Can anyone tell me about primary school in Australia?

[4speedy]

If is child just turned 7 last month, would grade would he be in in Australia?  Child is currently in American 1st grade.  What s the curriculum like for this age, what are kids working on and what are they expects to know by this age.

Same questions for a child who just turned 10 last month and is currently in American 4th grade.

[Deleted]

The cut-off date in my state is April 30, so he'd be in 2nd Grade most likely. Though, my DS1 will be 7 in May, and is in 1st Grade and has a few kids in his class with March and even Feb birthdays.
It's not cut-and-dried but more dependent on the kid, and public schools are more strict with the dates than private schools.

I can't speak to what they learn in 2nd Grade, but in 1st Grade (at my kids' school) they are expected to be able to read and write, and they have subjects including French, ICT (computer), Science, History & Geography, Art, Music, in addition to Maths and English.

My kids go to an independent private school, so the standard is quite high. I know at public schools the class sizes can be quite large, and they struggle to have the kids reading and writing by this point.
Which is why if you can afford it, private is the way to go. There are many different levels of private school, fee-wise. They range from Catholic schools at $3-5k/year, to $25K/year for the most expensive. You are paying for teacher quality (bad teachers can't get fired from the public system, just moved around) and smaller class sizes.

My DS1 has 16 kids in his class. In the public system it can be a high as 30.

Are you moving to Australia?
You should check the cut-off dates for the state you are interested in, unfortunately they are all different.

[americaninoz]

It really depends on the state and particular area. My dd just started public school kindergarten and the classes have no more than 20 and its a fantastic school. She has just finished first term and is already reading and writing well.
Cutoff in our area is July. So a chold who turned 7 in March would be Iin year 1. Remember the school year runs jan to dec, so we're only 9 weeks in.

[pippilongstocking]

I'm a primary school teacher here and it would be a lot easier to give more specific info if you would say what part of the country you are inquiring about.
This year I'm I am a learning support teacher working in yr 1 and yr 4 and we have some kids who are turning 6 right now in yr 1. So it would be first/second grade.

[wise_rita]

Just an FYI @starbound is spouting some elitist, ignorant bullshit that is pervasive among Australian parents. Expect to run into such assholery if you're educating kids here, but you don't have to buy into it.

I don't have kids in Australia but have enough colleagues who do, and after property investing public vs. private education is probably the hottest topic of discussion there is.

You don't have to be a dick, too.

[Deleted]

Nice.
I've done my research, and those are the facts in my area.
wise_rita you don't even live here so how are you qualified to call me elitist and ignorant, and my comments bullshit?

[dorothyinAus]

I don't have kids, but I do have friends with kids in both public and private schools in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and rural Victoria, and my husband works in TAFE so I do have some knowledge. And I know every area is different, much like in the US.

It would help a great deal if the original poster gave a better idea of the location she's looking -- even generally.

Asking about schools in Australia is like asking about schools in the US -- each state is slightly different and there are differences in each state depending on where you are. Rural schools are very different than metropolitan ones and those are again very different than schools in outback areas.

[wise_rita]

Apr 12, 2016 5:38:11 GMT -5 @starbound said:

Nice.
I've done my research, and those are the facts in my area.
wise_rita you don't even live here so how are you qualified to call me elitist and ignorant, and my comments bullshit?

Because I hear the same garbage coming out of people in my [Australian] neighbourhood.  Untrue, of course, but people create their own "facts" and stick to them.

I'll bet dollars to donuts you think it's perfectly legitimate to list your [private, naturally] high school on a post-uni resume.  Not that I care or expect you to answer, I'm just generalizing here.

Kind of like you generalization that public school kids don't read good.

[4speedy]

Sorry to not be more specific in my OP. Not sure yet if we will get the job transfer but if we do, it will be to Melbourne. I believe we will be right in the city. How are the public schools there? We will get an education allowance from DH's company so private is also a possibility. How do public schools work, do they have what we refer to as schools of choice, meaning you can go to any school in your district, or do you go to the school you live closest to? What are the better public or private schools?

[Deleted]

Apr 12, 2016 6:21:36 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Apr 12, 2016 5:38:11 GMT -5 @starbound said:

Nice.
I've done my research, and those are the facts in my area.
wise_rita you don't even live here so how are you qualified to call me elitist and ignorant, and my comments bullshit?

Because I hear the same garbage coming out of people in my [Australian] neighbourhood.  Untrue, of course, but people create their own "facts" and stick to them.

I'll bet dollars to donuts you think it's perfectly legitimate to list your [private, naturally] high school on a post-uni resume.  Not that I care or expect you to answer, I'm just generalizing here.

Kind of like you generalization that public school kids don't read good.

Again, why are you so angry and ranting in here?  Have you ever been to Australia and reviewed at the schools?
Just because you know some Aussies in your neighbourhood, you feel qualified to call my comments garbage and ignorant bullshit?  Wow.

I did go to private school in QLD, and no, it's not listed on my CV.  Why?  Because it's not relevant in my field.  I don't know anyone who lists their private high school.
But absolutely, which school you went can be advantageous in professional networking and I don't think anyone is ashamed of that.  It comes up in conversation, not on a CV.

OP, I don't know the schools in Melbourne, sorry.  However, most public schools can be attended from anywhere.  You don't need to live in the suburb where the school is located.  Some of the better public schools can be hard to get into, and priority is given to those living in the zoning area.

[americaninoz]

In my area in nsw you can't easily get into an out of area public school. We had to prove with paperwork that we bought our house when it was still in that zone overlapped with another. I don't know about Melbourne but generally in Sydney if you live in a nice area, the public schools are very good. Thus why we bought our house where we did. .....

[wise_rita]

Apr 12, 2016 22:59:16 GMT -5 @starbound said:

Apr 12, 2016 6:21:36 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Because I hear the same garbage coming out of people in my [Australian] neighbourhood.  Untrue, of course, but people create their own "facts" and stick to them.

I'll bet dollars to donuts you think it's perfectly legitimate to list your [private, naturally] high school on a post-uni resume.  Not that I care or expect you to answer, I'm just generalizing here.

Kind of like you generalization that public school kids don't read good.

Again, why are you so angry and ranting in here?  Have you ever been to Australia and reviewed at the schools?
Just because you know some Aussies in your neighbourhood, you feel qualified to call my comments garbage and ignorant bullshit?  Wow.

I did go to private school in QLD, and no, it's not listed on my CV.  Why?  Because it's not relevant in my field.  I don't know anyone who lists their private high school.
But absolutely, which school you went can be advantageous in professional networking and I don't think anyone is ashamed of that.  It comes up in conversation, not on a CV.

OP, I don't know the schools in Melbourne, sorry.  However, most public schools can be attended from anywhere.  You don't need to live in the suburb where the school is located.  Some of the better public schools can be hard to get into, and priority is given to those living in the zoning area.

The only people I've heard this kind of talk from are QLD private school graduates (or, more accurately, ones that couldn't bare to see their preshush attend anything less).  I don't find that a coincidence.  I find that assholery of the highest order.

I'm not angry and ranting, believe it or not, I'm pointing out your obvious and false bias, which you claim not to have.  Which I've seen several times over in other people similar to yourself.  

Bottom line to OP: Sending your kids to an Australian public school is not inherently a bad thing.  The sky is not falling if your kids slum it with the commoners.

[Deleted]

So all people who send their kids to private school in Australia (and the US too? Do you have some opinions on those parents as well?) have a false bias and are assholes of the highest order?

Way to generalise wise_rita, in your infinite wisdom, of course.

My bias isn't false, in my area the private school was the best option for my kids. I investigated all the options, and that was our decision. Not that it matters, but my H went to public school, and so did I until high school.

ETA: also, why are you so invested in this? You ARE angry and ranting, calling me names and swearing.
From what I can tell, you don't have kids, you're not Australian, and you don't live in Australia. Why do you care so much about my bias?

[GilliC]

Apr 13, 2016 6:04:55 GMT -5 @starbound said:

ETA: also, why are you so invested in this? You ARE angry and ranting, calling me names and swearing.
From what I can tell, you don't have kids, you're not Australian, and you don't live in Australia. Why do you care so much about my bias?

wise_rita  doesn't live in Australia?!

Shit, girl! When did you move?! Are you back in Moss and hiding from me?! 

[frlcb]

Apr 13, 2016 6:04:55 GMT -5 @starbound said:

So all people who send their kids to private school in Australia (and the US too? Do you have some opinions on those parents as well?) have a false bias and are assholes of the highest order?

Way to generalise wise_rita , in your infinite wisdom, of course.

My bias isn't false, in my area the private school was the best option for my kids. I investigated all the options, and that was our decision. Not that it matters, but my H went to public school, and so did I until high school.

ETA: also, why are you so invested in this? You ARE angry and ranting, calling me names and swearing.
From what I can tell, you don't have kids, you're not Australian, and you don't live in Australia. Why do you care so much about my bias?

She does live in Australia.

I don't understand the anger with it, but she does live there.

[GilliC]

Just to play devil's advocate here... (devil)

Apr 13, 2016 6:04:55 GMT -5 @starbound said:

My bias isn't false, in my area the private school was the best option for my kids. I investigated all the options, and that was our decision. Not that it matters, but my H went to public school, and so did I until high school.

This isn't really addressing the bias of the original statement:

@starbound said:

I know at public schools the class sizes can be quite large, and they struggle to have the kids reading and writing by this point. Which is why if you can afford it, private is the way to go.

Since you didn't qualify this as "in my area," it does come across as a pretty biased statement.

Considering this was essentially a question about an entire country, and many nationwide generalizations can hold true (e.g. "Public schools in Norway have a heavy emphasis on collaborative group work."), an unqualified generalization can easily be misinterpreted.

[rupertpenny]

I'm very invested in whether or not wise_rita lives in Australia. That's all.

[4speedy]

Pretty excited about the research I've been doing...Melbourne sounds like it has great schools, both public and private. As a matter of fact, it is rated as one of the better cities in the world for education at all levels, primary right up through uni. I have absolutely no preference for public v. Private. As a matter of fact, here in the states, I have one child in each because they are very different kids and each school meets their specific needs. If anything, it seems like there are so many choices in Mlbourne, I might actually find a school that meets both their needs so I won't have to juggle two different schools. That would be lovely for a change.

[wise_rita]

Apr 13, 2016 8:20:33 GMT -5 rupertpenny said:

I'm very invested in whether or not wise_rita lives in Australia. That's all.

Affirmative, affirmative!

Even long enough to be really over the snobby private school my-way-or-the-dole narrative. Ahem.

[dorothyinAus]

4speedy, I'm glad you've found some information about schools in Melbourne.  I don't have children so I've never had to consider schools, but my friends with kids in Melbourne public schools are really pleased with them (for reference, they're in the Clifton Hill and Richmond areas.)

[americaninoz]

Good luck 4speedy! I hope you can find the perfect school for your kids
I do find (at least here in Sydney) that there is a bias towards private schools. Just about everyone I know told me 'public schools are terrible, you can't send your kids there.' I found that hard to believe so went and had a look (and chat & tour with the vice principal) of our local public school. It is an excellent school - that caters to so much. I know the private schools around me would only be something I considered if I was quite religious (as most are catholic). There are lots of good school around though - public & private. Myschool.edu.au is a good place to check for ratings - and go and contact the schools of the areas you're interested in!

[Deleted]

I went to school in Australia. I went to public school and private school (final 2 years). Both schools were in the country. The content of the material being taught was the same as it is a set curriculum across the state. The difference in private school for me was that there was a bigger push to go on to university. In my local high school there was less motivation and inclination amongst the student population to go to university. But remember, I grew up in a rural area, many kids were from farms and were always going to work on those farms as adults. 

The quality of the teaching staff was the same I my opinion.

[pippilongstocking]

May 23, 2016 10:35:50 GMT -5 @chloe77 said:

Does anyone have info about good private grammar schools in the Sydney area?  Our company will pay private school tuition, and our kids go to an independent private school here in the US, so that's what we are looking for. We pay $25k per child here, so something comparable would be fine.  We want a good private school with an expat population that is equipped to prepare kids to transition back home in a couple of years.

Do you know where in Sydney you would be? 
What are the ages of your kids? Boys or girls? 
There are a lot of single sex schools here.