How hard is it to get into a Private School if you're not baptised?

[wylie]

Our local Catholic girls high school must take 10% of non-Catholic students, spread over the whole five years of high school. I suppose that is something to do with their funding, but if there are a lot of Catholics in the year your child wants to start or if there are already 10% non-Catholics over the spread, it could be tight.

I would guess all schools will have similar policies. You need to ask.

We chose Anglican over Catholic due to the catholic school I visited being very "Catholic". We were looking for private schooling for reasons other than religion and the Catholic school seemed waaaaay too Catholic for my liking

If our local school had been suited to our first boy, we would have sent him and his brothers would probably have followed. Believe it or not... many parents chose church schools NOT because they are associated with the church, or any religion, but because ANY private school has a better chance of getting bullying sorted than MANY public schools.

This is what we were told, and what we found. It costs more, but any kid who will do well at any school will do well at any school .

 

[meri]

Hi, Just my 2 cents worth -

My daughter attends a catholic girls high school in Inner Melbourne. Had no problems to be accepted, eventhough we're not Catholic. However, basically they have a priority list as to who gets in.
first - Catholic girls in the area, then those outside local area.
next - Practicing Christian - Baptised or Christened and regularly attending.
then - others.
At the school are Buddists, but I don't think they take Muslims as they suggested that the faith may be in conflict with schools beliefs.

This is not our local Catholic school, which I am told was much harder to get in. I think it depends how many applications they receive compared to the number of places.

Also, we have found this a great school and extremely happy they teach religion as a subject as it has definitly broadened my daughter's world view and the catholic school is very social justice focused.

Good Luck with your application.
Meri

 

[weg]

The earlier you get your childs name on the waiting list the better your chances are as a non Catholic.

If you have to put your name on more than one list, do so to allow yourself more options later. You'll lose a few dollars but better than being stuck with no decent school to send your child to, or having to move.

I have a non Catholic friend who decided on sending her daughter to a Catholic high school at the end of year 7, and was rejected by all that she tried that had a good reputation and acaedemic outcomes.

Only 1 of the 4 that rejected her was willing to put her on a waiting list for the chance of getting in later, in years 9 or 10.

 

[Ausprop]

Only IF you choose to send them to such a school right ?


If I choose to buy new S CLASS MERC'S, I'd be up for hundreds of 1000's

like the rest of the world, I see a case of "it is what it is" I guess

true, but the terms "health and education" are used so often together because they are a lot more important than a chunk of metal on four tyres.

public vs private... seriously you could argue this till xmas time. I figure if you go private then you've done all you can. make no mistake, if they turn out like a few exampls I know of I won't be sitting there paying out that sort of money - I will expect and receive value else thay are out. they can do it the hard way like I did...mind you the world is a lot different these days.

 

[INVSTOR]

Only IF you choose to send them to such a school right ?


If I choose to buy new S CLASS MERC'S, I'd be up for hundreds of 1000's

like the rest of the world, I see a case of "it is what it is" I guess

It's not all that simple jaycee. When my daughter was in daycare I asked the daycare teacher what primary school she would recommend in the area for my daughter. She said my daughter wouldn't survive at the public school that we fell into the zoning for as the kids were all quite tough and my daughter was very different to most of the kids attending. She was 3 at the time. I went home and called the private catholic school a few streets away and from there priority intake and large amount of kids on waiting list it was clearly a waste of time. I called a few other public schools, one said there weren't taking kids on a waiting list any longer. I eventually got her into a public school a couple of suburbs away. Most people buy a bigger home as their family expands and if you're not thinking 5 steps in advance it's easy to get caught out.

 

[Cupcakes]

I really wish my parents had sent me to a government school and put the money they spent on my private school fees into an account for me! I'd have used it to pay my Fee-Help debt or as a deposit on a home.

I think having attentive, supportive parents and being from a higher socio-economic background is what causes the difference in grades between selective/catholic/private and other government schools, not the actual school!

 

[Ausprop]

money and assets come and go Cupcakes, education can't be taken away. I went and saw the wolf of wall st last night... his abilities are embedded in him. they took several hundred million from him and threw him in jail, yet he always knew he would be back and as he said, even the judge knew he wouldn't be broke for long. It's similar to holidays - I have heard people say fancy holidays are a waste of time... I would say get a life. My point is - in a long way of getting here - the education should be the tool to go out and get that deposit yourself (quite easily I should think). Using the education money for the deposit is slaughtering the lamb.

 

[jaycee]

true, but the terms "health and education" are used so often together because they are a lot more important than a chunk of metal on four tyres.

public vs private... seriously you could argue this till xmas time. I figure if you go private then you've done all you can. make no mistake, if they turn out like a few exampls I know of I won't be sitting there paying out that sort of money - I will expect and receive value else thay are out. they can do it the hard way like I did...mind you the world is a lot different these days.

Yes, fair enough

 

[Cupcakes]

Warren Buffet went to public school. Going to public school doesn't mean not getting an education. It just means not paying a crazy amount for it and not being forced to sit through morning and afternoon prayers and Religious Education/Church!

It's just my opinion and my experience with private school that it wasn't anything special education wise. A lot of my private school friends feel the same actually. Many of them plan to send their kids to public schools.

It's a good point you make about travel too. I think you can learn more from overseas travel than from any school. My parents could have used the money for family trips overseas or I could have gone on an overseas exchange.

I just think the money could have been better spent - even if my parents had just spent the money on themselves!

money and assets come and go Cupcakes, education can't be taken away. I went and saw the wolf of wall st last night... his abilities are embedded in him. they took several hundred million from him and threw him in jail, yet he always knew he would be back and as he said, even the judge knew he wouldn't be broke for long. It's similar to holidays - I have heard people say fancy holidays are a waste of time... I would say get a life. My point is - in a long way of getting here - the education should be the tool to go out and get that deposit yourself (quite easily I should think). Using the education money for the deposit is slaughtering the lamb.

 

[cjandlj]

My kids go to the local Catholic School. We are extremely lucky as we live literally 2 doors away from it, so I wanted to send them there regardless. It just so happens that it has a wonderful reputation.

I am catholic but my husband isnt and we dont go to church but the kids were baptised catholic. That said our school has an acceptance criteria that states they MUST accept a percentage of students from each of the following groups ie: local church going families, catholic non-church going, christian but noth catholic and other religions. The school is always oversubscribed so inevitably some people miss out and yes its normally the non-catholic families that miss out. However if they more catholic families than they could take then they will knock them back as well. Its a numbers game.

Everyone that sends their kids to a Catholic school must accept though that they will say a prayer at assembly and they will learn religion. I know it sounds ridiculous though but its amazing the number of people that are quite shocked at this Its part of the curriculum.

I love our school and am extremely happy with the lovely sense of community that exists too in such a small school. It has just recently had huge renovations due to the federal govt funding and all in all I feel really lucky that the kids were accepted there.

I am extremely worried about High School though. The local Catholic middle school years 7 to 10 hasnt got the best reputation. Its not bad bad but its a BIG school and Ive heard a couple of terrible stories. Im seriously considering the local grammar and or another local christian college. That said I have a couple of years to decide.

I dont see a catholic education as a "private" education though. After all the fees are a fraction the cost of a true private education and FWIW you will find that a Catholic education often means that the school itself will be a lot poorer resourced then the local govt option.

Because of our "socio economic" status our school gets ZERO funding over and above what is normal because apparently we are rich. Yeah thanks a lot Nathan Tinkler for living in my suburb!

So NO you dont have to be catholic to get into a catholic school, but it does help if it is a sought after school. Just dont baulk at your kids being taught a couple of prayers, and dont expect a private education. For that you need to spend the big $s. But in my experience or at least our experience is you'll find a lovely sense of community and a better than average education. Every school is different though.

HTH

 

[Corey Batt]

Warren Buffet went to public school. Going to public school doesn't mean not getting an education. It just means not paying a crazy amount for it and not being forced to sit through morning and afternoon prayers and Religious Education/Church!

It's just my opinion and my experience with private school that it wasn't anything special education wise. A lot of my private school friends feel the same actually. Many of them plan to send their kids to public schools.

It's a good point you make about travel too. I think you can learn more from overseas travel than from any school. My parents could have used the money for family trips overseas or I could have gone on an overseas exchange.

I just think the money could have been better spent - even if my parents had just spent the money on themselves!

The quality of private schools vary widely. You can have private schools of lesser quality than public, and vice versa. I went to public from R-8, then private 9-12. The difference was huge. My sister is now going to the same school, however at a different campus. I strongly argued against sending her to that campus, as the facilities, student performance and teachers were lacklustre at best.

I don't mind protestant based private schools. A lot of less religion based, but have greater potential for better facilities, social circles etc.

 

[Ausprop]

warren buffet was born in 1752 or something. even in the 1970s most public schools were an ok place to be... even the worst of them. fast forward to now: I don't really know much about the rest of the country but this city is nothing like it was. most of the public schools here I would want nothing to do with (I know there are exceptions like willetton and shenton college etc).

i know a whole lot of losers from flash private schools and some real success stories from my public school, but you need to look at the here and the now and the current odds.

 

[lizzie]

Junior is going to a public primary school - and I cannot praise it enough. The school, teachers and kids are all very good and well resourced by a proactive community - but - the reason it is so good is that it feeds from a higher social area with no riff raff.

The high school it feeds to gets a lot of dept housing kids, kids from poor and very rough neighbourhoods and has a poor reputation.

Call me a snob but I would rather my child enjoy her education days rather than fending off bullies or trying to learn in classes where the teacher is stressed out by the little ***** down the back of the room.

I too went to a girls private high school and although I didn't do particularly well (school and I don't mix) I did a heck of a lot better than people I know of similar stance at the public school ... the most of the girls I knocked around with went on the have successful careers and lives.

I know which way I'm going.

 

[Peter_Tersteeg]

I mostly attended private school, but did attend a public school for a short period (parents had a few bad years due to the 80s drought).

In private school I had very dedicated teachers. When I went back for the 20th reunion may of them were still there. In years 11 & 12 some teachers organised weekend classes to get ahead. When some of my older teachers have died, thousands of ex-students attened their funerals. Hi acheiving students did (and still do) win state awards in numerous categories. 95% of students went onto higher education.

Some of the public schools had good results too with high acheiving students, but not as many and not as consistantly. This might not be as suitable for all students. Some of my private school friends left at year 10 to go to a trade school more suited to their aims. The one thing I did learn in public school that I didn't learn in private (and I didn't go to a particulary bad public school), was how to deal with bullies.

There are some very good public schools but there are also some very bad ones. Some students will well achademically regardless of what education system they go through and some won't. It's up to parents to determine what path is best for their children because some types of education will be more suited to the childs needs than others.

 

[virgo]

Private

Hiya

Couldn't agree more, Peter! There are very good and very bad private schools and the same goes for public schools (at least here in Sydney!)

FYI, i have just turned down a full scholarship worth 200 K at a top ranking private girls school in Strathfield...(well, actually, i turned down 2 full and 1 part at 3 other schools) for my daughter who is in Year 6 now...)

For me, 3 main reasons:

a) quality of teachers
b) peers
c) travel time

Really, at the end of the day; the school has to suit the child!

 

[virgo]

School choices?

Hiya

BTW, she is going to an academically selective school...

 

[gottabespotless]

I attended a public high school in a regional area that had a very high proportion of idigenous students and students from low socio-economic areas. It was overcrowded and had a reputation for being 'rough'. This wasn't a hindrance to my education. I did well at school as did many of my friends who have gone on to have very successful careers. Likewise there are just as many of my former classmates who are 'underachievers'.

I view my old high school as accurately representing the community I was to eventually live and work in as an adult. I attended school with all 'walks of life' - from the children of unemployed, drug addicted parents to the children of the local wealthy businessmen and highly educated Doctors and Solicitors. It was a true representation of the 'types' of people I would have to 'associate' with in my future. Yes, there were bullies; resources were lacking; some students and staff were completely disinterested and didn't want to be there - just like the workplace!

Common sense, good guidance from parents, a commitment to succeed and discipline will see a student from any school perform well. Unfortunately the 'discipline' seems to have been removed from public schools these days and perhaps this is one of the reasons contributing to the big shift in children from 'middle class, blue collar' families now being sent to private schools whereas in the past their parents may have been happy to send them to their local public school?

 

[Casserole Dish]

You're right, I think Australia is getting too tangled up being all P.C. about everything and it's meaning that some bullies and little brats can get away with treating others badly. Nowadays they 'know their rights' and often get a soft word in their ear and counselling etc. And the teachers (in public schools) just have to do what the government say is right.

Over here at the Catholic school however, there is more a feeling of community and if one kid is being a bully it is definately not tolerated. The school even has the power to say "Go elsewhere" if the parents etc. just aren't putting the effort in.

It is good to learn how to handle different types of people, and you will still get all sorts at private school but the balance of power is fairer I feel.

 

[INVSTOR]

thanks for all your replies. I thought some private schools had a percentage of non-religious people that they will accept. I think I might just forget about it and move states again at the end of this year. My daughter has gone from year 5 last year in Perth to year 7 this year in Brisbane and when we move back to Perth she will go backwards a year again. We were possibly moving back to Perth mid next year, which would mean she would do Year 8 in Bris for 6 months, then year 7 in Perth for the remainder of the year. Too crazy, so i think it will be best to move at the end of this year. Just had a conversation with the office of her old primary school in Perth and they told me we may not get into our old primary school if we are out of the zone. They told me before I left I could get back into the school. Ahhhh! why did I have to marry a Perth boy.

 

[INVSTOR]

Common sense, good guidance from parents, a commitment to succeed and discipline will see a student from any school perform well. Unfortunately the 'discipline' seems to have been removed from public schools these days and perhaps this is one of the reasons contributing to the big shift in children from 'middle class, blue collar' families now being sent to private schools whereas in the past their parents may have been happy to send them to their local public school?

I witnessed an incident on Friday when I was picking up my year 3 child. The end of school siren had just gone off. I was standing near another Year 3 classroom. there was a boy swinging off the door yelling out to his teacher, "Hurry up and let me go home, my uncle will yell at me for being late" The teacher was ignoring him and telling the class what to do. He yelled it out another couple of times really rudely and she continued to ignore him. Then she dismissed them and he came running out of the classroom and yelled out to another classmate," Get the f out of the way b" and laughed and ran off. I couldn't believe it!! The size of the school is huge, about 4 classes per year. The other public primary schools my kids have attended have been half that size or less. I think maybe the size of the school can make a difference too. I've never seen such disrespectful behaviour from a student at the other schools my kids have attended.