choosing a school [Archive] - Intuitive Parenting

Kathryn

09-10-2009, 02:43 PM

I have looked at tons of schools and totally overanalysed every option, including homeschool. On that basis, I say go with your gut as my overanalysis didn't get me anywhere!!!

DD1 goes to the local state school. We moved here a couple of days before school started for the year, and thought yeah, nice local country school... Turns out there are 900 kids there... But anyway, it's working pretty well at the moment as she's being challenged. Keeping my fingers crossed for next year.

I have put DD2 down for samford steiner school, but not sure if she will get a place. I think steiner will suit DD2, but if she doesn't get a place, she'll be going to the same school as DD1.

Ethereal

09-10-2009, 04:57 PM

Ha ha, oh dear...oh wow, um, yeah.... WOM is a big factor for me and anything alternative and child-orientated as opposed to the-system-oriented. Then when I narrowed it down we would all go and have a look around, casual chat.

I knew it was a good school if the principal made an effort to shake your hand, look you in the eye, be generally positive & encouraging. A school is as good as it's principal has been my experience.

Listen to your instinct!

Karena

09-10-2009, 05:03 PM

We had 2 schools to choose from.

1 is around 1 corner from us, but I don't like that it's so big, has no fixed playing equipment, the principle wants to expand even further and has lots of concrete.

The second school is the primary school that H went too when he first moved here, 1 of the teachers went to the same primary school where he met H and has been friends with ever since, another friends (who H also met at the same school) mum works in the admin, it has a much smaller school population, much more focus on peer support, has more natural grounds and fixed playing equipment and has no plans to expand. So overall it was a natural choice for us. We did have to go through the whole out of area application process but we got Harry in so we're happy.

lindylou

09-10-2009, 05:30 PM

It is truly such a big decision!! I am currently looking into schooling options for my twins who are due to start in 2011 (and have been researching for the past 12 months on and off)- and I am still not sure what is the right direction to head for us. I have looked at a state school with a Steiner stream (1 hour commute), a Catholic school (smaller numbers), our local public school (1 class prep-grade 7), as well as a public school about 10 minutes away (around 250 children enrolled). I think that I have pretty much decided a long commute is going to have a negative impact, and I think a tiny school would be less than ideal (as would a huge school) and then I feel like a hypocrite looking at Catholic. So at this stage probably the public school 10 min away...but still not 100% certain! I really want to do my best to get it right. Will be watching this thread with interest!!

mummabare

10-10-2009, 05:21 PM

If DJ had gone to school it probably would have been the small public primary school near us, highschool would have been a drama tho ( the local is a shocker).
I nearly sent him to the montessori school which would have meant significant driving effort, but they insisted that he would have to start at 3 ( and he was no where near ready). I did like the school tho, and the philosophy. Our only real options were the public school or homeschool. Homeschooling has turned out to be alot less stressful then I anticipated, we love it.

To break down a few things I considered were:
* school size (teacher to child ratio)
*school philosophy and policies (I checked out some school policies on bullying and racism ).
* educational programs at the school, did they have goals for the environment etc?
*did they promote healthy eating

If I were considering it now I would also consider aboriginal studies across the curriculum, what there approach to literacy was and what art/craft they included because I value those aspects of my sons education.

Stardust

10-10-2009, 10:18 PM

Gut here too. We looked at quite a few but went with the one that made us feel 'yep'. Small, very nurturing and Molly didn't want to leave when we visited. A good sign I think. The principal knows all the kids and teaches them all too. She's very involved which is important I think.

Hailstorm

10-10-2009, 10:59 PM

Since we have moved we had to change the school we thought Hailey would go to, we have decided to send her to a teeny tiny lil school up the road from us (it's about 10-15 minutes walking distance depending on how many flowers get picked along the way :2lol)
I went to the school had an interview with the principal, it was more me interviewing him :2lol, and fell in love instantly (with the school not the principal....although he does have some amazing eyes.....) there is only about 220 students,so about 19-22 kids per class and most classes have an aide/student teacher (the principal told me that the majority of teachers there actually started out as student teachers there) they're big on sports have the kids art work plastered all through the corridors.
Another big thing that I fell in love with was that they have a 'beginning school program' which is for preps who will be attending, it is for one hour a week on a Friday arvo and is basically just a program to get the kids used to the school, they take them to the playground (there is one specifically for preps and another couple for older kids) the teacher (who will be Hailey's teacher next year) takes the kids to the toilet and each week they show the kids more of the school grounds.
Also the school has just been given a $150,000 govt grant and they are using it to install shaded play areas build a new library etc.
There is also a playgroup that we have started going to

So some important things for me were:
Location, I always wanted to be within walking distance
Class size
Facilities
Atmosphere (we've only been going since last term and it feels like we know everyone really well already)

littlemissnaughty

11-10-2009, 03:52 PM

School size was important for my DS, he gets intimidate by "too big" but I spoke to parents and work colleagues, got a range of opinions about the schools in our catchment and in nearby catchments before making our decision, we chose within our zone anyway because it had a good reputation, some grant applications approved and in process to improve the things that were lacking. It was useful asking the acting principal at the time what he felt were the school deficits too. He gave some good honest answers and explained what the school was doing to rectify those things.

Rinelle

11-10-2009, 05:04 PM

I went to a few open days, looked at a lot of webpages online, and couldn't find anything within the range we could consider driving, so we decided to homeschool. Of course, now we have moved to within 10 minutes of the one school I would have considered for her, but now we're quite committed to homeschooling.

Merlion

11-10-2009, 05:58 PM

we had three options. we had one that was a 5 min drive from our house that had a really bad reputation so when my parents gave me the option of purchasing their house so we took the opturnity and purchased their property and now live just up the road from the school Jess goes too and its a great school it has a specialised area for children who have disabiliy (ie physical, mental and other problems). We could have gone to the catholic school where we go to church at but it turned out to be very expensive but we made send her there later on

´*~·Meje·~*`

11-10-2009, 06:15 PM

It was an easy decision for me. I attending a steiner school as a kid, so I knew that was the way I wanted to go for my children.

I had 2 choices, the one local to me (which I didn't feel a connection to), and the one I had a connection with, from my school experience. It meant moving, but (then) DH wasnt too keen on moving, he buggered off before my eldest was ready for school, so decision made! We moved closer and I enrolled him in school :).

Its a lovely community, and I have not had any doubts or second thoughts about them going. Even their firsts days at school, are a joy, as I know they are in as nurturing an environment as they are at home. It perfectly aligns with how I parent, and how the have been raised, so it is natural extension of our family life :D

Its lovely to know it has gone full circle, as I am in a community of people that I crossed paths with as a child, my old teacher is still there, teaching!

I also love how they have the pre-schol as part of the entire school. It is a really nice, gentle way to progress into full time school. I have my girl starting pre-school next year....How odd will it be to have all 3 in school (for at least 2 days a week anyhow)!

mrs fox

16-10-2009, 02:56 PM

I am in a difficult situation atm with schools.
The current school for ds1 was great for prep and yr1, nuturing & such but towards the end of this yr I am wondering if its the right school for my boys. ds2 starts prep next yr and regardless of the fact he is a bit board at home(and I have ran out of ideas) he goes to day care 2 days a week with a fantastic teacher(we love her) I really am not sure if he is ready for big boy school.
I have 2 friend I consider close and their girls go to a school in a diff town and I like some of its values - little things for me like a litter free lunch days once a month and music lessons start al little earlier than other schools. Also they are recorded as high end achievers academically.
So I was thinking do I send them there?
Its no further than where we go now, we having swimming there, better shopping there and my friends are happy for us to do a car pool thing.
ds2 will be starting prep with one little girl he goes to daycare with also but none of them will be attending the currenty state school so he would be alone except for his bro.

And then there was the discussion on homeschool with DH. I am not sure if I would have the education level to do it and he feels it would not work.
we are no where near an 'alternative' school and I really do not think catholic or lutheran would fit into our earthly/buddhist beliefs.

I am really not sure if I have made any sence, but any and all ideas are welcomed - But my unstincts say not to stay there.
:unsure

emd

16-10-2009, 03:16 PM

We were going to send our kids to the public Cycle 1 Montessori a couple of suburbs away, then go into the public school down the road from our house. But the public school down the road closed in 2006. The in-area school is logistically impossible as it's too far to walk and there's no bus, and not on the driving route to work.

Sophia starts Grade 1 next year, so we toured out-of-area public schools and put in our applications in first term this year. We made our choices based on the facilities looking like they were well cared for, friendly principals, and reviews from friends whose kids go there. And we only looked at schools that are easy for us to access with two working parents and one car, and having a pre-schooler as well as primary schooler to schedule pick-ups etc.

Oh, things I asked principals about or looked for at the school.... homework policy; bullying policy; multi-age classes for kids who are better at some subjects than others; environment learning.

Kathryn

16-10-2009, 03:45 PM

multi-age classes for kids who are better at some subjects than others;

This is a really good point as it gives an idea into how flexible they will be generally. One of the things I struggle with the most is this implicit push to make everyone fit in the same box.

Mrs Fox - Not sure what the prob is with the current school, but why don't you call the other school and ask to look around? Can't hurt and you might get more of a vibe if it's worth transferring DS1.

wems

16-10-2009, 04:11 PM

Luckily for us it was a no brainer

The local catholic school or the local public school (thats all there is here)

We went with the catholic school.......and I couldn't be happier with our choice

the school has just had extensions and renovations so is like a brand new school (with more to come Yeah)
has awesome facilities
the teachers so far have been wonderful and are very approachable....they are happily catering to my kids individual schooling needs...Elizajayne is in Year 3 but they have her reading at the top year 5 level.....Joe and Lascinda have also been fast tracked with their reading
Joe is not a social person and wouldn't care if he didn't have a friend ever I don't think....but I got a little worried and approached the teacher and she was already aware of what was going on and had already been keeping an eye on things before I even talked to her about it....it was as i thought , he is a very popular child and had plenty of offers of friendship and people to play with but chose not to....her words were "he would rather sit under a tree and watch ants" and yes that is a perfect description of my boy :) animals over people any day :rofl

The school is small and a close community....all the kids from kindy to grade 6 all know each other and they all have friends from every grade

The principal is awesome.......he is young and has a young family at the school, he grew up in a family of 9 kids so for us that is great as he understands large family dynamics etc......He is hands on and teachers in the class rooms.....He knows every child's name in the school, their parents names and their siblings names.....He and his wife are just lovely and they are those sort of people that you just feel you have known them all your life.......The principal has actually spent alot of time with Joe during lunch time and Joe gets to help out with the school chooks and vege garden alot because they know he would rather do something like that rather then go play a game of cricket or whatever at lunch time

The religion isn't like it used to be when I went to school at a catholic school (Grrrrrrr) it is more be kind to each other sort of thing.....they do go to church once ot twice a term that I can live with.....my kids can go to church anytime with my mum anyway so it wasn't like we never wanted them in church.......and we encourage the kids to talk about the religion stuff and just cover stuff with them at home.......Grae and I don't practice any religion so wasn't a huge probably that they would be teaching them stuff that went against what we were teaching that at home IYKWIM

Our main concern was that they would be left out when the catholic children made their sacraments and things which my children can't do because they aren't catholic (they have no religion) but as it turns out that was a waste of time worrying about that because 1/2 or more than 1/2 of the school aren't catholic anyway :)

It is such a huge descion and makes a big impact on the kids......they have to go there every day and be happy.........I am so pleased so far for us and the kids it is all going well :)

Esther

16-10-2009, 06:35 PM

It's the community feeling which I like the most at the school. We even get together during school holidays for the mums to chat and the kids to play :D Teachers really listen to the parents and use their suggestions. Parents can come and visit whenever they want. If you have an interest they encourage you to come and teach the kids. For about a month they did a block on reading and writing and encouraged parents to come and act as scribes and teachers. Also we can bring along siblings when we visit :D

If it came down to what the school looked like then I probably wouldn't have picked her current school. It is a very small school so doesn't get much funding :( Though it did get some funds recently and is being extended and improved :D Though I doubt it will ever look like a fancy school :laugh It doesn't have much play equipment but kids are encouraged to find things around them to play with. So we have kids sliding down the bank with cardboard boxes. Climbing the trees :D and exploring things around them.

lindylou

16-10-2009, 09:37 PM

So can I ask...what do people think of a school that has 30-ish students, and two teachers?? (across all grades prep-7)

I had always considered this to be too small- they won't be sufficiently challenged? little opportunity for wider socialisation? teacher has to focus on too many levels, how do they participate successfully in group activities, etc..(so then how would they cope when they had to go to a huge high school, or out into the 'real world'!).

...am really interested to hear other people's thoughts!

mummabare

16-10-2009, 10:49 PM

Personally its my opinion that socialisation (as opposed to socialising) is something a child learns through living their life, not necessarily from school. Buts thats only my opinion lol. I like small classes for schools because it means the resources are not spread so thinly and children get more time swapping roles ( leader etc in group projects).

People have different ideas of what it means to be success in the real world, and different expectations of what skills might be needed. Are you concerned about their performance in jobs or in terms of socialisation, maybe resilience?

Esther

16-10-2009, 10:54 PM

Lindy is it one class from prep to year 7 with two teachers or two classes?

My girl's school is just over 30 students, split up into 3 groups. The multi age works really well. The older ones teach the younger and learn how to associate with other kids of different ages. It also means they have closer relationships with each other. The teachers know all the kids and the kids know all the teachers. Smaller class sizes :D The classes are adapted to suit the kids. There is a girl that likes fairies so they wrote stories and did plays about fairies. They made a cute fairy garden. Of course it depends on the school and teachers, how they handle the smaller class sizes. At her school they are taught to learn from everything around them.

emd

16-10-2009, 10:57 PM

It's the teachers that make the school, not the number of students.
I went to a school with 29 students from age 5 to 12 years, most were related to me, and two teachers.
When we went on to high school, my sisters and I were all ahead of the other kids.
I think our doing well at the small school was a mix of a couple of really great teachers (after a really old-skool nun retired when I was 8) and our parents participating in our learning too.

lindylou

16-10-2009, 11:05 PM

mummabare- I guess I am concerned that if they live their entire childhood in a very insular environment (we live in a very small community, hence the local school only having 30 students), then they would not be able to cope, let alone thrive, when they do eventually become exposed to a wider world...if that makes sense? I am very happy to be challenged on this presumption though!

Esther- the teaching is divided into 2 groups- so that one teacher does prep-3, then the other 4-7 (I am not sure that is exactly how they split it up, but you get the idea :-)). In 2007 they only had one teacher (a teaching principal who taught the whole school), so I guess it all depends on numbers for the year...which reminds me of another one of my concerns is the potential for high staff turnover (OK if you keep scoring good teachers, but what if you get someone not so great...no option of switching to another class).

Esther

16-10-2009, 11:09 PM

Hmmm high staff turnover wouldn't be good. Also it is different here because we live in a city. There are sooooo many people around.

SeaStar

16-10-2009, 11:21 PM

I am in constant school thoughts! DD1 started at a public school and we transferred her to a steiner school for class 1, which dd2 also started in, and we loved it. When we moved they went to a public school, due to cost and travel. We were planning to return to the steiner school here but it would mean dd2 would go from year 1 to kindy based on how the steiner schools work. We were worried about cost too and so went back to the public school. The girls seem happy and dd3 is set to start there next year, but............ I don't know, the girls behaviour has changed since starting back at this school. I keep thinking about homeschooling, I work full time and don't think we would manage it though. I am really worried about high school with no desirable options for us here. I just wish we had homeschooled from the start!

mummabare

16-10-2009, 11:28 PM

Nyree

16-10-2009, 11:36 PM

I am very happy to be challenged on this presumption though!

Consider yourself challenged :2lol

This is something homeschoolers come up against constantly from other people. As MB says, socialisation & socialising are 2 different things. Besides, who here wasn't told to be quiet in class when talking to friends? :2lol

You say you live in a small community. Are there any school options other than the one mentioned? Just wondering if this is the only school or not. True socialisation is about being able to interact with people across all ages groups, which happens more in mixed age classes anyway. So much can be learnt simply by interacting with people in the community outside school hours.

Google "socialisation and homeschooling". Although you're not looking to homeschool, there's great info out there that would apply to a small community school situation, too :)

lindylou

16-10-2009, 11:40 PM

hi lindy - I think you might be talking about resilience, I had this link saved http://www.maggiedent.com/Little_Things.pdf

It doesnt talk about schools per se but might give you some ideas :) Hope it helps.

Thankyou so much- that is exactly what I meant :-) I found that so interesting, I really need to read more about resilience!

lindylou

16-10-2009, 11:48 PM

Thanks Nyree! There are other schools not too far away- another 5 mins away is a similar school. Then if you go 10 mins away from here there is a school about double the size our our local, plus one that is bigger again (about 250 students). They are all public schools. The last one mentioned (250 students) is where I have been thinking of sending my boys (nothing certain yet though!)- the size seemed good (according to my unchallenged thinking ;)) and it is also in the place where they would go to high school.

MenkyFrog

17-10-2009, 01:49 PM

My boy (soon to be boys) go to a school almost exactly the same as that is size!! Though it will be about 45 students next year and 3 teachers. ETA it was 2 teachers, one or two aides and some specialist teachers 34 kids broken down prep-3 and 4-7 at the start of this year.

We intentionally send our kids there and drive across Brisbane to do it! The class ratios are 1:15 which is fantastic. The thing is both larger and smaller schools have their advantages and disadvantages. Larger schools if they are struggling with a social group then they have other options. Smaller schools if they have a problem then their only real option is to work it out. Depending on how the school is structured (ours has an emphasis on communication) we have found that our students move from BIS to high school with 800-100 kids and actually fit in better because they are so well founded in conflict resolution skills and effective communication and socialization. Lots of kids does not equal good social skills - quite often it can mean the opposite. It depends on the kids and the school and the teachers.

emd

17-10-2009, 03:20 PM

When we changed from our school of 29 students to high school of 600ish students, it was a big change. But the school was the least of it - there were plenty of other farm kids there. The harder stuff was about moving from a farm into the "city" (population 40,000) - I had to learn to cross roads, to catch the right bus home from school, not make so much noise in the back yard etc.

moo

26-10-2009, 02:40 PM

We sought out the public primary school that my children attend. These are the things we loved about it:

1. Very small school (capped at 225)
2. World renowned philosophy program
3. Multi-age school (all classes excluding prep are multi)
4. strong environmental program, incorporating large permie garden and chooks

It's not perfect, but it's a damn good school!

Ethereal

26-10-2009, 03:08 PM

Besides, who here wasn't told to be quiet in class when talking to friends? :2lol

Welllll, never, ever, ever me.....

:rofl

Madi

26-10-2009, 03:12 PM

Welllll, never, ever, ever me.....

:rofl

:rofl:rofl

*bunty*

26-10-2009, 03:26 PM

The type of person the principal is influences the school immensely. We are just freshies to Brisbane and we chose the local school because I had heard nice things about it and it is in the same street as our house and a one minute walk away. However, had money allowed I would have chosen Brisbane Independent School, because I love its philosophy and well, everything it promotes. As it stands I am OK with the school they are at, but I am looking to get some changes made to better accommodate the boys academically.

Bron

26-10-2009, 04:03 PM

We've been here a while and so you get to learn what certain schools are like. Originally we went private but it was too big and I knew my son needed small in order to thrive, so we moved to a small school and he has done exactly that.

emd

26-10-2009, 04:20 PM

Given my current dilemma with childcare, pre-school, and schools, logistics and access are the driving forces in our choices now. It needs to be logistically possible to juggle the drop-offs and pick-ups, but we're also limited by what we can actually get into. Private schools in our area have long waiting lists, and most of the public schools don't take many out-of-area kids anymore due to numbers.

Natenimiri

26-10-2009, 05:04 PM

HELP! I am going through same dilemma! DD1 is in Grade2 - was happy prep and Grade 1 but now numbers have dropped only 1 class and lots of nice kids left and so many problem behavious in her class and we aren't happy. DD2 is due to start prep and I haven't enrolled her anywhre!!! AAAHHHHH! i just can't decide. I went to catholic school and taught private system. I practice an open spirituality. We want our kids to be challenged and to have access to lots of love, singing, prayers etc.
We chose public initially because of her special needs but she is being bullied. CAN ANYONE RECOMMEND any good schools in the Petrie/Dakabin area? I would love some advice!!!!!

Natenimiri

26-10-2009, 05:06 PM

BTW i know that bullying is everywhere but this class is horrendous! 7yo kids swearing, throwing things, threatening, hurting other kids.......
i just want a nice environent

Natenimiri

26-10-2009, 05:06 PM

I don't know anything about home schooling - is there a website you can look it up?

Rinelle

26-10-2009, 06:40 PM

*hugs* Nat. Bullying is one of the (many) reasons we're homeschooling!

I'm not sure how far you're prepared to travel, but the Montessori school at Caboolture looked lovely when I went to an open day there.

For homeschooling, there are so many places to look at, and so many different ways to do it! http://homeschoolaustralia.beverleypaine.com/ is a good place to start, and also posting a thread here asking people specific questions. We are homeschooling, but I'm still reading book after book to try to figure out what works best for us.

jodiemiller

26-10-2009, 06:49 PM

I haven't read the middle page, but we decided in a roundabout fashion. Originally started at the local Steiner school, then left the country and forfeited our position on the waiting list. Meant we couldn't get back into the school when we returned, which resulted in the kids attending the local (rural) state school with population of 200 students. There are some small issues but overall we are happy. The majority of teachers have been with the school for many years, have a long history in the community and a great community spirit as a result. A good balance of male and female teachers also was a good thing. Discipline policy could be more unified, but the school has grown from 40 students to 200 in the space of five years, so it's natural there will be a few teething issues. Overall, for a public school, we feel it is very special.

moo

26-10-2009, 09:53 PM

Natenimiri-look at the new Boulevard state school in Mango Hill area. Not sure if they will take students from outside their catchment, but DP and I were very impressed by their annual report and will investigate further if building in that area turns out to be a workable option for us :)

mummabare

27-10-2009, 06:47 PM

Bully is one of the reasons we chose to homeschool as well ( and another reason many pulled their kids out of schools).

Feel free to ask any questions of the homeschoolers...theres a few here :)

MenkyFrog

28-10-2009, 09:34 PM

The Samford Valley Steiner School is out that way. There are actually a couple of alternative schools out there. Pine community school is out that way too. (depends how far you are willing to travel. My boys go to Brisbane Independent School which is in pullenvale (7mins down Gap-Creek Rd for the north siders who travel) I drive from Sunnybank area so about 30-40 mins each way. I have a lot of info on most of the alternative schools in and around Brisbane. It really depends what you are looking for. PM me if you want or post. Just let me know what you are after in particular and I will share the info I have.

Natenimiri

29-10-2009, 01:46 AM

thanks Rinelle! I have driven past it but never actually been there... i should check it out properly.
And thanks Moo! I don't know the Boulevard one but will look it up.
And MenkyFrog - I am after something that looks at the individual learner and what their needs are, creative focus at school, and she needs some special needs support (physical- not emotional / intellectual). She is bright and outgoing but also very sensitive. DD2 is very active and independent headstrong, they are like chalk and cheese. I don't want to travel too far (I am not a morning person and we are almost always late!). Do i sound too picky???!!!!