Brisbane Highschool Choices

The time has come when your Brisbane Kid is now a teen and ready to start seriously thinking about their future.

Finding the right highschool to match your family values and needs, as well as a school that offers the classes required for your child’s potential career, are points that you need to consider when you start looking. Once you know the type of classes they are interested in, such as the more academic or trade related, you can find schools that are more focused in those directions.

If you are looking to send your Brisbane Kid to a private highschool then you should be enquiring in some cases as soon as the child is born. All private schools in Brisbane have different terms and conditions and priorities for enrolment. Some will also provide scholarship opportunities for academic or sporting excellence.

Other things you may want to consider when choosing a highschool are:

• Convenience to home
• Public transport options
• Reputation
• Location and facilities
• Sporting options
• Academic opportunities (look at the languages offered and academic specialities)
• Educational options that suit your child (ATAR and trades)
• Academic results
• Extracurricular activities

Advantages of State and Public Schools

• Zero tuition is charged. You could save your money instead for family holidays or outside school activities. Or even keep the costs to pay for their university/TAFE education after high school. There will still be costs in a state high school, like books, uniforms and excursions.
• Public schools receive government funding, which is used to improve or upgrade the school and its resources to the students.
• Public schools can have better support services for students with special needs. 

Advantages of Private Schools

• Private schools have a higher reputation in the communities for their academic excellence (even if this is not always the case). They can also be linked to large organisations that provide opportunities for work experience and then possible opportunities for employment after school is completed and even following University.
• Sometimes private high schools have smaller class sizes. This can result in your children receiving more attention in class and with their learning.
• Private schools can request, upon the condition of enrolment, for a student to read, understand and sign the conduct code, which can assist with a tighter disciplinary culture.
• Private schools can provide, in some instances, better resources and better equipment for students to learn, thanks to the investments made by school fees and parent contributions.
• Sometimes in house tutoring is offered where students can be better supported in their day to day learning and assessment work. 
• Private schools may have better systems in place for children needing learning support. 

Things to consider

Can you afford the tuition fees requested by Private Schools? (In some cases, the prices decrease where more than one family member attends the same school.) You will also need to consider costs for camps and excursions, uniforms, school books and resources and in some schools, overseas trips. Annual fees for private schools can be roughly $10,000 to $25,000 per year. Catholic and other religious-based schools can be slightly cheaper.

Besides fees, private schools have longer school holidays. This is generally due to a more extended school day. This needs to be considered when managing your workloads and the possible extra costs of care outside school if you cannot be there during the entire school holiday period.

Regarding public schools, you may have less choice in choosing the school you are after as you may need to be in specific catchment areas.  You can inquire to send your child to a different public school outside your catchment area if they have any available places left or perhaps excellence programs that bypass the catchment rule.

Before enrolment

When you are researching schools, be sure to find out details such as when to enrol, the appropriate class placement of your child (or in some cases, many students wish to have the same teacher their older sibling had a few years prior – be sure to put forward the request).

What are their teaching methods, classroom environments, disciplinary methods, and policies in place? Find out the uniform policy, school hours, all fees and levies, assessment and reporting methods, homework and assignment expectations. Plus, what after-school activities are offered that your child may be interested in?

Ask for a tour of the school or attend a high school open day once you have narrowed down your options and take your children with you. This will give you all a feel for the school and amenities and to ensure your child knows where to go on their first day.

To find out more about the schools in your local area, be sure to view Education Queensland’s website at: https://schoolsdirectory.eq.edu.au/