THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

Education standards in Australia are amongst the highest in the world, and Federal and State Governments have ensured that these standards are regulated and maintained. The Federal Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET) is the main government body responsible for the overall education policies, ensuring that there is a consistency of standards throughout Australia.

Access to quality education has always been seen by Australians as part of their child’s birthright and community involvement in monitoring the standard of education is very high.

The education system is broken up into five separate areas:

• preschooling/daycare/playgroup
• infants and primary school
• secondary school
• career and vocational training
• university.

Minimising any educational differences between states and territories ensures that students across the country have complied equally with the standards required for entry into tertiary education. There is the option within the education system to have your child enrol with a public or private school. The difference is that the public school system is owned by the government and is free to everyone (although there is a fee to cover yearly extra curricular activities) and the private schools are run by an independent body with annual fees being charged by the school. Currently up to 35% of children are enrolled at private schools throughout Australia, and early registration of your child at these schools is recommended as competition is strong and waiting lists are getting longer.

PRESCHOOLING/DAYCARE/PLAYGROUP

The starting age for these schools is three years old and although none of these schools are compulsory, many children start their education in one form or another at one of the above mentioned centres. As these are privately owned, early registration is advisable, as places are limited.

INFANT AND PRIMARY SCHOOL

Children in infant and primary schools are grouped together on the basis of their age and development level. The progression to the following year is based on an evaluation of the student’s development during the year. Most schools have a uniform for the pupils to wear and this now includes a hat, because of the strength of the sun in Australia. Research has shown that long-term exposure to the sun has harsh effects and can cause damage, and as a result most schools now have the policy ‘no hat – no play’.

Public schools tend to be co-educational, while private schools have a higher proportion of single sex environments. Private schools also offer a more diverse range of specialist subjects like computing studies, science and music at this age. Public schools do, however, teach a mixture of languages through a syllabus called ‘LOTE’ – Language Other Than English.

SECONDARY SCHOOL

Secondary school is only compulsory up to the age of 15. There are two more years of schooling after this age and the majority of students do tend to stay on throughout the entire education system. English, science and maths are compulsory during the first couple of years, but there is a broad range of elective subjects that the students can choose from to fill out their timetable. As the students progress through the school system, teachers actively encourage them to talk through subject options and career directions with a career advisor, especially as universities do require specific papers to be completed before entry is permitted onto specific courses.

Supplementary education is offered if the course that the student wants to enrol on conflicts with other papers, or is not currently on offer at their school. This will come in the form either of correspondence papers or school on Saturday. All registered courses of study at secondary school are accredited by the relevant state (or territory) authorities. Completing the final year of study, however, does not entitle the student to immediate entry onto the university course of their choice. Places on Tertiary courses are limited and competition is strong.

International Baccalaureate is a programme with a high international profile and is offered during the last few years of school. This course allows the student to gain entry to a number of overseas universities and gain advanced placement in some American universities.

CAREER AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING

There are again both public and private education services provided in this sector:

• TAFE – Technical and Further Education – is regulated by the government,
• ACPET is the Australian Council of Private Education and Training.

These courses have a strong and practical focus towards the career that the student is aiming for. Fees are charged for these courses but the costs vary between courses, tertiary institutes and states. Most courses offer a Diploma or Associate Diploma level and few are offered as degrees.

UNIVERSITY

The Australian universities prepare students for entry into specific professions. There is an emphasis on both teaching and research so that a full range of both academic and professional disciplines can be offered with awards ranging from an Associate Diploma to a Doctorate. Most universities have a multi-campus structure with each campus specialising in a particular discipline – they act as separate departments which then link back to the main campus. Some universities offer residential accommodation on site and a series of external clubs and extra-curricular activities to complete the student lifestyle.