Sydney Connection feature the best of Sydney, the best restaurants and entertainment, the best leisure activities and events, and also the best education establishments and medical care.
In this blog we feature schools in Sydney, how the system works, the best way for your kids to get to school and the type of education they can expect. You may have just moved to Sydney and are trying to understand Australia’s education system, in this blog we hope to unravel some of the mysteries.
General School Information
Firstly the NSW school year begins at the end of January right up to mid-December. The summer holidays being over Christmas and New Year.
Most schools in Sydney require pupils to wear uniforms and there are guidelines for the children when they are outdoors, so they are protected from the sun.
Public Schools
All the public schools in Sydney reserve sufficient space for the children in that particular area to be educated. Pupils outside a school catchment area can apply directly to that particular school for enrolment.
Preschools operate half day sessions five days a week, or sometimes a three day weekly full day.
Younger students can be enrolled in Kindergarten if they have turned five years old before the end of July.
The Best Public Secondary Schools
Listed below are the best Sydney public secondary schools:
- North Sydney Girls High School
- James Ruse Agricultural High School
- Fort Street High School
- Sydney Boys High School
- Sydney Girls High School
- Hornsby Girls High School
- Baulkham Hills High School
Private Schools in Sydney
There are many private schools in Sydney that cater across the age groups. The top ones can be very expensive and you can expect to pay in the region of AUD$ 20,000 per annum.
There is also another option as there are a large number of religious schools which are much lower in price and offer excellent education programs.
The Best Private Schools in Sydney
Some of the highest ranked private schools in 2017 were:
- MLC School
- Sydney Grammar School
- The King’s School
- St Aloysius College
- SCEGGS
- Ascham School
- Pymble Ladies’ College
- Barker College
International Schools
For those pupils that need to follow the International Baccalaureate program, there are several international schools in Sydney to pick from. Perhaps this is an alternative if your child is only going to be at the school for a limited time period.
- German International School – is listed in the top ten of all private schools in Sydney and although small has an excellent curriculum.
- International Grammar School – Students are instructed to study one or two extra languages especially in years 7 and 8. Fees are around AUD$20,000 per annum.
- Redlands – an old and very established school with a good reputation, fees here are AUD$24,000 per annum.
- Lycee Condorcet – a highly respected French school but rather expensive with fees being in excess of AUD$28,000. All classes are in French and over half the students are actually French.
These great schools give parents a wide option of where their children are educated whilst in Sydney. And the decision lies purely with the guardians of the students which type of education platform they wish their wards to undertake.