I am looking at sending my kids to school (one boy/one girl), preferably a private one.

It is very difficult to know which ones are best, some friends have said MLC for girls, others Carey as it is mixed.

I'm not sure whether they need co-educational.

Any advice?

I went to Xavier College and I can say it was fantastic. A little bit of bullying, but then again what school doesn't. Bullying was only a problem for about 2-3 people. Awesome for sport as well, Xavarians are very competitive in footy and basketball.

I went to Trinity Grammar in Kew. Not as big as Xavier but we always felt the education levels were better due to the teacher student ratio.

I went to Geelong Grammer and think it's an excellent private school. Since i was last there, they have upgraded the facilities big time. If i can afford it, I would send my children then.

+1 would recommend, AA++ [insert ebay recommendation spam here] :)

List of schools in Victoria, Australia ~ the Wikipedia's list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schools_in_Victoria%2C_Australia_according_to_2006_VCE_results

heh :) my school is not listed there. most unusual!

I guess he list needs updating mate ;)

Yes unfortunately Wikipedia is not the be all and end all of information.

Greatschools.net is a fantastic resource, but is only in America. I'm sure it is only a matter of time before it comes out here in Australia.

um...looks like Xavier college could be off the list:

http://www.theage.com.au/national/xavier-rampage-police-charge-threat-20081021-551d.html

Nah, I still stand by Xavier, sorts out the men from the boys!!!!

"Nah, I still stand by Xavier, sorts out the men from the boys!!!! "

Does it now ??????

hehehe....it takes a few years AFTER school finished, but yes Xavier students do finally become men :)

AJ nature turns every boy into a man regardless where they came from. If you want to relate to people from across the board you have to get off your high horse that Xavier College put you on : )

Gotta wonder about single sex schools. Does it really prepare them for real life?

I read somewhere that if you invested the private school fees for 30 years you could buy a house with the compound interest! Imagine if you gave your kids the option - work hard in a public school and I'll give you cash of 500k at the end or private school?

Now that might be a better life lesson.

You sound like an accountant !

That's a good point about single sex schools - the real world is not segregated so why keep boys and girls separate in school?

It depends, see are you willing to spend $14000-22000 on your child/children?
If yes then I would recommend schools like Lauriston Girls, Presbyterian Ladies' College, Scotch College, Genazzano F.C.J. College. And if your children are extremely smart and talented I suggest that they sit the examination for either Mac Rob Girls or Melbourne High. Though I only recommend these two schools if your child is very smart and can pick up work with no help, as these two schools really only hand out work and don’t spend any time expanding the work or offer a lot of help as the students that are in the school already are extremely gifted and can pick up work quickly. Therefore this is usually why Mac Rob and Melbourne High are the top schools in Victoria (Literally they always get ranked 1 & 2). But this does not necessarily mean they are "the best schools" as they are both selective schools therefore have the best students and are guaranteed high enters that will up the school’s reputation. If you are looking for good public schools I suggest McKinon High, Glen Waverly and Mt.Waverly.. With these schools you actually have to live in the region of the school.
If you cannot afford these private schools and you don’t live in an area where there are good public high schools I highly recommend that your child sits a scholarship exam.
Overall though, I believe if your child is willing too learn and is motivated that it doesn’t matter what school they go to, if they want to be someone they will. But of course going to any private school helps as most have a fantastic education program as if your paying $20,000 you would expect that your child is given a proper education.
Also the fact of co-ed or single sex. If you would go to a co-ed school and enrolled both your children there you would pay less as you would get possibly 25-50% of the second Childs tuition fee.
But then again there’s single sex school which has proved to be good.. But Hailbury has a system where the children are separated during classes but are let to talk and hang out with each other during lunch breaks.
It’s up to you though (:

In other words there are absolutely NO guarantees in life. As parents we want whats best for our child, but what parents think is best and what's best in the mind of a child, which does change as they get older, can be completely opposite. A bright eyed five year old may have dreams of becoming a fireman and then at 10 want to be a musician, only to change his/her mind at 12 and want to be a lawyer like daddy, but at 14 wants to be anything but daddy. Parents should be prepared with this transition and definitely not try to dominate or dictate to their child. Instead of being in competition with your friends and care about where they are sending their kids or how much money they are spending, be in tune to your child and they should grow up to be well adjusted. Not everyone can be highly academic and not everyone will have a positive experience at school. But everyone wants to feel that they are accepted and the people they yearn for that most is from their parents....
So parents please stop paying so much attention to what the school represents and paying more attention to who your son/daughter is and who they want to be......

"Overall though, I believe if your child is willing too learn and is motivated that it doesn’t matter what school they go to, if they want to be someone they will."

DArgy I was going to say something similar to what you touched in, in regards to the above comment. I think a motivated child is a rarity...most kids simply don't know what they want to be. When I think back to my schooling, I got good grades, and ended up in commerce at Monash University. The funny thing is that I almost dropped out of Uni, because for so long instead of being motivated to do what I wanted to do, I didn't really know what I wanted to do, so therein lay the problem.

My point is this: How do you know if your child is motivated? How do you know if you should enroll them in a special school for the super smart? I went to Xavier College, and I think I turned out pretty well. I look back on it and to be honest I don't think it would have made a difference if I had went to Scotch or Trinity or another school. They are all in such high competition with each other, their standards are all pretty good.

Same sex schooling? I went to an all boys school, and I would want the same for my kids. It really does come down to personal preference this one, as a lot of my mates went to co-ed, and they want the same for their kids.

AJ

I didn't say anything about motivation ,Delightful did............. A highly motivated student these days can be a rarity and if you had spoken to as many teachers as I have you will also discover that a motivated teacher is a rarity as well.
AJ you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders and you definitely have the right attitude towards education. You were very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to attend a school that catered to your needs. You had a positive experience so naturally you will want the same for your children.
My point is that your experience won't necessarily be your childrens. In fact studies show that children sometimes are more inclined to rebel against what their parents want .
Believe me there are absolutely no easy answers to this topic and all parents can do is love their children be connected, and have the ability to adjust according to the circumstances they are faced with. This may sound like I'm getting off the track a little with the "what's the best school" but I can tell you that it is all relevant.

I think it's entirely relevant DArgy.

We have some amazing choices for education in this country, some more expensive that others sure, but at the end of the day, what's important is being there for kids, loving them and being a big part of their day to day lives. While every persons experience of their schooling varies, the best you can do is be a good parent. Going to the best school or the second best school will make no difference in the end.

AJ

Well said AJ ! You will make a great dad one day : )

Finding a good school is like 'shopping' around for a car, house or whatever. Just because someone has a BMW doesn't necessarily mean that is what you want or more importantly, whether it suits the needs of your children. What do you want or a looking for when it comes to a school? Look around, shop around, go to 'open days' and above all, get a feel for the place.