I was recently asked to review The Good Schools Guide Victoria for 2014.
The Good Schools Guide is the ultimate secondary school handbook for parents looking for the right school for their child. Containing every Victorian secondary school: Government, Independent, Catholic and Boarding!
Who better to help me out with the review than the mother of a child in Grade 6 this year and a secondary school teacher who is also the parent of a primary school aged child.
Here’s what they had to say.
Kellie (Mother of three primary school aged children – one of them in Grade 6)
With so many schools to choose from it is hard to know where to start when deciding on an appropriate school to send a child. The more information we can find out about a school will only assist in making the right decision.
I found the Good Schools Guide to be a very informative resource in helping to choose a secondary school for my child. It was user friendly with information on how to use the guide, explanations on education providers (eg. government, non-government, independent and catholic), costs and results. The section on Understanding Curriculum and Pathways was very informative.
While results are important in the decision making process it is not the only thing. The guide also provided information on other educational aspects each school offered including subjects, activities, student support, VET programs and single sexed classes to name a few.
As a mother of a child in grade 6 I found the book overall to be very helpful. But I would recommend that you read this earlier as many schools have waiting lists, residential zones and prerequisites for enrolments. Once you have short listed possible schools I would highly recommended a school tour.
Anthony (Secondary School Teacher & Parent)
This is a great book for parents who have students in Grade 4 -6 and even for those parents who like to plan their child’s education from their early years. The book looks at the wide variety of primary and secondary schools from all three sectors, government, catholic and independent. Schools are divided and are listed alphabetically according to which region they fall into. The introductory chapters are useful and provide information and advice to parents on a variety of topics including how to use the book, costs of schooling, enrolment and post enrolment, understanding curriculum and pathways, VCE, VET, International Baccalaureate, boarding, school environments (ie year levels, ethos, single sex or co-ed) and scholarships.
Readers will be surprised at how easily accessible and transparent information from each school is to view and understand. All schools are given the opportunity to describe and highlight their distinctive features; ethos, facilities, resources, environment and extracurricular activities in detail and in their own words. Surprisingly not every school takes this opportunity to help distinguish themselves from the others but at least as a reader you are provided with the ‘Key facts’ from all the schools. These key facts include the 7-10 curriculum, activities and support(extracurricular), an overview of VCE studies offered(subjects/units), VCE results, VET results and destinations of the finishing students. Many parents will want to know what kind of results students attending and completing studies at these schools are attaining. The results section provides specific school information on the percentage of high performers (40+ study scores) and also the mean(average) study score of all year 12 students at the school. All of this provides you with a good understanding of how the staff and students of the various school have performed and what pathway students moved into on completion of their secondary education.
If you have just moved to Victoria from interstate or from overseas, have a child who is fast approaching completing primary education or you just want to look into what’s out there then this book is a must have. It will enable you to have a look at, compare, eliminate and select schools that are a possibility or just help you narrow your search. The only difficult thing left to do then is visit a couple of schools, take a personal tour, attend any open days and make your choice.
For more information about the book or to grab yourself a copy (at the discounted price of $11.95) click here.
For your chance to WIN one of five copies of the book, see below.
Competition Details
Entry is open to all Melbourne Mamma newsletter subscribers. Subscribe to newsletter here.
To enter you must leave a comment on this post telling me “what is the most important thing when choosing a school for your child?”.
Competition ends Thursday, 27 March 2014 at 10:00 pm AEST.
Entry is open to Victorian residents, aged 18 years and over.
This competition is a game of chance, and skill plays no part in the results of this competition. Winners will be selected at random.
Entries not completed in accordance with these terms and conditions will not be considered valid and will not be included in the draw.
Winners will be notified by email and announced on this website. Any prize not claimed within 48 hours of notification will be redrawn.
This Promotion is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook.
Good luck!
Passionate teachers that are able to inspire and connect with children.
As a teacher I know what a difference class sizes makes. This together with the school’s facilities will be very important factors when deciding on which school to send my daughter to.
Curriculum and values of the school
A school that will be supportive in building my daughters confidence, self-esteem, and encourage her curiosity and understanding the wider world. It will be a school that gives opportunities to experience many things in life, to help my daughter identify a career path and to help her be a well rounded, community minded person as she grows into adulthood.
I have been thinking about High schools a lot of late. My daughter has just hit Grade 4 and I have 2 boys following her.
Although academic record is important to me I feel that them being encouraged to find their special gifts is just as important.
My kids aren’t typical scholars and have different strengths and challenges but every child has a special gift.
Results are obviously very important but I also like to get a “good vibe” from the school and the staff when I go to visit.
I think choosing a school that suits my child’s strengths will be of the best benefit to them.
Curriculum is very important as well as the school ethics.
The important thing for me is the individual support the teachers have for my child.
Academic results and teachers that love their job and that are willing to go above and beyond for the kids.
Choosing a school that will develop my child’s strengths
A culture that fits my children. A school with a good anti bullying policy that can be shown to be effective.
A school with many facilities that enable the kids to explore and play around. Also, a team of dedicated teachers give their loves to the students.
Location, facilities and passionate and caring teachers.
It is important to have school values and practices that reflect how you live and wish your child to be. Curriculum, class size, and creative outlets are important in order for you child to feel comfortable and able to “fit in”
A school that allows for a variety of learning opportunities/experiences for our kids.
Passionate, knowledgeable and caring teachers, as well as school curriculum, values and programs that are a match for my children.
Curriculum but also the culture of the school and areas that correspond with a child’s interest and strengths. Very hard choice!
when choosing a secondary school for my daughter it will be based on close proximity to home, a catholic education,sports program and open space for her to be active during her lunch time