Australia

Have you ever wondered what schools were like in other countries? Well, now is your chance to find out about a school in Australia.

Wendy wrote to us from the North West of Victoria in Australia, to tell us about her school. She is a teacher at Merbein West Primary School, a small rural school of 75 students.
Visit their website	Merbein West Primary School

It is particularly interesting reading about school life in Australia, as they have their Summer when we have our Winter.

Below, you can read Wendy's answers to our questions.

When does your school year begin?

We start our school year at the end of January (our summer) when it is often and usually between 35 and 42 deg C. Fortunately all the schools in our area, Sunraysia, have air-conditioners, as do all the houses. At this time of year the grapes in the surrounding 'blocks' (vineyards) are harvcested by machine or picked by hand for the fresh fruit market, wineries (Of which we have many that are world-class standard), or dried for sultanas. Oranges are also grown in the area, although the market is not very profitable over recent years.

How many Terms do you have in a school year?

We have 4 terms of about 10 weeks. At the end of term 1, it is usually Easter (Autumn) and we have a 2 week break. After another ten weeks, both teachers and students are feeling the need for a well-earned rest of two weeks. Half-yearly reports are issued at the end of term. This usually coincides with the 'sick season' - flus, colds, etc. (Winter) Term 3 usually flies with lots of things happening. We all enjoy the September holidays as Spring time is beautiful here, with our lovely roses and gardens - Many of us try to keep the English Cottage garden a reality - I am one of them. Term 4 starts in October and usually finishes 5 days before Christmas (Hot weather again) for a 5 week break. The end of the year is the time for end of year reports, Christmas, and lots of other happenings as well.
The children must wear hats during Terms 1 and 4 as it gets so warm and the ozone layer is not particularly friendly this far south.

What Subjects do you learn?

We have 8 KLA's - Key Learning Areas (Subjects) English, Maths, Science, SOSE (Studies of Society and the Environment), Technology, Art, LOTE (Languages other than English), Phys Ed and Health. The documents we use have just been modified and a CD was delivered this week for use on our laptops of the CSF II (Curriclum Stands Framework) which lists Learning Outcomes and Indicators along with Benchmarking. The supporting document (CD) links with internet sites and themes which should be great.

What is you school day like?

Students start at 9.00 and we work till 11.00. We break for REcess from 11 to 11.30 and return till lunch at 1.00. The afternoon session goes from 2 to 3.30 when the children go home.

What is the weather like in Australia?

Our Winters are relatively mild with nights between 0 and 8, and days between 13 and 20 deg C. Our area is usually the warmest in the state with fairly predictable beautiful weather all year round. We only get about 10 inches of rainfall a year, so the area surrounding the district is very dry. We have an amazing irrigation system from the Murray River that supports the district. During our Spring time (September), this year, the weather was superb - 20-25 deg. It was wonderful to enjoy the Olympic Games during that time.

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Schools in Australia
Most children attend Kindergarten for a year - mostly 3 or 4 sessions per week of 3 or 4 hours.

School Year in England	Age	Schools in Australia
Reception	5	Primary School	Preparatory
Year 1	5-6		Grade 1
Year 2	6-7		Grade 2
Year 3	7-8		Grade 3
Year 4	8-9		Grade 4
Year 5	9-10		Grade 5
Year 6	10-11		Grade 6
Year 7	11-12	Secondary College	Year 7
Year 8	12-13		Year 8
Year 9	13-14		Year 9
Year 10	14-15		Year 10
Year 11	15-16		Year 11
Sixth Form	16 – 18		Year 12

Our first year is called Prep (Preparatory), in NSW it is called Kindergarten, in South Australia it is Reception. Each state has different starting ages also. So the children are usually 5 years old in Prep, 6 years old in Grade 1 and 7 years old in Grade 2.

Secondary College from Year 7 to Year 12. Their final year is called VCE - Victorian Certificate of Education. Their exams - external - are starting on Friday. From here they go to University.

Other Schools
The Catholic School system is very strong in Australia. There are 4 in our district and one secondary college. There is also a Lutheran school, a Seventh day adventist school P - 12, and Turkish school and a Baptist school. We are a state school.

Follow this link to find out about school life in England

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