2017; in year two if born between July 2015 and June 2016, and year three if they are going to turn eight before June 30.

I think you might find they might be a tiny bit ahead (we've only had one term of year one so far) but only significantly so if they're a July or August born, who are the oldest in the year here, and the youngest in England. (I'm assuming England, since you didn't specify; if you're in another part of the UK that won't apply)

@Daneel thank you! Yes we are in England. 8 year old is dec 2014 and 6 year old is aug 2016. So I guess they're y1 and y2 in aus on that basis?

These responses are so helpful, thank you. We are still torn on Perth vs Sydney. But we have some time to decide as I'm still waiting for my British citizenship to come through which I want before we go. Applied last Feb so hoping it's soon!

If you don't mind if I ask a 'missing the point' question, but what draws you to move back? If you wanted to chat via the PM system no worries.... for context, we're in Oz but looking to move back to the UK...

@ChipsAreLife Here’s some websites that might help you.
https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/going-to-a-public-school
To work out which Year level based on age:
https://schoolinfo.com.au/
Your 8 yo would be in Yr 3 in NSW and your 6 yo in Yr 1 this year. Your 2 yo wouldn’t start Yr 1 until 2027.

Yes year one for the six year old, but an eight year old born dec 2014 would be in year 3.

How did you decide to make the move back. I desperately want to go back to Aus but my English husband doesn’t want to and I feel torn about moving all the kids who are currently in primary school. we are lucky and have good schools in our area and wouldn’t know where to move back to as my husband would never move to country Victoria where I’m from.

@BananaBender @Daneel thank you! Thanks for the links Banana. It's really helpful!

@IsGoodIsDon @CaledonianDream to be honest it's something we've always talked about. After going at Christmas we came back and just knew it was time to make the move. It may seem superficial to some people but I hate the winter, I can't face the cold, dark days, I never have been able to. We are beach, outdoors people! The kids absolutely love it and want to move! 2 year old asks for the beach every day 😂

A more serious answer is we've had a run of very bad experiences with the NHS over the last few years, schools are grossly underfunded, everyone is striking, there is a huge sense of negativity around and I'm just over it.

On our recent trip to dd 6 got tonsillitis, on NYE in Sydney, which was also a Saturday, we were seen within an hour of calling the medical centre. In the UK I would have been waiting on hold for an hour just to get that initial 111 contact and then likely wait hours for a call back, then wait more hours at out of hours etc. really opened our eyes to what a decent system is and I just want that for my kids. Especially as DD8 has ongoing stomach issues and our recent 'urgent referral' saw us get an app in 4.5 months .... I've got private health now as I can't put her through the wait times anymore.

People just seem much more relaxed, happier and positive there. They're more active too which is a huge plus for us. We have a lot of family and friends there too, so not starting from scratch! We love asia and want to explore that part of the world more too!

I'm not deeply unhappy here and there are so many things I'll miss like our family and friends here (my DF and siblings are here, plus most of DH family) the clothes, jumping on a train to France, the lovely traditions like celebrating guy Fawkes, London, etc. I know the grass is always greener and Australia also has issues with misogyny, high costs, heat etc but I think on balance we will be happier there.

We plan to go for two years and see how we feel and then make a decision before dd8 starts high school so she's not bouncing around.

This is of course our experience and I don't want to get into UK v Aus type thread which I've read a few of one here!

@CaledonianDream may I ask why you're thinking of moving back?

Sorry that was really long!

@IsGoodIsDon sorry I meant to say, I would try go for a visit if you can. Maybe visit some other places you would consider living in?

Hi@ChipsAreLife I've sent you a PM.

We came back to WA from South-East Asia last year. DC went from an international school to a local state school and is loving it.

A lot of parents seem to be focused on private schools and think they’re inherently superior. All the research points to the biggest influence on student achievement is socio-economic status. If you live in a good area, generally the state schools will be good.

DC started high school this year and we are happy with it. The school has a variety of specialist programs and there’s a lot to get involved with.

I agree with the comments above about the tendency to hold boys back in Victoria (we lived there when DC was born). Whereas here, everyone just seems to start school within the guidelines, and people don’t hold their kids back without good reason.

I moved back about half a year before COVID hit. DS1 has a birthday in the first half of the year, so he stayed in his current year level but he is younger by up to a year compared to his class mates. DS2's birthday is in the second half of a year so he was kept back a year so he is more of an age with his class mates. He was placed in a mixed year class in his primary school so was able to do some subjects with the older children so that was fine. He gained a lot of confidence by being 'one of the best' and that really helped with the transition.

DS1's teacher said he was ahead due to coming from the UK system, but that would only last about 6 months, from then on he couldn't coast.

The great thing about schools here is that in primary there is a greater focus on social skills and way less homework than in the UK. Also, if you live in the catchment area, then the school has to take you. I used to stress so much about school in the UK, but the attitude to schooling here so far has been so much more relaxed and child centric. In the UK both DSs really struggled but here they've just been blitzing it. It's been so wonderful to see them shine.

Sydney is the most expensive city in Australia to live in. Perth is the most isolated. So you've chosen two quite extreme and different cities.

You wouldn't know my DC came from the UK. Their accent is as Australian as their peers is. They love it here. We chose to live somewhere we have easy access to a lovely coastline, for me that was important. I also struggled with the UK weather, and love being back. Their lack of Aussie Rules knowledge makes for a few funny moments, but they're very laid back about it as cricket is their sport and they're happy with that!

@TerrorAustralis thank you, that's really good to know. We are open to either private or state. We will go with what we feels fits best. I'd gladly save the money on private fees! I'm not bothered about status etc!

@OrderOfTheKookaburra thank you, that's really helpful! Yes, I've read that before. Our school in Uk isn't too homework heavy thank goodness, but lots are and it's such a shame. My kids are knackered after school and their club! Your experience makes me feel so much better. Especially as you mention struggling with the weather, I always feel a bit shallow saying that but it massively affects us all!

Re Perth and Sydney I totally get it. That's where I grew up and where we have family and friends. My youngest is only 2 and DH will travel a bit with work so ideally I'd like some help in place for that. I'm not overly bothered about Perth being isolated as such, we love the Margaret river region and I would love to explore north WA more too. I love Sydney but it's so busy and expensive now. But there is more going on and I love the coast of NSW. So hard to make the decision! A nice problem to have I know!

First year of school in Australia is now supposed to be referred to as "Foundation" as there was confusion about the term "Prep" meaning different things in different States. Lots of schools do composite classes in the first years to any differences in ability/knowledge is also well catered for this way. Good luck with the move!

I love the weather here. On one of the stinking hot days I took my DSs to the beach in the evening. We had our dinner on a picnic blanket and then they took a dip in the beautifully calm water - Adelaide sits in the gulf so we don't get the constant waves etc of the other coastlines.

DS1 said "I finally get the point of a beach". He had become a convert now. That and not missing as many cricket games due to wet weather as they did in the UK!!

Thanks @Longdarkteatimeofthesoul this is really helpful!

@OrderOfTheKookaburra I love this! Thank you for sharing. It's exactly what we want.

The weather here has been really miserable this winter/spring and I am over it! Yesterday was sunny and 20 and we were outside all day. Today back to raining most of the day and much cooler 😵‍💫

We've decided to plan to head over mid Feb, appreciate that's missing the start of the school year but I have a work commitment early Jan in the US and then DH does early Feb in UK so we will come after that. I'm ok with the kids missing a few weeks of school while we find a rental and look around the schools.

This board has been so helpful and supportive I will likely be back over the course of the next nine months asking more questions! Thank you all again