[Arclite]

I have 2 boys who finish year 2 and Year 6 this summer. We are looking to move in August/September.

Since school year starts in NZ in Jan, I am thinking of keeping my kids out until then (and doing a bit of home teaching sort of stuff).

How have other people coped with this 'time delay' ?

Will my boys be joining Year 3 & 7 late or early ?

Thoughts anyone ?

cheers

Arc

[dawn]

Oh great question! I've been mulling this one over myself. We arrive end of July, just after term starts. We decided the boys needed a holiday, so they'll be going to school at the half term in August/September.

A nice 4 week holiday, but they will overlap their current school year by a couple of months (and besides, I'll probably be dying for them to go to school after 4 weeks!), mine are a little older than yours, year 7 & 8, moving to year 8 & 9 in January.

If you wait until January to put your boys in school in January, technically, they won't have missed anything and will join years 3 & 7 in January. If they went before January, they'd join their current school year, i.e. 2 & 6.

Hope this helps.

[Lupin]

If our plan works out then our 8 yr old will finish school here end of October and start school in NZ in February. We've home educated her before for 18 months so it doesn't worry me...planning lots of projects on NZ!!

I'm not sure what year she'll be slotting into in NZ though.

[Debbie]

Since school year starts in NZ in Jan, I am thinking of keeping my kids out until then (and doing a bit of home teaching sort of stuff).

How have other people coped with this 'time delay' ?
(Quote Arc)
Interesting point,
Our plan was for our 4.5 yr old to end the school yr in his pre-school in the UK and then start school in NZ after the Xmas break (Feb at the start of the school yr). I understand that NZ kids can start school on their 5th birthday no matter when that falls in the school yr. Is this right? Any one know if he will stand out / there will be any problems with him starting later, his birthday is end of Sept.
Like others I figured he would benefit from some time in his new home with mum before joining school and I didn't want him to join school for a few weeks then break up for the long Xmas hols and then have to get used to it all again.
Can any teachers / parents confirm if he can start on or after his birthday or do kids always start at the beginning of a term.
Thanks Debbie

[Debbie]

Sorry should realy ask this question in Education but added it to this thread.
Debbie

[marcia]

From bits of information I have picked up, 'our' (from the UK) kids may be a bit in front and may be moved into a different year group!

[Marie P]

We arrived on Dec 1st ,moved into our rental on 19th Dec ,just as school finished for the summer holidays .

They didn't start school till nearly the end of Feb ,and so didn't make any friends till then .

Marie x

[Diny]

Seems to be 2 threads happening here but concentrating on the same subject.

I've just posted the following in the education bit but will cut & paste as it applies here too.

Ours started school right in the middle of the year. They are slightly older than yours but they handled it all very well. They got put up a year and are both the youngest in their class but they cope very well.

I think the 'level' of work they are doing, coupled with the fact that (we've found) the schooling over here to be very casual helped alot. Like all parents, we were concerned how the boys would settle but they managed just fine in spite of the fact that their class mates had already done 6 months of the years work. They actually appear to have settled too well - they just don't have the enthusiasm and motivation which they once had. I suspect this has alot to do with the fact that they are repeating work they did a couple of years ago in their old school.

Education over here is a massive learning curve for both children and parents. My biggest problem is that I continue to compare their old schooling with their new. They are a million miles apart, VERY different.

Diny

[Lupin]

"They didn't start school till nearly the end of Feb ,and so didn't make any friends till then ."

I'm acutely aware that that would make my extroverted 8 year old lonely. Have booked her on to a ten week Sunday sailing course, am waiting to hear about drama classes (she does stagecoach here in the UK and will miss it) and as she learns the violin suzuki method she'll hopefully meet other suzuki players within the first week too. I've looked into holiday day playschemes in the area we're moving to as a back up, but I think it'll be okay. She's the sort of kid who makes friends at parks and on beaches within minutes, so hopefully she'll be happy enough. I'm just anxious about enrolling her in school straight away, only to find it isn't the area we want to live in but we feel unable to uproot her again. Tricky stuff! :(

[tonyb]

Im sure ive read somewhere that children have to start school within 3 months of arriving in NZ. If thats not the case im sure someone on here will put me right.

Tony

[becca]

Hello,

As far as starting when they are five is concerned, from experience with my nieces and nephews, yes, they do start on their 5th birthday. They build up the number of days that they do at kindie before this so that they don't get so much of a shock at having to go to school 5 days a week. My niece Rachael, had a party at kindie for her 5th birthday the day before and then started primary school the next day. For her this was very exciting as she already knew lots of the kids in her class. Have you thought about your 4 1/2 year old starting kindie when you arrive? My sisters have all made loads of friends, as all the parents get involved in the running of the place whilst their kids are there.

I am not sure if they HAVE to do it this way but I know that all of my lot have, with no problems. If you don't get official answers then PM me and I will give you my sisters' email address as I am sure one of them will be able to find out.

Becca

[NannyOgg]

Hi Arclite, got same age kids as you and want to arrive before eldest starts secondary in September. Think I will send him for the last 3 months of Primary in NZ though he will be with sister and hopefully make friends before he moves up to intermediatte - 5 months is a long time without playmates .

Nanny

[Lupin]

I haven't heard that Tony. My daughter would be starting within the 3 months, but it would be useful to have that clarified if anyone knows the answer.

[Diny]

Can't say I've heard of the 3 month rule either Tony - but that certainly isn't to say it's not right. Maybe the 'rule' changes depending on what visa your family has obtained to get here. If you have PR then I wouldn't be suprised.

Would be interesting to know whether this is true.

Diny

[gil]

Lupin77, not sure if this helps re Stagecoach, but they have Helen O'Grady drama schools here in Cardiff and also in NZ. WE enrolled Will and Franca in it here to see if they liked it, as they could then join fairly seamlessly in NZ. They follow the same structure/curriculum. Check out http://www.helenogrady.co.nz/ and also .co.uk if you'rer interested in overlap.

Gil

[Debbie]

Hello,

As far as starting when they are five is concerned, from experience with my nieces and nephews, yes, they do start on their 5th birthday. They build up the number of days that they do at kindie before this so that they don't get so much of a shock at having to go to school 5 days a week. My niece Rachael, had a party at kindie for her 5th birthday the day before and then started primary school the next day. For her this was very exciting as she already knew lots of the kids in her class. Have you thought about your 4 1/2 year old starting kindie when you arrive? My sisters have all made loads of friends, as all the parents get involved in the running of the place whilst their kids are there.

I am not sure if they HAVE to do it this way but I know that all of my lot have, with no problems. If you don't get official answers then PM me and I will give you my sisters' email address as I am sure one of them will be able to find out.

Becca


Thanks for the offer of help, I may need to take you up on that.
Ideally, we would like my son and daughter to go into some form of pre-school realitivly quickly once we get to NZ but we have a difficulty with the organising of it. (I would like them at pre-school so I can have time to sort stuff but so they can still spend most of their time with me whilst they get settled. I think full time school would be to much change for my boy).
We don't know where we will be based at this moment in time and if OH hasn't got a job lined up I won't start the kids in anything as I don't think constant change is good for them. If OH gets a job I will look around for pre-schools in the area but I've been told that waiting lists can be very long and my son is unlikly to get a place before it's time for him to leave to go to school. It will obviously depend on the school. I had concluded that I would need to pay out for lots of clubs and activites for them to wear them out and keep them social whilst waiting for a pre-school place for my daughter and the new school yr for my son.
Debbie

[Rosemount]

:clap we are hopeing to make our way over to nz end of this year but I am unsure about the NZ education standard. Is there anyone out there that can shed light on this? I have two children, 7 & 9. I have read some threads about the education in NZ and it worries me slightly that so many people seem unhappy about it and yet I see NZ as an opportunity for them. I would be very interested in anyones views.Please.

[jodieinchch]

well i am relatively new to NZ (compared with some on here) and still getting to grips with things. However, I am currently in my 1st year at Teachers College here in Chch. I was comparing the things I study here to what I would in the UK- in the UK a lot of the degree is theory based, all about different theories, etc. Yes that's very useful and necessary, BUT here it is all education about how to teach the different subjects: 'how would you teach the children to draw a picture like this in art', etc. So from that aspect I'm finding that the teachers here are better equipped for the classroom. Not sure what aspect people are grumbling about the NZ education. But that's jst from my point of view :o)

[willsken]

well i am relatively new to NZ (compared with some on here) and still getting to grips with things. However, I am currently in my 1st year at Teachers College here in Chch. I was comparing the things I study here to what I would in the UK- in the UK a lot of the degree is theory based, all about different theories, etc. Yes that's very useful and necessary, BUT here it is all education about how to teach the different subjects: 'how would you teach the children to draw a picture like this in art', etc. So from that aspect I'm finding that the teachers here are better equipped for the classroom. Not sure what aspect people are grumbling about the NZ education. But that's jst from my point of view :o)

Can't comment on the NZ system but you are right about the UK being very theory based. I have always said that I didn't learn to teach until I started my first job. When I was training a lot of us felt we didn't learn enough about how to teach. :roll

[jodieinchch]

mmm hopefully i wont find that :o)

[Lupin]

Gil....I totally missed this! Thankyou so much, I was having no joy searching for some reason. Have emailed them :)

[Rosemount]

thanks jodie
i have reqd threads were people with chldren are completely disillusioned by the education system over in NZ, children not being taught properly or to a good enough standard to the point one lady said Don't emigrate if your thinking about it, stay in blighty?? I know this is one persons views but as i am wanting to head over i would like , almost need reassurance that i'm not lessening my chldrens education, i'm sure this isnt the case but some advise about the state of play would be good, all the promo stuff obviously bigs up NZ and i'm not silly enough to read this alone. so any more insights would be great..........

[ENZ]

Two or three years ago the OECD tested 15 year olds throughout the developed world. NZ pupils scored better results in English, Maths and Science than pupils from the UK. I've just been looking at the OECD website for the reference but couldn't find it, but I do recall reading it with interest at the time.

[jodieinchch]

well i would say they're not as 'exam' focused, certainly not at primary school anyway, which takes off the pressure from children, and gives them the opportunity to develop through experiences. i don't understand why children would be disillusioned coming into education here; maybe the maori and cultural influences (certain rules, some language used, etc)? Other than simple things; school camps, sun hats at morning tea, etc, I would say that it's a very similar system. In country and area schools (where there are small schools- mainly with more than one year group in a class) I would say that the education is different because they have to cater for a wider range of aged children. The children that don't achieve here are the Maori and Pasifika children, the other stats are very high to show that people achieve well. Sorry to rule Maori and Pasifika children out, but thats the truth.

I understand that you're a bit apprehensive about bringing children here if you've heard otherwise. I would be interested to know WHY they thought like this, which area they were educating their children in, etc.

In my opinion, the decile system here in the city is a good indicator about which schools to send your children to. Have you heard about the decile system?

[Carol]

unless you know differently of course.....



Decile 1 school........one of the "poorest" areas in the whole of NZ

http://www.viscount.school.nz/

Hand on heart - it is one of the best schools I have ever seen.
I know - because I spent the whole of last Monday there.

[jodieinchch]

wow that looks like a very mod school. there are some exceptions. but you do have to be careful with the areas etc of schools.

[Lupin]

My kids currently attend school and the attached nursery in a relatively deprived area here in the Uk and it's awesome. Really motivated, enthusiastic staff, excellent forward thinking head, really well resourced etc. I withdrew her from the second best achieving school in the county a couple of years ago because she was bored, underacheiving and unhappy. I imagine the school I withdrew her from would be decile 9-10 and the one she currently attends would be more like 2-4.

[jodieinchch]

Don't bite my head off, I'm not saying low decile schools are bad, but the ERO decile system is always good to have a read. Especially for those new to the country.

[Lupin]

I don't think you are having your head bitten off! You're quite right, the decile rating is interesting and useful, I'm just pointing out that like the SATSs tables here in the UK, it's not a foolproof way of finding the right school and also that schools with a low decile rating shouldn't be written off without consideration for their merits. Sorry if you felt attacked!! :)

[jodieinchch]

Hehe thats ok. Just thought people were seeming a bit defensive and narky about my comments!

[Rosemount]

thank you all for these great threads and i now have more infomration to arm myself with, i shall indeed read the decile system info and look at area within NZ for schools. jodie , thanks very much for all info.. the threads i read before , the ladies where all complaining about the state of arrairs in NZ in general ( they all wanted to leave NZ ASAP)and that the schools didn't teach enough of the '3 R's' and not to a standard in comparison to blighty ( not a good idea in my view) and that children concentrated more on the Arts, drama etc ( which again cant be bad aslong as the basics are being covered and chldren are comfortable in their abilities) the schools discussed were particularly centred around the Auckland area. we have our visas and can leave after sale of our gouse, just finding it difficult letting go.....did anyone else feel the same, slightly confused..

[jodieinchch]

glad to hear that. the 3 Rs isnt encouraged here, according to my last assignment, it was not 'effective' because the teacher was passing on the knowledge and theory was necessary. now the theory AND understanding are the focuses, with the teacher acting as a coach or facilitator. wow i can talk such rubbish!!! if there's any other Qs that I may be able to help with, with regards to education just PM me.
jodie

[Rosemount]

after reading your info jodie on the decile system, i went on to several sites and had a good read and looked at a variety of schools in different locations throughout NZ and read their reports ( abit like our Schools/Education inspectors here in scotland) and feel more enlightened and comfortable about the education situation. Your info has been invaluable and giving me an understanding or insight in to where to look and how the education system works in NZ. We are looking to possible come to Christchurch, all depends on work really.

[jodieinchch]

you should come to chch, and you may be lucky enough to be seeing me at parent-teacher interviews! if i get to teach your kids! :)

[K&CS]

I'm nowhere near as qualified as other people on here to talk about the education system in NZ - I can only give my own views. I've never really paid too much attention to results etc when choosing schools for my kids, but I've just 'had a feeling' when I've looked round that it would be right for them - I'm sure a lot of parents would be horrified at that approach but it seems to work for us. I really like the girls' school - they seem to be thriving - it just has such a nice feel to it - they have huge fields and playgrounds to play in and parents are always welcome. I would say that they are ahead by a year or so in most (although by no means all) of their academic subjects, but they are being given extra work and having certain lessons in higher classes so that they don't get bored. They have more homework than they did in the UK - that's for sure. The teachers are all so approachable - for parent interviews, they encourage students to be present. Of course it isn't perfect, but I in no way feel that they were being educated any better in England (and they were at a good school there too).

As far as I am aware, by high school, they tend to 'catch up' in terms of academic subjects. I don't think that 16 year olds in the UK are better educated than 16 year olds here - it's just the pace at which they reached that level may differ.

Kate

[K&CS]

Oh, I forgot to say in regard to when the kids started school. They started school within 2 weeks of arriving here. It was important to us and the kids. The kids were thrilled when I told them they could start school the following Monday. They needed to get back into 'normal life' and making friends as quickly as possible.

[Carol]

I'm nowhere near as qualified as other people on here to talk about the education system in NZ - I can only give my own views. I've never really paid too much attention to results etc when choosing schools for my kids, but I've just 'had a feeling' when I've looked round that it would be right for them - I'm sure a lot of parents would be horrified at that approach but it seems to work for us. Kate


Kate - I honestly think that is THE most important factor when you are looking for a school for your own kids.
And what is right for one family is just not right for another.

Having been through two ERO investigations here I would say definitely go with your gut instinct. ERO really only give a broad feel for the school and check all the i's are dotted and t's crossed when it comes to "compliance" but honestly that's about it.

And some of them are incredibly rude people! No wonder schools dread them coming!

[jodieinchch]

just like OFSTED in the UK then :)

[Rosemount]

I do agree with your comments about 'gut feelings' about the schools. I intend to visit afew, if i can, before placeing the children,Question... can you place children out of catchment area or do you have to apply? Are they quite strict about zones?

[jen1]

We are thinking about moving to Christchurch and I guess it would be February/March next year 2007. I have a 2 year old and 5 year old and would be looking for a kindie and primary school in Christchurch. My husband will be working at the airport and so will need to get there. We have been looking at Fendalton/Merivale, anyone got any views of schools in these areas or any advice about Christchurch in general.

[Carol]

I do agree with your comments about 'gut feelings' about the schools. I intend to visit afew, if i can, before placeing the children,Question... can you place children out of catchment area or do you have to apply? Are they quite strict about zones?


It depends very much on the school. But if they are zoned you WILL need to "apply" if you are living out of zone.