Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Deb on June 13, 2010 at 12:28am

Well, she is much happier now and that is what matters most (to us). We thought we had the 'right school', we were happy with all they had to say..but 'the wheels fell off their bus'. Changing schools is a major disruption and expense to parents and not taken lightly. As parents we were nervous about the move with her leaving friends and making new ones etc. but it was her decision. All schools (Public or Private) should be meeting the needs of all children. I am an educated professional and not that narrow minded to think that all public schools are bad and I certainly don't think all private schools are good. I just know of 2 Public schools that I could not recommend. ALL children are unique not just my child and, our daughter did not have unique learning needs, she just needed to learn.

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Permalink Reply by AJ on June 13, 2010 at 10:07am

O dear- I didn't mean to offend. I apologise if I did. In a perfect world every school would suit the learning needs of every child- but it just doesn't happen. Your daughter, like all students (ie I didn't just mean your daughter) has unique learning needs. It sounds like her needs were academic rather than social or behavioral and that they just weren't being met at her 1st school. Other students may find their needs met at that school. eg- their special ed unit may be incredible, their work with "at risk" students may be exceptional, they may excel in the arts or sports.

As for the public/private part of my post- I guess it was more directed at other readers than you personally. ie- Don't read this and automatically think that all private schools are better than public ones.

Once again sorry if I offended- and it's great to hear that the move has made your daughter happy. That is what matters most.

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Permalink Reply by Deb on June 13, 2010 at 1:54pm

No worries, actually I was not offended by your comments, I was just trying to clarify some key points. Our daughter's primary (public) schooling was fine and she was lucky enough to have an exceptionally good teacher in mathematics. There were many good points about the school. However, it was the schools' failure to deal with bullying, along with a few other issues that involved regular imtimidation and 'unwarranted' humiliation upon our son (and others) by a nasty Year 2 teacher. These situations are unacceptable and should have been dealt with when we eventually brought it to the attention of the Acting Principal. I did have an appointment with this teacher and discussed our son's 'sensitivity' to embarassment, being very careful not to lay blame on her but her behaviour escalated, in front of the class she even had the audacity to start telling my son 'not to go running home and telling your mum'. Forgive me if I am wrong but surely these comments undermine the Child Protection lessons she would have taught! Our daughter was always the quiet achiever, the perfect student. When our daughter was in Year 6 though our son (Year 3) wanted to leave the school due to some teachers, yes there were a few others well known for being mean but he never had issues with them before. This was not our disclosed reason for actually removing our son from the school. Our daughter was happy at the school and we saw no reason to uproot her from her friends and teacher. Though in hindsight we should have moved her too. The Year 7 Advisor had stated that 'our daughter was on the 'cusp' of 'A' stream, that there were quite a few places available in 'A' stream, that the local primary schools often misplaced children in or out of their 'A' stream classes and this would be adjusted in the first few weeks'. No students were moved until after 6 months, can be too late for some children if they lose motivation due to boredom. Why the primary schools were given the power to make or break a child is beyond us. The high school should have conducted their own testing and placements thereby leaving less room for error or bias.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Weaver on June 6, 2010 at 4:00pm

Thank you for proving the point that the ignorant like yourself have no understanding of NAPLAN whatsoever and want to do nothing but teacher bash. Your entire post is laughable - Naplan has nothing to do with the number of holidays or sick leave adults receive. Perhaps do some research prior to going on a rampage about something you very obviously don't have a clue about "Frustrated"

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Permalink Reply by Katrina Smith on June 7, 2010 at 12:41am

Hear hear.

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Permalink Reply by MySchool on June 6, 2010 at 4:20pm

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Permalink Reply by Deb on June 9, 2010 at 6:55pm

I agree totally but respect should be practiced by all. There have also been some non productive comments about parents. Where parents appear ill informed - educate them and remember that they do not know the system as well as teachers. A well informed parent should be a happy parent.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Weaver on June 14, 2010 at 11:38pm

I can only speak about the school where I teach, as not all schools are the same, but we have held three information sessions about the NAPLAN testing preparation process, understanding the results and how the information is used by teachers for future planning. All three sessions have been poorly attended. The school has over 900 children and an average of 10 parents attended the sessions. You can't inform those who choose not to be informed.

As for school reports, EQ reports very clearly state on the front what each grade means and this information is also sent home in newsletters. But still many parents have difficulty understanding that a C grade equates to a student working at a satisfactory grade level. The majority of these difficulties comes from the old "but when I was at school C was bad". The education system is sure to have changed measurably since they were at school. Not necessarily for the better either.

It should be the Federal Government who is responsible for the debarcle called MySchool that educate parents of what the NAPLAN results actually mean not individual teachers. The site is full of inaccuracies. No wonder parents are confused and ill informed.

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Permalink Reply by Deb on June 15, 2010 at 10:26pm

Michelle, I know where you are coming from and can understand the frustrations. At our previous primary school, I requested an information session on NAPLAN results involving my child. The R. Principal (also my child's teacher) then decided to hold an open session for parents in the next few days. The parent session was informative and well received. Unfortunately though not many parents attended, but this was partly due to the late notice and several parents were unable to get time off work. I am sure that the small number of parents that attended your school sessions would have appreciated the effort. If you only touch the minds and hearts of a few, that is better than none at all. Personally, I am more concerned about the individual results of my children and I am not interested in school league tables.
NAPLAN testing explanation sessions may not be available at all schools, it was not routinely done at our school. I suppose this site can be of use for parents and teachers; to help clarify some confusion about the NAPLAN testing.

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Permalink Reply by Deb on June 13, 2010 at 3:08am

I am sure the majority of parents realise the reasons for the NAPLAN testing low school averages. As a parent I am more concerned with: 1) My child's happiness, 2) Learning needs met, 3) Bullying dealt with effectively, 4) Mutual respect, 5) Fairness, and 6) Opportunities shared and not just given to a select few. Ideally the NAPLAN testing results should be explained to parents by the school Principal's with the other curricula subjects highlighted. This should create a better understanding amongst some parents.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Weaver on June 14, 2010 at 11:42pm

Exactly. Our staff were directed to do nothing but Naplan preparation for 15 weeks. We taught to the test, the reason being principals have been put under enormous pressure by head honchos to meet specific improvement targets. Some of these targets are improvements of 30%+ which is unrealistic.

Naplan has lost it's perspective. What could have been a useful planning and reporting tool has been turned into a farce.

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Permalink Reply by Simona Coppin on June 13, 2010 at 11:12am

I also agree, I don't know what all the fuss is about the NAPLAN tests. We have the added difficulty of when our son does the tests, he is involved (unwillingly) with a major school musical/play production. The Principle of the school that he attends has gotten very annoyed with the results of the children during this time. The school's production goes for seven months approx. and begins within the first month of school starting. The school seems to be more focussed on the production.

I do know that the school (through a newsletter) has now made the decision to teach the children, based on the results of recent tests, on what they are actually meant to learn through these government tests. We have a varied selection of subjects, mostly creative or sport focussed, but not so much academically. This I feel is failing a lot of children for their future.

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