Education in Australia and New Zealand

The Education System in Australia consists of a total of 12 years. Primary schools and high schools are based on the age of the student, so that every room has the same age group, with a student hardly having to repeat a year. The students with problems in their studies may be put into special classes to help with academic deficits. The majority of the children start in the primary school with the age of 5 years (year 1) and the child studies in the primary school until they are around 12 years old ( year 7).

Primary and Secondary Schools
There are many types of education for children up to 5 years, but the main ones are the "Child Care" regulated centers or families in registered
residences who take care
of the kids in a system
called "Family Day Care".

High School
The student goes for secondary school with 12/13 years (year 8), and is he/she is only compulsorily required to stay to year 10, receiving a junior high school certificate but not a high school certificate. The year 11 and 12, are optional but are required to be successfully completed to attain a high school diploma.

Year 11 and 12
The results of the last two years of high school are the most important ones, as they are the ones to be evaluated for entry levels in Universities. The results which you achieve for each subject will then give you a rank. The board of secondary studies than calculates an “OP” score (overall position) using a formula of your high school results and a test called “QCS” (in Queensland) which is taken by every year 12 in the state, which is used to compare students of the same year level between schools.

Hours
The schedule of the lessons is Monday to Friday, 8:45 am to 3 pm, with breaks for lunch and snacks. Extra Curricular activities such as soccer practice, dance classes, etc is done after school hours or Saturday mornings.

School Year Calendar
The academic year coincides with calendar year, starting in the end of January and finishing in December. The summer vacations are the biggest school holidays (period of 6/7 weeks)

The Education System in New Zealand

Preschool
This not compulsory, but 20 hours/week are available free to all 3 and four-year-olds.

Primary School
All children must attend a registered school from the age of 6, but most children start school as five-year-olds. Most Primary Schools teach from Years 1-6 and some teach Years 1-8.

Intermediate School: Years 7-8.

Secondary School: Years 9-13.
School is compulsory until the age of 16. This is usually up to Year 12.

Further Education
This can be anything from Trade training to University study. There are many institutions Polytechnics, Technical Colleges, Universities etc. throughout the country.
Courses with more prestige are those recognized internationally. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority is the local organization that recognizes qualifications and courses.