Hmm Austrailian schools are confusing...?

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aviatenavigatecommunicate

Well the years vary slightly from state to state. I only speak for New South Wales when I answer this question because I went to school in NSW.

Kindergaten is the first year of compulsory school. You must turn five before the halfway point of this year (In Australia, the School year goes from late January to early/mid December).

In NSW, Kindergaten to Year 6 are within Primary School (we don't call it Elementary School).
Your first year of Secondary School (High School) is Year 7 (again this varies from state to state. I think Year 8 is your first year of High School in Western Australia).

I speak for New South Wales here:
Kindergaten is your first year of school.

Year 1 is your second year of school.

Year 2 is your third year of school..

Year 3 is your fourth year of school.

Year 4 is your fifth year of school.

Year 5 is your sixth year of school.

Year 6 is your seventh year of school and your final year of Primary School.

Year 7 is your eighth year of school and your first year of High School. (Often Years 7 and 8 are called 'Middle School' but this is not universal across the state and varies from school to school. Usually, if it is called Middle School, it will still be on the same grounds as the High School, but just use a different building or different part of the same building).

Year 8 is your ninth year of school.

Year 9 Is your tenth year of school.

Year 10 is your eleventh year of school, and final year of compulsary schooling, however, if you leave in Year 10 you will most likely learn a trade (plumbing, constuction work, becomming an electrician etc). Most students, however, will continue until Year 12.

Year 11 is your twelfth year of school.

Year 12 is your thirteenth year of school and final year of High School. In Year 12 in New South Wales, you do what is called the HSC - Higher School Certificate - which comprises all of your Year 12 subjects. This is also what you use to get into University (we don't call it college in Australia), You will get a score out of 100, called the UAI - University Admissions Index - and depending on how high it is, more of the University courses you chose during September of Year 12 will be available to you.
Year 12 is the final year of High School, often also known as Secondary School. University is known as Tertiary education, and is not compulsary, but becoming more and more necessary to get a job in the non-trade workforce.

As for me personally, I was always young for my year. I started Kindergaten when I was four years old and turned five early in the school year. Most of the people when I was in Kindergaten started when they were five years old and and turned six nearer the end of the year.

Likewise, I was sixteen years old when I started Year 12 and turned seventeen early in the year. Most people were already seventeen and turned eighteen during the year or were eighteen at the start of the year. There were even a handful who were eighteen, and by the time school finished were nineteen, but that was a very small number.

Here is a link to wikipedia on the same subject. It tells you what it's like for all the states.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_australia

waltzsingmatilda

Hmmm confused?
must be a yank.
Did you know Australia is in the southern hemisphere?
Did you know Australia has 4 seasons?.
Did you know Christmas day is on the 25th December in Australia?

St Darling â™¥s Pantera

ok, each year you go up a year, so instead of the american system of changing like midyear at summer, we change years or "grades" at the end of the year at OUR summer time.

so a 13 year old is in year 7 for the whole year, and a 14 year old is in year 8 for the whole year and so on.

Zucchinisinratatouille

In year 7 in Victoria you'd be 13 years old. Most students complete secondary school at 18, but they can leave at the end of year 10 if they want. Obviously they wouldn't qualify for university entrance if they left at year 10 unless they were geniuses who completed year 12 early. (This does happen occasionally! LOL)

If a student who left school at year 10 later wanted to qualify for university, they could do a TAFE course and then go on to uni, depending on the requirements of the particular course. (Universities reserve the right to have particular requirements for individual courses - a mere pass at year 12 is not enough!)

(The education systems vary from state to state.)

PS: Re another answer of yours: there are no "alligators" in Australia, only crocodiles! And PLEASE learn to spell "Australia"..... no offence intended.

amandajayneelizabeth

It varies slightly in all states but I am a teacher in Queensland so I will tell you what is currently happening here.
Yr 1 Children turning 6 that calendar year.
Yr 2 Children turning 7 that calendar year.
Yr 3 Children turning 8 that calendar year.
Yr 4 Children turning 9 that calendar year.
Yr 5 Children turning 10 that calendar year.
Yr 6 Children turning 11 that calendar year.
Yr 7 Children turning 12 that calendar year.

We now move into high school

Yr 8 Children turning 13 that calendar year.
Yr 9 Children turning 14 that calendar year.
Yr 10 Children turning 15 that calendar year.
Yr 11 Children turning 16 that calendar year.
Yr 12 Children turning 17 that calendar year.

Therefore most students are only 17 when they graduate high school and head to uni. Generally about 10% of children in any grade are the 'year older' due to being kept back or their parents starting them a year later for maturity or social reasons. We very very rarely get children any more than the year older.

Having given those ages we have just introduced a 'prep' year that means the children still do school Jan-Dec but they can be up to 6 and a half in year one. They start six months later. It is quite confusing but means children will be approx. half a year older in each grade. Not sure if that is a good thing or if it is just politicians going silly. Hope this helps.

neon

American schools are confusing, especially since they keep churning out fools who think 'Austrailia' is a country...

Serena

Most people,in New South Wales at least,are turning 13 in Year 7,14 in Year 8,and so on.But now there are also a few whoa re turning 12 in Year 7,13 in Year 8.

West Aussie Chick

In Western Australia you are 12 years old in year 7, 13 in year 8, 14 in year 9 and so on.

Piko

Well i would assume NSW is different to QLD.

I turned 12 in year 7. though 90% of my class turned 13 that year. simply....

Kindergarton: If you turn 5 before the 1st July or turn 6 After the 30th June then you start then.

followed as year go's by with years 1 - 6 which are considered primary school.

7-10: high school
11-12: senior high school

But Why??

in N.S.W. grade 7 you are around 12 years old. I was 15 when I left in grade 10. etc.

When you leave Primary school, or what you call elementary school, that would be grade six most places and you would be around 11. and so on.. Remember, our school year goes from Late January to December most schools, where as you have summer holidays etc in the middle of the year.

wordistob

Do not know! Show me a smart one and that will make me place my foot in thy mouth. Foot, no shoe! Peace!

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