Pre-school = primary = secondary???

[OceanPrincess]

Hi all,

I'm freaking out a bit about kinder/pre-school selection. We have a few options around here and I'm stressing because everyone keeps telling me that the kinder we choose will be a feeder into a particular primary and then a secondary school.

So how do I choose? Where can I find info about secondary schools? Does it really matter if we go to a kinder and primary around the corner and then a secondary further from home?

I know a lot will depend on the child... But how did you choose??

I've checked out the my schools website... What else can I do?

[Beach Mama]

OP not sure where you are but although most kinders "feed" into a primary school locally the choice is totally yours as to where they go. Our kinder feeds to a local school but we will be sending our kids to another PS nearby not the closest one to our kinder. As for high schools in Melbourne, nearly all are zoned now, so you basically take the Melways and then find a ruler and the closest high school boundary to boundary to where you live. You can apply to schools outside of your area but you have to have pretty strong reasons as to why they need to go there usually based on things like academics, or languages offered etc. There is a site called better education that also ranks schools based on their VCE results that is handy to use in conjunction with Myschools and then I would say to tour the schools when you get a bit closer to deciding. Good luck - it's so full on choosing what to do!

[OceanPrincess]

Thanks Tan, I'm north east, I wonder how do I find out about zoning?? I know a couple that we won't get into based on zoning... How do I find out about other schools? I'll check on that other website.

[diva det]

hun dont stress about primary or secondary= just make your decision about what kinder feels right for you and ms I
my kids were the only ones that went to their primary school from their kinder and it was no biggie as they had each other anyway
its just a bonus if they are familar with a particular school- not a necessity
it is impossible to make choices about high schools as by the time our kids get to high school- they all would have changed soo much that one that you are thinking about now may not be suitable for your kids!
remember hun- its only kinder!!!! just go with what works for you and your family!!!!!!!
i just recommended the one that i did as i know heaps of kids that have been there and the parents rave about how good it is!!!
go with your gut!!!

[Nai]

You can generally choose which Primary School you go to and there is nothing to say that you can't change schools later on if you do need to go to a feeder school. Most Secondary schools are zoned - to find the zones, look for the schools closest to you and then go to the individual school website. They will say if they are zoned or not and then they generally provide a map outlined to zone boundaries.

FWIW - the kids from our kinder went to about 5 different primary schools and the kids from our primary school tend to go to about 12 different secondary schools.

[Beach Mama]

Generally goes by closest but some have their own zoning (not sure how that works being a public system and fitting into the DEECD rules of closest boundary to boundary Anyhoo - literally use google maps to find your closest. For the ones you know that are further away just give them a buzz and find out if they are zoned, if they are you will know that in grade 6 you will have to fill out a bunch of paperwork to try and get in.

[OceanPrincess]

Thanks Tan, good point, just ring them and see. FIL actually used to work at the secondary that I like so (duh) probably could ask him!

Nai - really, they split up that much? I guess it doesn't really matter if they make friends, they will make new ones right?

Det, I'm comfy with our kinder choice, well either there or the one down the road from me, towards the city itms, but it's secondary I'm concerned about... As it stands currently, I don't really like the secondary near our kinder... But you are absolutely right, things can and will change massively huh?

Sigh, decisions decisions...

[diva det]

if its any consolation i have absolutely no idea where i am going to send the twins to high school and they are in grade 3 this year- going to start looking and making decisions when they are in grade 5- even in 2 years things change soo quickly!!
a local school which people buy houses in so they are in the ZONE- you know where i mean- is just about to get another new principal- i wouldnt send my kids there at the moment but who knows by the time they are ready to go- the principal makes a huge difference!!!
things change all the time

[Bathsheba]

I haven't worried about the "feeding thing" much myself when choosing schools for my kids. For me it's more about getting the match right... right kinder/school for each child at the right time.

For example, my 1st child was highly social... so I sent her to a full time 4yo kinder. Mon-Fri 9-3pm. This also allowed me to study and work. That kinder fed into her school (a girls' school) so that was that.

My second child was more sensitive and shy... he only just coped with the 8 hours per week offered by the local council run kinder. I wasn't working/studying so that suited us both.

My third child looks like missing out on kinder altogether! He is already 4 and as we have just moved he has missed out on all the council places AND private options. No matter... he'll go to a few occasional care centres and is meeting heaps of new kids at the schools my older kids are going to anyhow. I'm thinking of starting a French playgroup here too.

And don't worry about secondary school. Lord knows what they'll need when they are in highschool! When my eldest was 4yo I would have NEVER expected that she'd end up in boarding school!!! But in the end that was what was best for her.

The most important thing is matching the child to the school with the right culture and philosophy. Waiting lists can be problematic... but if you don't have to worry about that then don't stress. DH and I have moved house to be close to the best zoned school too... I know that's not for everyone but it's also an option.

[~me~]

I haven't worried about the "feeding thing" much myself when choosing schools for my kids. For me it's more about getting the match right... right kinder/school for each child at the right time.

Same here. My DS1 went to a great Kinder, he was the only one in his group to got the school we chose. The school we chose does have a secondary school that he would normally transition to, I wil be making my decision in the next two years so I can figure out what his strengths are, if that makes sense.
When the schools in your area have open days, go to them. They would be doing that about now.
Zoning will effect you if you are going state school and perhaps catholic. If you choose independant, it will most likely be select entry, as in a interview, perhaps a test for your little one.
When I took m DS1 too kinder I would listen to all the other parents converations about the school they chose, then investigate myself.

[Olive]

were we are i hav around 6 schools in looking at, more that i could look at..
our kinder seems to be a feeder kinder to the local catholic school but i know lots go to a huge number of other schools.
im not at all concerned if DD doesnt know anyone in prep, she will make new friends!

[Bathsheba]

I also meant to add that my shy middle child was the only child to go to the primary school he went to from his kinder group and he did really well there despite that. I think this was because other kids in our street were already in attendance and they used to look out for him. He has had to make further adjustments since we moved and has done very well once again... infact I suspect he is learning to deal with his shyness because of these learning curves. A similar thing happened to me when i was a child... i was basically shy until my parents separated and my mother moved us around the country! I had to learn to adjust to new schools whether i liked it or not. Sometimes wonder how i would be different had I stayed at the same school within my comfort zone... probably grown up shy... which isn't a bad thing BTW... but I feel like i have more choices in life now that i can cope with meeting new people more easily.