Which year group will DD be in, n Australia

[ForMashGetSmash]

DD is 6 and in year 2 here in the UK. We are going to Adelaide after Christmas...DH has a job there and this is a temporary move. We will be there for around 18 months.

I am finding it all very confusing re school years...it seems every state is different why? In Adelaide, I think she wil be in year one...with kids who have JUST begun school...is that right? Her birthday is July 27th 2004.

She is quite far ahead in her class already and I am a bit nervous about whether she will fall behind over in Oz and then find it hard to catch up when we come back to UK. (her place in current school is definately there for our return)

I am also unsure about what to do...should I send her to school in Oz..have her get used to a new school only to pull her out after 18 months and come back to the old school...or should I hoome educate? There is a strong HE community in Adelaide and also an alernative school who run a once a week "school day" for home ed kids...they seem to have a good selection of specialist teachers.

What to do? The schools I have looked at in the area we will be in, don't appeal at all for various reasons...should I see the 18 months as working holiday? An opportunity for DD to learn to ride, swim, explore a new country and let formal learning take a backseat? Make sure her Maths, English, writing and comprehension are all up to date and then come back to our lovely UK school?

There is no question of us staying there...my work is in the UK and we are happy here...I have lived in SA before when DD was a newborn so I know I won't be wooed by it...help!?

Bum.

(my new word of choice when pushing my thread back under people's noses)

I am just trying to work it out...my dd is 7, she starts yr 2 in Jan, so your daughter should be starting yr 1, in late Jan/early Feb, depending when your chosen school goes back. Ours, also in Adelaide, goes back on 31st Jan.

The year goes Jan - Dec in school here.

I can't advise you what to do, re home schooling/main stream school.

What are you going to be living in?

They start school here in SA the term after their 5th Birthday. So she would have turned 5 in July 2009?

So for your dd that would have been term 4 (Oct) & means at she would have started school @ reception level in Oct 2009.

They need to do a full school year in each year. So that would be Jan 10 - Jan 11 (in recep). The extra term in 2009 wouldn't be counted, as they don't move up mid year here.

So Jan 11 she would go into yr 1.

You could try talking to the school & getting her into a 1/2 class & making sure they assess her often & give her work to reflect those assessments.

Hello, I'm in Adelaide, DS2 is 10/6/04 and will be in Yr 1 after Christmas, has done 6 terms of Reception.

Good luck with the move, Adelaide is fantastic!

What is a half class differentnamefothis?

Thanks for all your posts, it's probable that we will end up in or near Semaphore..or Glenelg...not certain yet and we will begn at MILs hous in West Lakes....but we are keen to know if any good schools could b recomended? Is it hrd to et a place if you are starting in year one?

DH is there already...think I am going to make him go and visit a few schools so when I get there I can at least discount any he isnt keen on.

Currently she is in a ery tiny school so we are hoping to find a small school...

Oooh...and what kind of things get covered in reception over there please?

Sorry formash, not a half class a 1-2 class. That means it is mixed with yr 1 & 2s.

I am afraid I don't know any schools in that area, so wouldn't be able to recommend any.

In reception, they cover pretty much what your daughter would have covered. It is the same learning structure, just a year later. They stay at school longer here too. So, start later, finish later.

I have found the focus on the early years of primary school to be very different to the UK which makes it quite difficult to transition between systems on a short term basis. A lot of English people moan about the K-2 years in Australian schools because they think their 5/6 year olds are "way ahead" of the Australians - you need to remember that 6 is compulsory school age here and the Australians think there is more to education than getting them to level 20 of ORT as fast as they can. By the time they get to 8/9 the differences are less marked though there does seem to be huge differences between public schools in just how laid back they are!

If you are totally sure you are only spending 18 months here I think home ed would be really good way to go. I home schooled DS2 (then 8) and sort of home schooled DD (she was only 4) for six months on arrival and we had a ball. Home schooling in a sunny climate really opens up endless possibilities for educational trips out, lots of sport etc.

If you do want the school experience I would strongly suggest going private. There are lots of very reasonable private schools around here (though of course there are the elite schools where you will pay as much as British fees if you really want to). My kids are all in a private school in Sydney and I am paying $16,000 for all three of them this year (our school does have particularly good sibling discounts though). The private schools are a lot more flexible with placing kids in appropriate year groups (though they will look very closely at social and emotional maturity as well as academic ability). They are also more likely to do something about it if she ends up clearly bored - a public school will probably not view it as anything to do with them that you need to keep her on track to slot back into a different system in 18 months. Good luck whatever you decide.