[D&J]

Hi. We are relocating to Tauranga in the next 6-12 months and need assistance with school selection. We have website links, however, you can get lots of feel for things from "word of mouth". We are particularly interested in moving to the Papamoa area. Anyone got any advice, facts and figures or experiences of the best or worst?? Kids will be 11 and 9.
Thanks D&J

[Joanna]

we are in a similar position. Have two sons aged 12 and 9 and at the moment are living in Wellington. Hope to move to Tauranga/Papamoa at the end of the year. Have heard that Bethlehem College is very good, a new school is being built in Papamoa but wont be ready for a couple of years. Mount Maunganui has a good headteacher but doesnt seem as good as Tauranga colleges. I hope this helps but let me know anything you may find out. thanks.

[D&J]

Hi joanna,
Thanks for that I will continue my research and forward anything I find that may be of use to you. If you come up with anything I would also appreciate any help, as you may have more success actually being in NZ.
Good luck :nice1

[Park City Partner]

We moved to Papamoa in Nov but our daughter is only 20 months so I don't have much knowledge of schools.

Where is the new school in Papamoa being built? Will it be private?

[Joanna]

I am not sure where the new school in Papamoa is going to be built but I think it is going to be a state school. At the moment I think Mount Maunganui school covers the Papamoa area. There is a primary school there already. Many of the schools are zoned so you have to watch out for that. I am just plowing through the websites but it is so difficult to make an assessment that way so any local advice would be great.

[Park City Partner]

We live in the Tahatai area. When we bought we were told that it is a very good school. Since we have been here the last few months we hear that while it is good is is not as good as it used to be...resting on its laurels a bit...I am hoping that will swing again once Blythe is ready to go...

[boatieman]

Hi
I have lived in Tauranga for the last year and have a daughter 6 yrs. We went to four schools to view and I spoke to loads of parents and an odd teacher about schools in the area from papamoa to Tauranga.
Well, be in for a shock, they are quite different. I did my homework thoroughly and read up on the internet. Aims and mission statments vary dramatically and in the end do not necessarily reflect what actually happens in the school.
A lot depends on what your child/children are like academically. If your child is pretty average or in the lower end and likes sport and has average imagination and aspirations then he or she will probably be fine. The schools here like children to 'fit' in and be the same as every other child in the class. If they are bright or different from the others it is more difficult for them.
I choose the best school in the area and have had this confirmed by several people, english teachers as well. But unfortunately have been very disappointed. They really do not 'inspire' children and capture their imaginations. My 6 yr old went into yr 1, and it was very obvious to me that she was in a class below her academic ability. So in a friendly way I spoke to the teacher who was approachable, but it took a long time for her to actually do anything about it. In the end my daughter worked by herself for a lot of the time doing work that was above the other children. She would bring home two reading books per day, one which was supposed to be appropriate to her reading age, and one from the top reading group in the class. But this resulted in one week reading ten books on how to look after animals, two about keeping fish. She had to read books written by the NZ transport, that were so dry and boring!!!!!!! They classified the books she read according to style, first week she read 5 books on instructions, then 5 books on getting information and so it went on. I'm surprised that it did not put her off reading the stuff she had to read. There is a wealth of children's literature readily available, but in the school it is mainly NZ writers and publishers mainly Scholastic, which are OK, but overall lack imagination, creativity and cover a narrow view, namely mostly are about NZ.

Well, this was the tip of the iceberg. I will not continue, but don't even mention maths, which my child loves, but struggled with here.

With all this her behaviour deteriorated and she is not a naughty child especially at school, but in the time she was in yr 1 she learned day dreaming tactics, and messing around, that was very out of character for our daughter.

In the end I got my daughter assessed as I found out about the George Parkin School, a one day school for gifted children, that provides a more interesting and stimulating environment. To attend this school they have to be gifted. They can attend along side normal school. Up to this point I have not considered my child gifted or super intelligent, but normal, she had no problems in the UK system, and was in the top few in the class. She loved school.
The report came back very favourable, so armed finally with ammunition I went to see the head, who then decided she should skip a whole year, ie yr 2 and go into a yr 3/4 class.
I also found out that my daughter was kept in year 1, as the class size in year two was too big.

I have kept very cool about this and not got stressed, and not conveyed my concern to my 6 yr old to make her feel stressed, I was very enthusiastic and helped as much as I could to help my daughter to enjoy school. But a 6 yr old cannot tell you always what is wrong, so it is like piecing a big jigsaw together without the picture to follow.

As a result of all this, I have spoken to parents all over the country about NZ schools. There is an underlying ethos of keeping and holding children back. Ten yrs ago the education in NZ was in the top 3, and now it has dropped considerably. Before, I got here I did alot of research about education here and it was all very favourable. But it is hard to say what 'favourable' means and there will be variation between schools and teachers. So much depends on the teacher, how good they are will determine how well your child does.
When considering schools in NZ you have to look at them within what is happening to NZ as a whole.
I'm sure there are a lot of happy parents\children out there, it all depends on what you consider 'happy and good education' to be, and if it suits your child.
Most schools in the tauranga area are zoned and they are very strict. Tahati is very large, and did have a good reputation as it was built as a 'new' school with an emphasis on technology. But the head who started the school used it as a stepping stone to his next career move, and I think it has deteriorated since, and its main aim to get bigger to gain some recognition and more funding. Funding for schools here is very tight as in the UK.
The intermediate in the Tauranga area is a nightmare, there are only a couple of schools and as such are very large. One is run like a military operation to try and maintain discipline. I have spoken to parents and social workers and there are big problems.

This might not help any of you in choosing the right school for your child, but good luck.

[Joanna]

This is a very interesting post as we are looking to relocate to Tauranga at the end of the year. We have two boys aged 12 and 10. Do you have any feedback on Tauranga Boys' College and Bethlehem College. And are there any other schools in the area to go for or avoid? Thanks.

[boatieman]

Hi

As I have a girl I have not made any enquiries about the boys college, so can't help there. But I have had the prospectus about Bethlehem college, and considered it. It is a private school so you have to pay, can't remember how much. It is on a big site with big outdoor space, fields climbing areas etc although I did think park was quite old. But my 6 yr old enjoyed playing on it. There is a strong religious element and strong commitment to religion. A friend of mine was thinking of applying for a job there and then decided against it due to the strong religious slant, and she was a science teacher. Again I'm not sure how the school approach gifted children or what provision they make for them. But a lot of parents I have spoken to say it is very good. The children come out well mannered and polite 'citizens'.
Best of luck.

Boatieman

[Joanna]

Thanks Boatieman.