The move to Australia, come to think of it the move anywhere, needs a mind shift. I can not tell you how important it is to research. There are a lot of websites, forums and blogs that will help you to make the right choices. But be aware of the truths and half truths and lies. Everyone perceives the move differently. Some peoples experiences differ from the rest. In Australia there are vast differences between states. Some people move to Queensland and has different obstacles than those moving to New South Wales. Then there is time. We have been in Melbourne for under a year and already we have forgotten what the important things 6 months ago. I would like to share some experiences that we could have done differently, and what we think is the most important things to do to make your move easier.
Lets start with research. We joined quite a lot of forums and spent hours reading what the people wrote. Please do the same, it would help you getting the overall picture. We knew we were coming to Melbourne so we research where to stay and where to send our kids to school. Based on the information obtained from this forums and blogs we understood that entrance to the schools were based on where you lived. Must we look for a house first and the school, or firts the school and then the house. Not the truth but not a lie. Secondary schools have areas, yes, some of them. If you want to send your kids to a government secondary school, there are a lot of them that specify that you have to live in the area. Primary schools NO. The government primary schools are not as rigid.
While we are talking about primary schools. The objective of all parents are always to get the children in a good school, with real support to their children. we have the same aspirations. Especially with kids having English as a second language, speaking Afrikaans at home. How would a kid cope to be taught in English, having English friends etc. Australia is a country that embraces immigrants and people from other countries. India, China, Sri-Lanka, Malaysia, France and English to mention a few. The schools are geared for this. My son was the new kid from South Africa for a few weeks, then newer kids arrived. Everyone accepted him and helped and supported him. The kids made him feel welcome. He started Year 6, the last year of primary school. We visited a lot of primary schools and found all of them similar. It made our choices so much easier, enrolling him in the school nearest to the house.
It is important for your kids to carry on academically when they start school, but more important is to fit in and take the cultural shock in their stride. Primary schools in Australia is the foundation of secondary school. They are taught to become students and those things that is important to be successful. There are some subjects in South Africa that they do not even mention. When they do maths, the base it on real life. They are trained to research, write, think for themselves and become independent. Do not be worried about kids trying to understand the components of a flower in a language they are not familiar with. Or how much x + x2 is. There is enough time to learn it at Secondary school, if they choose to. Incidentally they had to measure their homes this semester and now they are working out what the room sizes are, what the perimeter is etc.
Result: Primary schools are not as difficult to find, the kids are well look after and you do not have to live in the area to be accepted.
Secondary schools are little bit different. Academically the kids start in Year 7 (Grade 7) and then are slowly moulded into what hey want to do one day. With year 11 and 12 being the kick-off for University. Government secondary schools are area based. The private schools not. Depending on your budget, both types are equal academically. Again I'm talking about Melbourne. Like in South Africa some schools are known for its academics, sport etc. If your kids are in the year 7 -9 stage, I do not think it matters. If the kids are older and have already decided on a career path it is necessary to research the different schools. Remember they take subjects like Psychology and Applied Mathematics to prepare them for University. If you decide to stay in an area and your kids want to be lawyers. The School's legal studies class may be full.
Result: Secondary school attendance depends on where you live for government schools but not for private ones. And there are many to choose from. I take my daughter to school 5 km from our house and there is 7 schools on our way there. Three private and four government.
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