Primary School Students
School Age
Primary education covers Kindergarten to Year 7. Kindergarten is part-time, 15 hours a week, and is not compulsory. Pre-primary is the first year of compulsory schooling. Children who turn five years old by 30 June start Pre-primary at the beginning of that year. Year 7 is for children turning 12 years of age by 30 June of the year they start Year 7.
From 2015, Year 7 students will move to secondary schools. That is, Year 7 will be the first year of public secondary schooling.
Curriculum
Pre-primary education is the year in which students acquire the foundations of numeracy and literacy essential for later learning. Throughout primary schooling the focus is building on the skills of numeracy and literacy along with the intellectual, moral, social and physical development of students in inclusive, safe and stimulating environments.
Many primary schools have specialist literacy and numeracy teachers to assist students to develop these skills.
With the phased development of the Australian Curriculum, K-10, primary schools are teaching across the learning areas of: English, mathematics, science, history, the arts, technologies, health and physical education, languages, humanities and social science subjects.
Teaching and Class Sizes
Students are taught by a specific class teacher for most part of the day. Schools have specialist teachers for subjects such as music, art, drama, physical education and languages. Class sizes are generally 25-30 students and classes may consist of split year levels.
Choice of Schools
All primary schools with spare capacity and with the approval of the school principal are able to enrol international students. For the most part, it will depend on where the parent decided to live and which school has spare capacity.
English Support
Students are provided with English support programs at their school.
Welfare
Students must live with a parent or a blood relative for the duration of their primary school studies.
Fees
The tuition fees for Primary schools are A$8,600 per year
Overseas student health cover is approximately A$463 per year.
Student: Neeson Nee - Malaysia
