Private schools in NZ

[Changeee15467]

But of a niche question but anyone have experience with the NZ schooling system? DCs are at primary in NZ and happy and doing well but it seems both are quite academic. They also came from a U.K. primary so were already ahead when they arrived. I’m aware that the NZCEA perhaps isn’t as good as the Cambridge system. Private schools here offer the Cambridge system. I’m wondering whether to send them private from year 10 onwards but wondered if anyone had any insights on the pros / cons, whether it is worth it?

Anyone up :)

Where in the country are you? When I was at school, private schools were generally less academic than the top state single sex school in the major cities eg Auckland Grammar, Otago Girls’ High etc. Are you in the zone for one of those where you live?

Unfortunately not which makes it tricky. We are in Tauranga so there’s only really one private school unless we sent them to board which I’m not prepared to do.

Ok, so your query is more about this school than the private vs state system as whole. I would think about why you are attracted to this particular school.

Is it the Cambridge exams and why (more intellectually challenging? easier to get into university in the UK if that is their aim?)

What else might the private school offer that appeals?

Personally (and speaking as a former Dux of one of those city single sex schools) I think that school should be about more than just academic excellence. It’ll all come out in the wash.

My own experience (both as a student and then an academic at an NZ university) was that the brightest students didn’t come from private schools. I didn’t do NCEA myself but I taught those who did.

I'm a kiwi who went to a top private school in Auckland and currently have one child in a SW London selective indie. I also have friends with DC in both independent and top state schools in Auckland currently. My view is that NZ independent schooling is nothing like the UK, it is far, far more academic in the UK. The difference between private and state schools is much narrower in NZ. In NZ if you can afford to live in a top state school zone go for that. Unfortunately I don't know anything about Tauranga schools.

I don't know much about ACG Tauranga (which I presume is the school you are considering). I admit I am a little put off by private school 'chains' rather than truly independent schools.

However my experience with NZ private schools: some are absolutely worth it, I would definitely explore the options (or option if you are ruling out boarding!). State (NZ: public) schooling is fairly relaxed in my experience outside of a few highly academic schools, mostly in the major cities. That suits a lot of kids but can be confining for more academic children or insufficiently supportive for those who naturally coast.

NCEA is not really an impediment to overseas university admissions. There is no need to do Cambridge exams or IB if you don't want to these days. NCEA endorsed with Excellence (or even Merit) will get you into plenty of top universities around the world. It also works very well for students who aren't so great with exams as you can earn a good portion of your credits through coursework.

RE year 10 start - it's perfectly doable. You don't need to start earlier for the exam system. However, socially I think it's easier to start in year 7 or 9, these are the main entry points for most private schools.

Thank you all - v helpful. Very difficult to know what right thing to do is!

My DS1 has just started Y9 at ACG in Auckland. We've chosen the private route for high school purely because he's highly maths oriented but dyslexic/possible ASD ( we're about to have him assessed) . He was also bullied in his highly regarded intermediate school, and I feel much more confident that this will be less of a problem at ACG. With Cambridge exams he'll be able to specialize in maths/science from Y11. I'm a big advocate of a broad education usually, but just want to reduce his stress and anxiety as much as we can! it wasn't for his neuro-diversity, we'd have been quite happy with our local state high school, which is where our younger child will go.

Completely agree with pp that the gap between state and private academically is small, and DS1 is not finding the transition hard. I'm in a reasonably senior job and none of my peers were privately educated.

Feel free to PM me if you want more info on ACG, although it's still early days for us

I'm also assuming you're looking at ACG in Tauranga. We looked at this school and even though it appears excellent academically we were concerned at the lack of extra curricular / sports options. Plus as it's also a relatively new school in the area it really doesn't have the facilities that more established schools have. We ended up going with one of the religious based schools in the area. I know that you're not keen on boarding but if you want an excellent school within 1 and a half hours of Tauranga there is St Peter's in Cambridge. They offer weekly boarding and have a shuttle bus that goes between Tauriko and the school on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons. I also agree with the PP that it's best to start at either year 7 or 9, this is also the main intake years. It's much harder to get them in in year 10, you're generally reliant on someone leaving the school. Good luck 🤞

@squifflybobs thank you that’s helpful. It’s funny because I was always led to believe the gap here was big - mainly because the nz state system wasn’t very good?! But if it’s not worth it then I’m not sure whether forking out is justified. Ironically if we were in the U.K. I’d be looking at sending them to a good secondary and wouldn’t be as bothered about going private. Are you going for ACG because it’s close by or were there other options in Auckland you didn’t opt for?

@everyonesacf thank you - that was one thing on my mind. My kids are quite sporty. I saw it didn’t have a pool? And I thought is it worth the fees when there are other independent schools that are better but with similar fees. Not sure if you mean Bethlehem ... were considering there too.

Yes! We did go with Bethlehem! There is also Aquinas which is also excellent. One of the things that put me off was the fees v the facilities. Also with the roll being so small I was worried about the insular nature of the school / students. Im sure this is not the case in Auckland which has a much bigger population so more students at their schools.

Ahhh ok interesting to hear! I just feel like if I’m paying school fees I want it to be worth it? I’ve had all the same concerns you’ve had. Then circle back round to the Cambridge system 🙈good to hear that is not necessarily the be all and end all!

If you have boys then Tauranga Boys is considered the best school in the area. It is excellent for both academic and sport. Don't be put off by the NCEA system. In fact ACG not offering it was another thing that put me off! I do believe that any school operating should be offering that countries standard schooling system. With Cambridge etc as an optional extra.

Hi, I grew up in Tauranga. Tauranga Boys and Tauranga Girls are both fine.
You'll find state education in NZ not overly academic but excellent at development of the whole child. I attended a different state school in the area (intentionally vague) and have never had any hint that my education was worse than people at university or my career, in which I've worked with 'top-of-their-game' people all around the world. Others I went to school with went to Harvard Law School, design rockets, are film directors. I'd always favour a state school, good principal, with a low pressure environment.

Lots of the private school has boarding. I went to one in Auckland. It has kids from a wide area surrounding Auckland. I don’t think academically it was better than the city’s top state schools. But it’s the boarding option for rural kids. Also some state school has boarding too. I know you aren’t looking at boarding but you should. There might be weekly boarding options for you?

This is not intended to be offensive. It is only a broad generalisation. But I've found English people to be old fashioned about education. They lose sight of what it's for because for so long education in the UK has been established as a (joyless, greyscale, production-line) competition.
Well shake those cultural shackles!
You want your kid to come out aged 18 full of courage and confidence. You want them to know the powerful feeling that comes when they play to their strengths. You want them creative and collaborative and resilient, with great friends, ready for the next phase. So what if they don't get an A. Nobody will ever care. They need to solve problems, know what makes a good life and work well with others. That's it: the rest will come over time.

In my opinion

Didn’t realise Tauranga boys had such a good reputation?!

@ChildrenGrowingUpTooFast thanks but I’d never send them to board. It’s a red line for me. They’re only young once.

@Avarua LOL I do completely agree! I guess it’s hard with all the differing info out there. Some people seem to think Nz schools aren’t brilliant academically.... but my children are thriving at primary here and happy so at the moment academics aren’t important. But as they get older I want them to have their needs met with academics but also be happy. Im not familiar at all with the schools here so it’s a learning curve. I’m sure the perfect happy medium is here somewhere that fits us :)

Hi again. We went for ACG for a few reasons

• good reputation for maths/science which is what DS is into
• they have a university style campus for y12/13 to help prepare them for transition, which we thought would be great for our son as he's likely to find it hard
• uniform is practical! Might seem minor but I think it says a lot about a school .There are some really daft uniforms around esp for girls
• it's co-Ed. DS likes socializing with girls and was horrified at the thought of a single sex school whether state or private
• social sport. He's not good a traditions team sports but likes to be active and there are a few options

I'm a product of the Uk comp system myself and remember the stress of testing/catching up amongst my primary school peers transferring to private secondaries. And I lived in London for a long time, the rigmarole to get into indies/grammars there does not look fun . We applied mid Y8, had an interview and were offered a place the next month. I guess that just reinforces the fact that the jump is not big. We would not be going private if it were not for the specific needs of our son. Totally agree with others that it's not just academics that are important, we just want him to be happy and he was completely miserable at intermediate.