Schooling, Education And Childcare Services

Educational Services and Facilities

In Australia, there are four levels of education:

Kindergarten and Pre-school education
Primary school education
Secondary schooling
Tertiary or higher education – University or Technical and Further Education (TAFE)

Primary & Secondary Education

The minimum age for a child to commence primary school education in Australia is 5 years and the child must be five years of age by 30th April of the year they commence. A child must commence education before the age of 6.

State or Private

There are many excellent state schools Australian wide, but often if you pay for your child’s education, you should expect better facilities.

Compared to the UK, for example, private education in cities such as Perth can be more affordable for many families. The private schools can cost around $5000 to $20,000 pa, equivalent to about £2,700 to £11,000 pa.

Fees - State Schools

In state schools, there are no tuition fees, although you may be asked to make a voluntary annual contribution of approx. $60 to $200 per child per term (primary) or $235 (secondary).

At high school, there may be charges for book hire and for some specialised courses in years 11 and 12.

Useful link Public:
http://www.australianschoolsdirectory.com.au/schools.php?region=54

Fees - Private Schools

Tuition fees for private schools vary from around $5,000 per year to more than $20,000 per year for the top private schools.

Useful link- Private:
http://www.privateschoolsdirectory.com.au/

STATE SHCOOLS

Choosing a State School

Choosing a good school for your children is certainly a key concern for many people. This of course also depends on your own criteria for what you believe makes a "good school".

Most people will select an area first, based on lifestyle, cost of housing etc, then check out the local schools and choose the one they like best - probably based on recommendations and "gut-feel".

For primary school, you may be able to choose from a couple of different school locally, depending on there availability. Just to be aware there will probably be only 1 state high school, maybe 2 within your local area.

Here are some points you may want to consider:

As far as academic results go, there are published results for Year 12 high school students every year - some parents may find these useful
Some schools have specialist programs in academic, sporting or the arts areas

Location

Most state schools are designated as "local-intake" or "non local-intake". A local-intake school generally only enrols children who live within their designated catchment/boundary.

Schools with the best reputation and in high demand will have a strict intake policy which they will have to stick to. Applicants must live in a street/suburb within the school's boundary and for those who are renting may have to prove they have signed a long lease.

Private Schools

Choosing a Private School

There are some differences to consider when choosing a private school from a state school:

Location

It doesn't necessarily matter which suburb you live in, private schools are not subject to local-intake controls. Many children will travel a few km to school and it's not unusual for kids to commute from the outer suburbs to the top private schools in the city or other suburbs.

Religion

Most private schools are run by or affiliated to churches, but that doesn't mean they are only open to children who attend their church. For example, in a Uniting Church school the student population is comprised of roughly one-third Uniting Church-goers, one-third other church-goers and one-third non-church-goers.

Specialisations, school philosophy

By this, we mean the importance the school places on academic results, sporting achievements, the art etc. For example, some schools stress the importance of "pastoral care" of their students rather than pure academic results. Other schools may place a great emphasis on their sporting achievements.

Cost

Fees vary from around $5,000 pa for some Catholic schools to over $20,000 pa for some private schools. Incidental costs, for laptops, field trips etc. will probably vary more-or-less in line with the fees.

Availability

Many private schools are in high demand and cannot take new admissions. So it is best to plan ahead – try to contact and secure a high-school place in the private schools of your choice as early as possible. Please note that you may be required to pay a small registration fee (about $50-$100) and you will not have to commit yourself until your child is in the last year of primary school.

Terminology & Abbreviations

State schools are also referred to as "public" schools. State secondary schools usually go by the name of "Senior High School" (SHS) and state primary schools are usually "Primary School" (PS).

Private schools may also be called "independent" or "non-government" schools.

"Pre-Primary" is the year before compulsory schooling (Year 1), abbreviated to "PP" in most school directories.

"Kindergarten", usually called "Kindy" is the year(s) before pre-primary, abbreviated to "K" in most school directories.

"TEE" stands for "Tertiary Entrance Exam" and "TER" is "Tertiary Entrance Rank" - a score between 0 and 100 which is used in the final year of school (Year 12) to compare the performance of all students applying for university places.

The Association of Independent Schools of WA website address: http://www.ais.edu.au.

Tertiary Education

Information on each of the universities can be found at their respective websites, however please use the website below as a directory for universities in Australia http://www.australian-universities.com/

Vocational Education

Vocational education and training (VET) is provided through Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and other registered providers of Adult, Community and Further Education. All vocational courses are developed on the basis of industry advice, at a state wide and national level.

TAFE is the country’s largest vocational, education and training provider. It provides:

Award Courses - to provide a nationally recognised qualification
Trade training – pre-apprenticeship and pre-vocational courses, off the job training for apprentices and posttrade courses
Bridging courses – to give students sufficient skills and confidence to enter mainstream TAFE courses
Commercial training - Customised training and short courses to meet the needs of industry, commerce and government on a corporate or single basis.
Adult Community Education courses – Hobby, leisure and recreational courses

There are many private training institutions, including business colleges, computer training centres and industry based training centres.
For details on Vocational Education and Training (including TAFE courses and course fees) contact the Career Development Centre on telephone 1800 999 167 (toll free) or visit the TAFE websites for each state.

Childcare Services

Childcare centres provide care for children of predominantly preschool age. Services may be known as long day care centres or occasional care centres. School age children may attend a childcare centre either before school or after school or during school holidays.

The Australian Government and State and Territory Governments have jointly developed National Standards for child care services. These standards express a national view about the level of care all Australians should expect to find in the different kinds of child care services available to them.

The National Standards comprise minimum standards for safe, nurturing and developmentally appropriate environments for children in formal child care settings. States and territories have utilised these Standards to inform child care regulations, funding guidelines and information resources.

Some useful links:
http://www.ncac.gov.au/Search/Search1.asp
http://www.childcare.com.au/