When do they start secondary school?

[Guest GAFFBAM]

Hi I'm very confused and the more I research the more confused I get. I have 2 girls. Alex will be 11 in January '09 and Georgia will be 13 in July '09. If we arrive for good in April '09 will they both in primary?????

We're coming on a 'Reccie'in November. All the 'goal posts have moved', with hindsight we should have just gone for it. We have sold zero property so we will have no money for school fees as we once thought. We're leaving all the property behind and just coming with start-up money and the clothes on our backs (and a few more in a case). I like the sound of Burnside/Stonyfell but I don't think the schools will be suitable. Ideally to live near a school would be great. Port Noarlunga looks nice too but again i'm not too sure about the schools. We are staying in Glenelg whilst on our Reccie. We're hoping to get a feel for a place. I don't think an all girls school would be suitable. I know they would love a peforming arts school but Alex is good at sports too. They have always gone to Catholic schools in the UK but the church going has lapsed a bit. How strict are they out there about going to church? Sorry, most of this email is thinking out loud but if anyone can give me any tips I would be really grateful. Thankyou!:confused::confused: The Gaffneys

[Rachiegarlo]

Alex would be be in yr 6 and Georgia could go either into yr 7 or yr 8. It might be easier to have her go into yr 7 as in April she would be entering a yr group that is by and large settled, the top of the school and the kids usually get on well because of this. The last year of primary here is a lot of fun aswell as academic prep for high school. In primary school the class stays together for pretty much everything and this may helpher to adjust to the new culture, etc. 2nd term in yr 8 at high school where students from many different primary schools are still jockeying to find their place and may be less welcoming.

 

The public schools that serve the Burnside, Stoneyfell, Linden Park, Rose Park , Glenunga areas are all excellent and not every family living in these areas are well to do with all the accompanying accoutrements.

 

Have a look at Henley High School, they are developing their performing arts, currently building a new building for it and is a really strong sports school with specialist soccer streams, but also other sports. On the academic side it is ok too.

 

Catholic schools here are all private, ie you have to pay fees. Some ( the old elite colleges) have quite high fees, whilst others have moderate to low fees. The catholic primary schools are a couple of thousand a year. The newer schools tend to have cheaper fee structures due to higher government funding. Have a look at Cabra and Nazareth colleges.Both are Co-ed. Cabra has been around a long time, but the fees haven't crept up as much assome of the other schools. It has a big emphasis on performing arts with musicals/ dramas etc as well as music and sports. It starts at yr 6. Nazareth is a new school, that has been formed at Underdale out of a couple of catholic primaries and a girls school. It is coed and is a combined primary and secondary. The facilities are all new. Catholic schools have policiesfor entrance pretty much like UK ones, ie first pref given to practicing catholics, children who have been at catholic primary schools, etc. However as they receive government funding they can not exclude children from non catholic familes. Get some references from your children's school/s. If they were already in the catholic system this will help whether you go to church or not. However the state schools offer a lot if you want to go that way.

[Guest GAFFBAM]

Hi thanks for your reply Rachiegarlo, I was hoping you were going to reply to my message. Does primary school include yr7 then? That information was great and I will certainly look into those.

Regards

Gaffneys

[Rachiegarlo]

Yes most public primaries go upto yr 7. Those that don't are usually part of an R-12 school that has a middle school part for yr 7-9. georgia if she went into yr 7 would be one of the oldest in the year, but not out of place.

[Guest GAFFBAM]

Thats great, thank you so much

 

The Gaffneys

[Guest sarahsmartiepants]

Pt Noarlunga is lovely, but if its state school you are looking at sending them to, think very hard about the local stste high schools in that area.

sarah

[Diane]

If you like the Eastern Suburbs, Stradbroke Primary and Norwood Primary get good reports from people I know with kids there. High schools, consider Marryatville (if you can get a rental in the catchment area) and Norwood Morialta as well. Charles Campbell High School at Newton/Athelstone also has a performing arts specialism.

Diane

[laura girling]

Hi There guys,

 

My son zac will be 13 in July also, at the moment he is in year 6 at primary so by the looks of it your daughter will be the same. He starts year 7 in Jan 09 and they go up to high school year 8.

Have you looked at West Lakes Shore Primary its one of the better state schools a good option if like us have to sell house.

The school fees are $250 per term for each child.

Also senior schools are a choice of Henley High, Seaton and Le Fever, hope this helps

 

Laura xxx

[Guest Mezza]

We live in Port Noarlunga South - not quite the same as Port Noarlunga but close! It's a lovely area - and a multitude of primary schools to chose from. Everyone will have their own opinions on each one - good or bad. Sometimes, this opinion is based on personal experience, which is always good!

Where we are, there is only the 6-12 (yes, just to be different, they can take them from year 6) at Seaford or private for secondary. People will tell you good and bad about the 6-12, and to be honest we where hesitent after listenning to stories from it's earlier years. But at the moment our eldest is flourishing there, and we're glad we gave it a go.

 

Our youngest goes to a local Catholic primary school, and we've not been to church since the last wedding we went to in the UK! So they're not that picky:) Hang on, we're going this Sunday...

[Diane]

Hi There guys,

 

My son zac will be 13 in July also, at the moment he is in year 6 at primary so by the looks of it your daughter will be the same. He starts year 7 in Jan 09 and they go up to high school year 8.

Have you looked at West Lakes Shore Primary its one of the better state schools a good option if like us have to sell house.

The school fees are $250 per term for each child.

Also senior schools are a choice of Henley High, Seaton and Le Fever, hope this helps

 

Laura xxx

 

The year your kids will go into is quite flexible here, as my son iturns 12 in May next year and is also in year 6 at the moment, starting Year 7 in Jan 09. Generally, if your child finishes Year X in July in the UK, and you come over between July and December, they'll do another term of Year X and start in Year X+1 in the following January, but it is very flexible and there is no stigma attached to either repeating a year, or even missing one out altogether (at Glenunga School for instance they have an Ignite programme for gifted kids, and the students on that do Year 8, then straight into Year 10)

[Guest GAFFBAM]

Hi all, thank you so much for all your great replies. It has certainly given me food for thought and lots of information for my research.

 

The Gaffneys

[Guest katsmajic]

Friends of ours have a 12yr old, 13 in June 09, shes been put into yr 6/7.

 

Our daughter is in a k-7 school and wont go up to high school until yr8 although the high school is 6-12, i think the longer they can spend in a smaller primary environment the better really.

Our local high school Seaford 6-12 has had some bad press but for our teens it has been great - and our teens have been nightmares - the school have dealt with issues quickly and properly IMO.

 

A friend of ours has been here 12yrs, teaches at TAFE, sees/teaches kids leaving school going on to college/apprenticeships etc and says if he had teens he'd want them at Seaford out of any of the southern state senior schools! says it all IMO

[laura girling]

Yep i can see why people get confused, Zac started his year 6 here in Jan 08

Laura xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

The year your kids will go into is quite flexible here, as my son iturns 12 in May next year and is also in year 6 at the moment, starting Year 7 in Jan 09. Generally, if your child finishes Year X in July in the UK, and you come over between July and December, they'll do another term of Year X and start in Year X+1 in the following January, but it is very flexible and there is no stigma attached to either repeating a year, or even missing one out altogether (at Glenunga School for instance they have an Ignite programme for gifted kids, and the students on that do Year 8, then straight into Year 10)