International Bumpies
BlushingMama
member
School system
BlushingMama
member
How does the schooling system work where you are? What age do kids start formal schooling? Do they wear uniforms?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: School system
All 3 and 4 year olds get 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year of free preschool. They wear normal clothes for that.
They start formal schooling in the September after their 4th birthday and they do wear school uniforms. You don't get to chose your child's school. You apply to the local council with your top 3 choices and then they allocate your chikd a school. It's usually your catchment school, which is nearest to you, unless you want to go to a church school. You do need to prove that you attend church if you want your chikd to go to a school.
They start at reception and then go into Year 1, not grades. My son goes to an infant school, then to a junior school and then to high school. You can also go to a primary school and then a high school.
I am just finished dealing with the the start of school so I have not yet enquired about how hight school, college, sixth form, A levels, etc. work.
You can also do primary, the middle (year five) and then high, which is what mine will do.
I can tell you more about later on, but I suspect it's not relevant to a bumpies discussion,
I think kids are required to do at least some preschool here, I'm not sure what the rules are though, as dd attends daycare which runs the older rooms like a preschool
formal school (kindy) starts at around 5 / 5 1/2 - and they do wear uniforms - ALL school children are required to wear hats when outside (for sun safety - which I think is great!!)
we're starting to look into schools now, whether to go public or private....
Kindergarten starts at 4y6m in Alberta, they are supposed to start grade 1 at 6. They go to grade 12, and under approval can only do grade 12 twice if they are missing course credits to graduate. So sometimes you'll have 19 year olds in the mix.
Uniforms are usually private or charter schools. Very few public or Catholic system schools wear uniforms.
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks
Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks on Nov 27 2012
And in Alberta, is it hard to get a place in a school close to where you live?
it depends. Will you put the twins into their local first school? Or a private? I don't know about private ones, but assume they're prob similar to good state school affiliated nurseries - ASAP. I put w down at our local school when he was 18 months. M was down earlier, because w was already there. Where do you want to put them?
And Pitt, at least in England,mthe cut off for school years is sept third or something random like that. So. You won't ave to worry about dec 31 being a magic cut off. Your baby willed ablemto start nursery in January, like Matilda,find they're a dec baby,nwhich just means an extra six months of nursery and thoe fifteen hours a week of paid pre school education. Baby will still start reception the sept after its fourth birthday, so close to its fith for you and M.
They start JK the calendar year they turn 4, meaning some kids with late birthdays will start as young as 3y9m.
Uniforms are generally for private schools only though I believe some public schools/boards may have uniform policy.
How does the schooling system work where you are? Extremely complicated, and IMO very class-ist. :-/ It varies a bit from state to state, but the 3-school system is still the most prevalent. Where we live, all kids go to the same school (primary, if you will) until 4th grade, then they're separated according to intelligence into the smart school (now goes until 12th grade - used to be 13th until last year when they had a reform), the average school (goes until I believe 11th grade), and the you-know,-garbage-collectors-really-are-a-necessary-part-of-society school (ends at 10th grade).
What age do kids start formal schooling? When they're 6 usually, but I know friends with kids born in early spring had to debate whether to send their kids at 5.5 or 6.5. They opted for 5.5. There are pre-schools before that that usually start at age 3 and most kids go to one for socialization even if there's a SAH parent.
Do they wear uniforms? No.
BFP1: DD1 born April 2011 at 34w1d via unplanned c/s due to HELLP, DVT 1 week PP
BFP3: DD2 born Feb 2013 at 38w4d via unplanned RCS due to uterine dehiscence
DS1 won't be 3 until Nov 2013 and to my surprise/horror there were no places left at the closest pre-school (one that you have to pay for but can use the grant for 15 hours a week) for January 2014!
The application for state school nursery/ pre-school (i.e. primary schools that offer nursery places) depends on the council area you are in. We live near the border between two councils and for onen we have to apply by January 2013 for a place for next January (although they rarely accept kids during the school year but if people move there is a chance you can get a place between terms).