Education

Schools in Australia encourage parent involvement and wish to help newcomers. Parent skills are valued and parental involvement is welcome. The federal government provides information for business people who want to migrate to Australia to start a small business, or employers who wish to employ migrants. Advice and assistance is also available for foreign investors who want to invest in Australia and foreign companies wishing to register in Australia.

Sectors of schooling

The Australian education system is broadly divided into five main areas:

• Preschool
• Primary school
• Secondary school
• University
• Career and vocational training

Preschool

Preschool generally refers to education that is provided for children in the year prior to their first year of full-time primary school. Preschool is largely sessional, and operates only during school terms for children three years of age to school starting age.

Preschools may be operated by government, community organisations or the private sector.

Primary school

Primary school is for ages six to 11 or 12 (Year 1 to Year 6 or 7).

Secondary school

Secondary school is for ages 12 to 16 years (Year 7 or 8 to Year 10). Year 11 and 12 are the senior secondary levels that must be completed for university entrance.

Schooling is compulsory for students in most states and territories until the age of 15. Although students are able to leave at that time, most students sty at school until they complete their Year 10 qualification, with many students continuing on to complete their Year 12 studies.

University

There are 39 universities ranging in size from around 3,000 students to 50,000 students - the majority of these universities are government-run.

Australian universities offer undergraduate and postgraduate programs in traditional and modern subject areas such as innovative courses in IT, electronic business and science.

University courses begin early in March and finish in late November. The year is divided into two semesters with some universities offering mid-year entry at the beginning of the second semester. A few universities operate a trimester system.

Career and Vocational Training

The Australian vocational education and training system is increasingly being seen as a world leader.

It offers a range of qualifications that are recognised in the workplace, and vocational institutions are closely linked with industry, and courses are developed in consultation with industry organisations and employers.

Courses are offered at private institutions or Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes. Courses vary from six months to three years.

The School Year

The Australian school year, which starts in January and ends in December, is made up of two six-month semesters each with two terms.

Courses are structured into six or three month units. Structuring courses in this way avoids the feelings of exhaustion often experienced by UK teachers and children under the UK's three term structure.

Please visit our regional guides for school term dates for the specific region of Australia you are interested in.

Private vs. public schooling

Children can be educated at either public (state government) or private (independent) schools throughout Australia.

About 30% of school-age children (mainly at the secondary level) attend 'private' or 'independent' schools, which charge tuition fees, and in many cases are run by religious organisations.

Many private schools provide boarding accommodation and usually cater for boys and girls separately.

Although the majority of these schools charge low fees there is still a significant proportion with fees in excess of $10,000 per annum for day students and $20,000 for boarders.

Most leading fee-paying schools have preparatory sections.

Education at public schools is free in most states, although most schools have a small voluntary annual fee to cover extra activities.

Parents of children at public schools may also have to purchase such items as books and uniforms and pay for outings, camps etc.

Most public schools are coeducational, with girls and boys encouraged to participate equally in class.

Enrolling children into school

To enrol children in a school, contact the school by telephone or in person.

Applicants will need to take their visa or entry documents, proof of date of birth and any papers including school reports relating to their previous education.

Applicants may also need to show immunisation documents.

If a family is planning to send their children to a public school, their choice will be limited by where they choose to live, particularly at primary school age.

The Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs website has links to the State and Territory Government Education Departments' sites, which in turn will enable you to access websites of individual schools in the area where you intend to live.

If a family is planning on sending their children to a private school a good place to start researching is the website of the Association of Independent Schools in the State or Territory in which they will be living. The AIS site contains links to the websites of individual schools. Click here for a list of Associations and links to their sites.

It is often a good idea for parents to obtain a prospectus (where available) and talk to the Admissions Tutor of at least three schools before enrolling their children.

Similarities and Differences Between Australian and UK Education

The Australian system of education and teaching is essentially similar to the UK, although there are some differences worthy of note.

The Australian education system is based on a Curriculum Framework that all schools adhere to. This framework is similar to the National Curriculum in the UK. However, instead of the UK's prescriptive, content dominated and assessment based National Curriculum, Australian schools are more free to focus on developing children's learning and thinking skills.

Furthermore, teachers in Australia are given the opportunity to develop integrated courses that tailor content to the needs of individuals and their communities.

Teachers in Australia are not required, as is the case in the UK, to adopt a nationally imposed and unvarying strategy, which lays down both what is taught and how it is taught.

In Australia, public examinations are confined to the last two years of schooling whereas in the UK children are formally examined almost every year of their educational lives.

Information and communications technology (ICT) is well catered for in Australian schools, with the major difference in this area between the UK and Australia being the level of funding available. Australian schools have benefited from a massive state investment in computers and many schools have a ratio of one networked and Internet enabled PC to every three children (roughly three times better than even the best equipped UK state school).

Living expenses and tuition costs in Australia are considerably less expensive than the UK. A recent Australian Government study found that total costs (tuition fees and living costs) in the UK are more expensive compared to Australia.

Further information

Detailed information about schooling in Australia can be obtained from Enquire form of Worldwide visa services

Universities