schools- public or private in Sydney

selective and private in sydney
Of course it depends on what you want from the school and the personality of your child. i have been to both private and state schools and can say personally, i preferred the state schools. it was a non-selective school, but was a designated centre of excellence. sometimes, you can go to a private school and find that everyone behaves like they were born with a silver spoon, and they don't want to apply themselves, work hard, and achieve their year 12 results through merit. but also, the resources in state schools are blatantly out of touch sometimes, with what students today need to do well, and maximise their opportunities for life outside of school. but that doesn't mean the state school teachers are not ingenious and creative with how they teach without some resources, and the more wealthy parents join the state school community, the better off those schools will be in terms of their bank balances. the thing with sydney private schools is that they're very well connected, very social, but also quite cliquey and have little understanding of the diversity of people who actually live in sydney and in australia, they are sometimes not exposed to very much except their own social circles, which is a big failing.

Coatching doesnt improve a child's natural IQ, so what are you complaining about? "coaching" doesnt improve a child's aptitude, which is exactly what the selective test measures, so what are you on about? Are you just jealous?

it is truely sad that people cannot accept others choices in


It seems more than a few have the opinion that coaching is "sad". If the participants feel they need coaching to achieve their goals in life, it is not sad for them. They merely know what they want out of life and how to get it through extra hard work. What is sad is these hardworkers get labelled by others who for their own reasons choose not to be coached. It is like a debate about getting all essential nutrients from food intake alone or have supplements, it is down to the individuals, there need not be any finger pointing.

Besides, there are non asians being coached in Australia and in countries such as the UK where a similar selective system exist.

For those youngsters with this opinion, it is sad that the state is providing you with a superior education only to have you be prejudiced and unkind. Shame on you.

p.s. I am not Asian so there is no need to point more fingers, I am merely speaking out when I see injustice.

Moving to Sydney
Hi Guys,

We are also moving to Sydney. We've got 8 years old son. Can you please recommend some good public schools there.

The public school system is based on the area you live in ssay. So you most likely will not have a choice.
Its possible The NSW system is different to Victoria where I live so I will stand corrected if someone has better info

Public school = free (sort of) government funded school
Private School = pay (large) fees


http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/

dont know if this site will help or not. Best of luck for your move.

also check out

http://britishexpats.com/forum


would be worth asking same questions in australia forum there as there will be people who can help

Sydney is very spread out. You need to have some idea of where you will be living before you can get a sensible answer. (a sensible answer from me....unlikely, anyway!)

And...as dadpad says, for state schools you probably won't have a choice.

Hi, we've moved to Sydney recently and would like to know which schools i should consider for my son, he's 3 and half yrs old. We are still undecided about where we'll live but we are more interested in Dundas, Cherrybrook, Carlingford areas.

Public Primary Schools North Sydney
Hello,

We are a family with three children who will be moving to North Sydney (maybe Mona Vale/Curl Curl or Collary) I and am trying to find out about primary schools (both public and private). Can anyone recommend any particular schools in this area? How do you find out how well a school achieves? Are there any results which are available publicly?

I would appreciate any information.

Regards,

Elizabeth

Help!!
Hi everyone,
We are first time parents to a 7 month old baby. Recently, a friend of ours suggested that we should start putting our baby's name in the school we want to put her into. She was a Catholic School girl, and that was what she indorses. I asked my boss, and she said that if you are using public school then you don't have to put the child name in now, because they have to take the child in if we live in the area. Is this correct?

So, if we want to put the child in a public school in different area, is this possible? Because we both are working in the city, though living in Rockdale and it is more convenient if our baby is enrolled around the city area. And as I understand, some public school is better than others, so is it possible to enroll to those if you don't live in the area?

Is private school better than public? Do you have any recommendation of good school in the city or Rockdale area?

You probably guess by now that we weren't born in Australia ... and all this is just a tad confusing for us. Any help will be appreciated.

Welcom to A2K chilikchic




Yes this is correct.

I am unsure of answers to your other questions as I live in rural Victoria.

Perhaps you should visit some schools in your area (City and Rockdale) and talk to the staff just to get a feel for the system.

@chilikchic

Whether or not a public school will restrict entry to local students depends on individual schools,

For Catholic schools however, yes there generally are waiting lists, particularly for Secondary schools, but some have longer lists than others. Your friend is referring to some Catholic/Private schools where demand is so ridiculously high that parents are signing children up at birth. This is only really essential if a) you don't have prior links to a school, b) you live out of the catchment area and/or you're not practising the school's religion, c) you really don't want to see your child going to school anywhere else.
However, there are still plenty of alternatives, at the end of the day it comes down to the child as well.

Also

1 'Private'/'Catholic' vs 'Public' Primary Schools
The main reason for sending your child to a 'Catholic' (or some sort of Private/religious school) is if you want them to grow up learning a certain set of (religious) values, &/or if you are of a certain religion (in this case 'Catholic') and you want/need your child to go through the sacraments. That is not to say that 'Public' schools are 'values neutral', and there'd still be some sort of religious 'Scripture', albeit at a minimum.

2. Academically, at Primary school level, there are fewer points of difference except if you hope to send your child to an academically selective public high school, you may have some difficulty if they're in the Catholic system, as they tend to prefer to keep kids 'in the system' and send them to other Catholic schools (I speak from experience). I'd imagine most primary schools would try to cater for gifted students, however, designated public schools have 'Opportunity Classes' that require an entrance test and specifically cater for this (in the Rockdale area, this is offered at Hurstville Public).

Aside from this,you should also consider school/class sizes - are you happy sending your child to a large school with multiple and composite classes in any one grade, or do you prefer a small school where your child is one the one small, tight-knit class from K-6 (this was probably the standout factor of my primary education at a Catholic School). Small schools/classes can be found in both private/public. Specifically in the Rockdale area the Catholic schools generally only have 1-2 classes, and some 'small' public schools include Bardwell Park Infants (K-2), and Kyeemagh Infants, but these are some way from Rockdale too. In the City, I think Fort st Primary, and schools in Surry Hills also have small numbers.
This of course, depends on other factors as well - certain programs, facilities, and of course, in your case, before/after school care. Most schools would try to have some arrangments, but some have on-site before/after school care.

There's so much information you can access, here are the two main websites
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/schoolfind/locator/?section=showRegion&region=530

http://www.ceo.syd.catholic.edu.au/cms/Jahia/site/ceosydney/pid/20

In looking at schools, you may also want to look up locations on the map to see proximity to train lines, and look up bus routes as well for accesibility if public transport will be an issue.

Public schools in Parramatta region
Hi,
I am relocating from Melbourne. I am looking to live in and around Parramatta. I have a 7 yr old girl.
Could some one suggest some good publich schools in Parramatta?

Thanks

Hi,

I am from Melbourne and my family are moving to Sydney. I have done a little research and am interested in living in the suburb Cherrybrook, can anyone tell me if this is a nice suburb. My husband will be working in North Ryde.

There aren't many schools to choose from in Cherrybrook but I do like the sound of Tangara Girls School. Does anyone know if this school is hard to get into or whether it is as good as it sounds.

My girls are 8 and 13, can anyone recommend schools in the area.

I'm sorry people - I'm just about the only Sydney person here at present, and I know absolutely nothing about schools. Zip!

Although, if I thought they would take His Lordship to the left, I'd be there in a flash.

Welcome to a2K anyway!

dyslexia in Sydney
Hi,

I have got a place at Sydney Uni to do my PhD. I am also a trained dyslexia specialist and have 7 years work experience and running my own dyslexia intervention centre here.

I want to teach while I study. Any ideas? s home tutoring illegal? SO many rules in Sydney.. such a need for dyslexia teachers..

Any help will be appreciated.

Where are you coming from? And welcome to Sydney!

I don't think home tutoring is illegal. Probably depends on the circumstances.

I have no clue as to how you'd get clients, though - although, when you start your doctorate you'll probably develop the contacts.

dyslexia
Hi Margo,

Im coming in from Malaysia..

What neighbourhoods are within close proximity to the University of Sydney?

Schools in West Sydney
Hi, we're moving from Auckland to West Sydney early in the new year. We've been looking at areas such as Kellyville and Baulkham Hill. Is anyone able to give advice on the best schools in the area both private and public). My daughter is a good student who is leaving an all girls school. She will be in her second to last year at school next year.

Re: dyslexia


Depends on how you want to live.
There are a squillion student lodgings, apartments, colleges, etc. The university is a little west of the city centre proper, and on several bus routes from the inner west area.

Within walking distance are Glebe*, Camperdown, Newtown*, Darlington, Chippendale, Ultimo, and countless others. A little further out are places like Leichhardt*, Five Dock, Burwood.

If you are coming from Malaysia (and are Malaysian, or at least Asian) and want to live in an area with an Asian population, the city area around Haymarket (Chinatown)*, and further west, Ashfield, Burwood, Strathfield will be good - these areas have a fair percentage of Asians, and accompanying supermarkets, etc.

If you don't want to live in a particularly Asian area, just about anything else will be OK.

Train travel to the uni is not quite as convenient as buses - but opens up more living opportunities. The nearest railway station is Redfern, one stop before Central on the main western line. This opens you up to the north shore area. Chatswood and Eastwood are particularly Asian areas.

As you would expect, prices vary considerably. A decent one-bedroom apartment in the city could cost you $A400/week, but you could probably find something for less. The further away from the city, and/or the grottier the apartment, the cheeaper.

The other option is share accommodation.

It depends on what you want, how you want to live.

Try domain.com.au for some ideas about rental costs.

* these areas have lots of decent restaurants!

PS to those asking about schools - sorry I know absolutely nothing about schools!