Your Family

Education In Australia

CHILD CARE

As many women in Australia work, childcare is very common. Three categories of childcare are available dependant on the age of the child:

• Nursery care – This facility caters for babies from birth
• Early childhood -- Up to 5 years of age
• Primary school -- 5 to 12 years old after school and during holidays

Daycare centers as well as schools require that your child is fully immunised before they are allowed to attend.

EDUCATION

There are two options with regard to schooling in Australia, namely public and private schools.

Public schools are run by the various state governments and are free in most states. The individual school may ask for a small voluntary annual fee. Parents are responsible for purchasing books, uniforms and pay for all school outings. Public schools are coeducational and emphasis is placed on encouraging boys and girls to participate equally in classes.

Private schools are managed either by the Catholic Education Office or independently by their own boards. Private schools have their own fee structure although they receive a subsidy from State and Federal Government.

Generally, the school going ages in Australia is as follows:

School hours are from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday.

Attending school is compulsory for children in most states and territories until the age of 15. Although students are able to leave at 15, most students elect to complete at least their year 10 qualification. Year 12 constitutes the final year of high school.

Preschool

Many children in Australia attend a formal preschool before starting primary school. Places are limited and it is therefore advisable to register your children as soon as possible. Various times are offered by each preschool.
For example:

• 9.00 am to 11.30 am or 12.30pm to 3.00pm five days a week
• Full day Monday, Wednesday and Friday

During a child’s first year at school, he/she is taught basic reading and writing skills as well as how to relate to other children and adults. Children are taught that tolerance toward each other and people of all different colours, races and backgrounds is very important.

The following subjects are taught in all primary schools:

• Physical Education and Health
• Mathematics
• Science
• Society and Environment
• Language
• English
• Technology
• The Arts

High Schools/ Secondary Colleges

For the first three years, the compulsory subjects taught are English, Maths and Science. During the last two years, students specialise in their subjects of choice.
Subjects offered include history, geography, commerce, drama, art, music, computing and languages.

At the end of year 12 students are given an overall grade which compares them with all final year students in their state or territory. The overall grade is used for admission into university and other tertiary institutions.

Transport to School

Public schools do not provide school buses unless there is a large number of children living in the area. Private schools usually hire buses to transport students to school. Parents will be charged a fee for these services.

Most older children make use of the public transport system to get to and from school.