Choice of schooling for your crotchfruit

[smac]

Here you go Pseudo...

I found it an extremely difficult choice in the first instance with smac jr, as there was plenty of disposable income to pay for school fees. This gave us the choice of private or public schooling.

He attends a Catholic school in in the NE suburbs. The factors behind the decision make a long list, but good old 'gut feel' was a big factor, after walking through the school and meeting the teachers and observing the students told a pretty good story. It's a long hike from Broadview, but that's life I guess. Little miss Smac (4) will start there next year - their mum lives 5 minutes from that school, making it an obvious choice.

The complexities of a third child from a second marriage are yet to be addressed, we have a few years to go before making that decision.

[rogernumber10]

If you're really serious about it:

Talk to parents you know with kids 2-3 years older than yours. A school can change enormously in 5-6 years but it's not likely to change much in a shorter span, so get some first-hand feedback from parents at different schools.
Don't be afraid to ring parent assocations and ask to speak to someone.
Go on the school tours and look in the classrooms. See how many desks are in the rooms. See how many computers are in the rooms. See how many science labs there are and what they are equipped with, what are the art rooms like, is there a decent library.
Walk on the ovals and see what they are like (well grassed) or rock hard dirt that's just going to be mud in winter and unusable at play time.
Have a look at the play and sport areas - be they courts, practice nets, simple running around areas etc
What are the transport options - bus, train etc, quiet roads for kids to ride on. Safe area to leave bikes
What is school policy on kids late arriving (do they ring you by 10am if your child is not at roll call)

I never thought I'd think of any of this stuff when I was 18, but it's surprising what ends up being important.

[Felch]

My eldest daughter attends a Catholic school at Semaphore. As anyone from the Lefevre Peninsula, with kids, would know, there is not a huge choice of education options in the area. We are not Catholic, but chose the school on similar basis to you Smac - gut feeling, and the general feel of the school helping our choice. Also, i had cousin whos child also went there, and we have a couple of friends who are teachers there.
She has been going there for just over 6 months now, and, so far, so good.
As far as the cost goes, we have been (and still are) paying child care fees, so the school fees are actually slightly cheaper!
My youngest daughter is only 3, so still a couple of years off going there.
We are moving to Mawson Lakes at the end of the year, but will continue to send them to their current school - only 10 minutes up the road on the expressway, and parents/inlaws live nearby too.
Still debating whether child #3 will or wont exist - stay tuned....

[Punk Rooster]

Do any Protestants send their kids to Catholic schools?

[smac]

Technically speaking, I do.

Haven't attended church since I was about 10 though. Also attended a Lutheran high school. Perhaps I am a 'bitser' in this regard.

The 'brand' of religion was not particularly relevant, my thoughts are that smac jr will benefit from the information provided, allowing him to make his own decision as he grows.

[rogernumber10]

The 'brand' of religion was not particularly relevant, my thoughts are that smac jr will benefit from the information provided, allowing him to make his own decision as he grows.

Not sure the Jesuits see kids making their own decisions as part of the plan.

[Felch]

Both myself and my wife attended public schools, and are not religous at all.

But im of a similar mind as Smac - she can make up her own mind.

[smac]

The 'brand' of religion was not particularly relevant, my thoughts are that smac jr will benefit from the information provided, allowing him to make his own decision as he grows.

Not sure the Jesuits see kids making their own decisions as part of the plan.

Probably not rog...

[Dogwatcher]

Notwithstanding the cost, private schooling isn't for every kid.
I went to a private school and I feel that had I been sent to a public school I probably wouldn't have finished.
So the result for me was very good.
However, I know a lot of people who went to my school who the result wasn't so good for.
Private schools sometimes don't cater for all of the behavioural needs of kids and some can be a bit dodgy when it comes to catering for the disabled.

I can't vouch for the pros/cons of private school education - but it worked for me.

As for where my child will go, I'm lucky enough to live in a town that has a very good public primary school. I don't believe I'll feel the need to ship them off to boarding college. The only potential drawback for my child will be that their mother will also be working at the school

[Footy Chick]

Private for me. Full stop.

Kids are taught discipline,manners and respect at private schools. Kids are actually FAILED at private schools if they don't perform and don't leave the system not being able to read and write or put a sentence together in conversation because they've slipped through the cracks.

When it came time for mum to send my brother to school, she chose public for him, and while he's a good kid (most of the time), I can see the difference in the way we carried ourselves between him and me upon leaving school at the same age.

[Wedgie]

My kids dont need to be taught discipline, manners or respect as they'd learnt that well before their schooling started.
Wouldnt go near a Catholic school with my daughter although I did appreciate having one nearby when I was a teenager as it was full of sluts.
Much easier to get 'serviced' there as opposed to the public school girls.
Might have to consider it for my son though!

Geez they were good years.

Call me silly but wouldnlt sending kids to a neutral school help them make their own minds up as opposed to one dedicated to fairy stories?

As I said in the other thread we were lucky in that there were 3 nearby schools to choose from so could look into them all and choose the best. As has been alluded to before there is a HUGE difference between some public schools, I even noticed this as a kid where I went from being a just above average student to easily the best in class at another school.

Very happy with our kids school (Braeview), the teachers are extremely dedicated and it has an inbuilt nature of community spirit.
Only downfall is they have boys playing soccer but its good that they cater for gay kids.

[Footy Chick]

My kids dont need to be taught discipline, manners or respect as they'd learnt that well before their schooling started

and there maketh my point... (KIDDING!)

[smac]

Call me silly but wouldnlt sending kids to a neutral school help them make their own minds up as opposed to one dedicated to fairy stories?

Interesting point. My view was that some information is better than none, as opposed to forcing my own views of religion onto them. The only choice my kids don't get is which footy team they follow - that's a non-negotiable condition of residence!

[Andy #24]

Wouldnt go near a Catholic school with my daughter although I did appreciate having one nearby when I was a teenager as it was full of sluts.
Much easier to get 'serviced' there as opposed to the public school girls.
Might have to consider it for my son though!

How do you say full of sluts in latin? It would make a great motto for a catholic school!

[Dogwatcher]

Call me silly but wouldnlt sending kids to a neutral school help them make their own minds up as opposed to one dedicated to fairy stories?

Interesting point. My view was that some information is better than none, as opposed to forcing my own views of religion onto them. The only choice my kids don't get is which footy team they follow - that's a non-negotiable condition of residence!

Never a truer word has been said.

[Felch]

Call me silly but wouldnlt sending kids to a neutral school help them make their own minds up as opposed to one dedicated to fairy stories?

Interesting point. My view was that some information is better than none, as opposed to forcing my own views of religion onto them. The only choice my kids don't get is which footy team they follow - that's a non-negotiable condition of residence!

Yeah, is an interesting point.

The religion part really didnt have any bearing on my kids going there, in fact it was probably more of a negative than positive to start with.
I just think it wont hurt to hear another point of view, even if i dont agree or even know, anything about it.
First and foremost was the schools reputation, and if we thought it suited our kids.

I think private schools offer better opportunities, in alot of ways. eg Music, Sport.
I have heard of cases where they were inflexible though to kids with learning difficulties.

[Wedgie]

lmao, yeah great point. Lots of Muslims and Hindus have come out of Catholic schools.
Personally I want my kids to get educated not up to speed on fairy stories I do hope your daughters go to Catholic schools as my boy will be on the prowl one day and if he doesnt want to put in the hard yards there's always catholic girls.
But I can see the point that if parents were too lazy to put time into kids sport and music that they might be better off at a private school. Luckily thats not an issue for my kids.

Good point about kids with learning difficulties, not an issue for my kids but for those that do Im very impressed with the way theyre looked after at my kids school, also with kids with other disabilities.
Certainly a lot better than the high school I went to.

[Wedgie]

When it came time for mum to send my brother to school, she chose public for him, and while he's a good kid (most of the time), I can see the difference in the way we carried ourselves between him and me upon leaving school at the same age.

So youre the calm, serene one that can read well and your brother is the cranky, highly strung, moody one that cant read of the family?
CRIKEY!!!!

[Pag]

I'm not a religious person, I attended public primary and high schools in the northern suburbs for my schooling, and I think I would've gone insane had I attended a private high school. I was offered a 'football scholarship' of sorts to attend Trinity for my high-schooling, my parents wanted me to go but I wouldn't. All my mates were going to the same public school around the corner, the fact that colleges don't allow for a lot of freedom (eg having to play for the college on a Saturday), as well as the half-hour bus ride, meant there was no way I would ever do it. That I ddidn't think I needed to be religiously preached to.

But a lot really does depend on the child and their needs. I don't think a general decision can be made on what system is better. It really is an individual decision based on the values/abilities/friends etc of the child. For example, like smac said, private schools can be more detrimental to students with learning difficulties, especially after they turn 9-10. From this point on they're supposed to be up with every other student, and the private schools tend to not have as much outside support for kids who struggle as public schools do. However, if a child isn't socially confident, sending them to a public school, in the northern suburbs especially, would be a risky move. It all depends on the child and the location.

I plan on sending my children (when I have them, which hopefully isn't for a long while yet) to public primary school. The way I look at it, I developed my own beliefs, values and knowledge base attending public school for thirteen years, and got myself into a uni degree and a future job that I have always wanted. If my kids decide that they want to attend a private high school, then I'd look into it, but for primary school there's no reason why they can't go public I wouldn't think.

[Wedgie]

Well put.
And just remember noone believes in every god so we're all atheists, Im just an atheist that believes in one less god than catholic atheists.