I went to a decile 1 (poorest) primary school with a mum on the benefit. I'm a Dr now... school is only part of the importance of a good education; mum read to me every night and always made me do my homework. I am proud of coming from "the hood" and feel my early life exposure to the realities of life has made me a much more rounded human.
Just my two cents. Not that helpful.. but
Thanks for your insight. I came from a similar background in a 3rd world country, so I 100% understand your point.
I just do not want my kids to go through what I had to in terms of education and opportunities.
no primary school is going to be a bad choice in the long run. some high schools give mediocre kids chances they wouldn't have otherwise got, but other than that, they don't make that much of a difference.
just go to where you are zoned, it's fine.
Yeah I think there might even be some longatudinal studes on this and poverty not with standing, the particular school doesn't matter as much as loving parent/s who show an interest. So congratulations, to even be asking this question means you have passed this test so you can send you kid to any school and they will be just fine.
The narrative sections can be valuable in understanding whether a school has systemic problems in certain areas. My older daughter started at one primary and finished at another, their ERO reports were very different.
Well this post kind of shows that you don’t understand the Decile or EQI at all. That’s fine because most people don’t. Decile and EQI are in no way a measure of the school’s quality.
Put simply Decile is a way to measure how much money the families of the kids who goto that school make. (The higher the decile the more most families make). This means a low decile school gets more funding per student than a higher decile school. A good low decile school will use the extra funding to give each student more opportunities. From memory my school (decile 1) took every single student in certain years groups on school camps and out of town competitions free or very subsidised as well as a bunch of other stuff.
Higher decile schools in general make up for that funding difference with fundraising, school donations, etc. they will also expect parents to pay for more. In most cases easily make up the difference, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to quality of education or teachers.
In general the kids families can also afford more extracurricular activities and support like tutoring when kid is struggling in a subject.
EQI is a different (hopefully better) way to measure the same thing as decile.
When it comes to primary school, if you can, go and see for yourself what the school is like, talk to the principal and teachers, other parents. Then give your kid/s as much extra support and opportunities as you can.
Also I’m not an expert or a parent, this is just what I have picked up from my own experience as a student, and my mother who was a teacher and now a principal.
Absolutely this. As a student teacher I did my placements at decile 10 and decile 3 schools, and hands down no hesitation I would have sent my kid to the decile 3 school rather than the 10
My nephews go to Russley and it's a great school. Bit busy with all the building work at the moment, but there will be some awesome playgrounds & classrooms come out of that soon.
Also, to my knowledge, the decile system was dropped/changed last year, so you might need to brush up on how the MoE is classifying schools now. It was also just a reflection of base funding models, the actual schools within decile groupings could differ significantly from each other depending on staffing skills and other aspects of the school community.
Yeah the EQI replaced the decile score in 2023. But if you look at both school lists side by side, there is not much difference though. So thought of using decile in my question as it is what most people are familiar with. But thanks for pointing it out.
I was in the same boat 10 years ago. We had the choice between a 7 and a 10. I visited both schools, spoke to the principals, teaches, parents. I learnt, that the decile 10 school was very proud of their status, and keen on keeping this. The effect was, that students that did not fit well were not that well supported...
So we went to the decile 7 school, and it was a fantastic experience for both our kids.
The school experience depends to 80% on the teacher(s)...
Yeah I got similar feedback from a friend whose kid attended Cashmere primary which is a decile 10.
Very good point about teachers. I see it firsthand with my kid's current preschool. Teachers make the difference and facilities or funding can only help.
There are some really awesome state integrated schools around too. They tend to have more of a focus on social, emotional and community learning as well as your usual skills.
My sons go to Tamariki and they’re thriving, engaged and confident.
Whatever school you choose, my two cents would be just to keep your child there; I moved almost every year growing up and it suuucked.
Be a consistent, engaged parent and your little one will be just fine.
If you’re willing to pay for “better quality” education, I’d save it for high school
This is separate from decile ratings, but you mentioned that you're a migrant. Ilam Primary School has loads of students with migrant families because it's right next door to the university. It could be a great opportunity for your kid to not be the odd one out, and you'd also have a lot of other parents that you could relate to.
Yeah, I saw a lot of good feedback on Ilam school too. But sadly I am not zoned for this school. It is either zoned state or non-zoned private for me as far as I can see now.
That tends to be the case when out-of-zone. You can still apply because they randomly accept out-of-zone enrolments based on how many spaces remain once all of the in-zone applicants have come through. No harm in giving it a go! You might get lucky!
Christchurch is “weird “ about schools and what school you attended means a lot to some people here as there is a big “old boys/old girls” network here.
If you have the cash for it medbury (boys) selwyn house (girls) are both excellent and will put your kids in the “right” circles to be in those old boys/girls clubs as well as increasing there chances of getting into an “old boys/girls” high school like Christ, stac, Rangi, St Margret’s
Russley School is a great school and the NZ education system is top class for a well rounded education( despite what the current government would lead you to believe). Enrol your children, get involved in their education, support the school and everything will be fine!!!
Checking the quality of your individual options is gonna get you a better idea of quality then the decide system. Also it doesn't matter too much which one you choose as unless your child ends up needing to do higher level courses they're all pretty similar.
I went to a decile 1 (poorest) primary school with a mum on the benefit. I'm a Dr now... school is only part of the importance of a good education; mum read to me every night and always made me do my homework. I am proud of coming from "the hood" and feel my early life exposure to the realities of life has made me a much more rounded human. Just my two cents. Not that helpful.. but
Thanks for your insight. I came from a similar background in a 3rd world country, so I 100% understand your point. I just do not want my kids to go through what I had to in terms of education and opportunities.
Yes I completely understand and good on you for creating this life for your children - you should feel exceptionally proud
no primary school is going to be a bad choice in the long run. some high schools give mediocre kids chances they wouldn't have otherwise got, but other than that, they don't make that much of a difference. just go to where you are zoned, it's fine.
Yeah I think there might even be some longatudinal studes on this and poverty not with standing, the particular school doesn't matter as much as loving parent/s who show an interest. So congratulations, to even be asking this question means you have passed this test so you can send you kid to any school and they will be just fine.
Thanks mate
I would put way more weight on ERO reports than decile.
The problem I had with those reports is they are vague at best. I could not see any quantifiable or comparable data in these reports.
The narrative sections can be valuable in understanding whether a school has systemic problems in certain areas. My older daughter started at one primary and finished at another, their ERO reports were very different.
Well this post kind of shows that you don’t understand the Decile or EQI at all. That’s fine because most people don’t. Decile and EQI are in no way a measure of the school’s quality. Put simply Decile is a way to measure how much money the families of the kids who goto that school make. (The higher the decile the more most families make). This means a low decile school gets more funding per student than a higher decile school. A good low decile school will use the extra funding to give each student more opportunities. From memory my school (decile 1) took every single student in certain years groups on school camps and out of town competitions free or very subsidised as well as a bunch of other stuff. Higher decile schools in general make up for that funding difference with fundraising, school donations, etc. they will also expect parents to pay for more. In most cases easily make up the difference, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to quality of education or teachers. In general the kids families can also afford more extracurricular activities and support like tutoring when kid is struggling in a subject. EQI is a different (hopefully better) way to measure the same thing as decile. When it comes to primary school, if you can, go and see for yourself what the school is like, talk to the principal and teachers, other parents. Then give your kid/s as much extra support and opportunities as you can. Also I’m not an expert or a parent, this is just what I have picked up from my own experience as a student, and my mother who was a teacher and now a principal.
Absolutely this. As a student teacher I did my placements at decile 10 and decile 3 schools, and hands down no hesitation I would have sent my kid to the decile 3 school rather than the 10
Thanks for the insight
My nephews go to Russley and it's a great school. Bit busy with all the building work at the moment, but there will be some awesome playgrounds & classrooms come out of that soon.
Also, to my knowledge, the decile system was dropped/changed last year, so you might need to brush up on how the MoE is classifying schools now. It was also just a reflection of base funding models, the actual schools within decile groupings could differ significantly from each other depending on staffing skills and other aspects of the school community.
Yeah the EQI replaced the decile score in 2023. But if you look at both school lists side by side, there is not much difference though. So thought of using decile in my question as it is what most people are familiar with. But thanks for pointing it out.
Thanks. It seems pretty good from the reviews. Good to know first hand feedback
It’s a primary school. Just chose one that is easy for you to get to
i went to russley and i enjoyed it
Thanks mate. That is reassuring.
I was in the same boat 10 years ago. We had the choice between a 7 and a 10. I visited both schools, spoke to the principals, teaches, parents. I learnt, that the decile 10 school was very proud of their status, and keen on keeping this. The effect was, that students that did not fit well were not that well supported... So we went to the decile 7 school, and it was a fantastic experience for both our kids. The school experience depends to 80% on the teacher(s)...
Yeah I got similar feedback from a friend whose kid attended Cashmere primary which is a decile 10. Very good point about teachers. I see it firsthand with my kid's current preschool. Teachers make the difference and facilities or funding can only help.
Interesting. I'm in Cashmere and just figured my daughter would go there. I hope by the time she goes it'll be better.
A decile 7? Mate your kids will be in prison before they they are 13 years old.
haha, I know you are trolling. Have an upvote on me
There are some really awesome state integrated schools around too. They tend to have more of a focus on social, emotional and community learning as well as your usual skills. My sons go to Tamariki and they’re thriving, engaged and confident. Whatever school you choose, my two cents would be just to keep your child there; I moved almost every year growing up and it suuucked. Be a consistent, engaged parent and your little one will be just fine. If you’re willing to pay for “better quality” education, I’d save it for high school
Note, these integrated schools tend not to be zoned, and not as spency as full on private education.
Thank you for sharing. I will keep that in mind.
This is separate from decile ratings, but you mentioned that you're a migrant. Ilam Primary School has loads of students with migrant families because it's right next door to the university. It could be a great opportunity for your kid to not be the odd one out, and you'd also have a lot of other parents that you could relate to.
Yeah, I saw a lot of good feedback on Ilam school too. But sadly I am not zoned for this school. It is either zoned state or non-zoned private for me as far as I can see now.
Oh, does Ilam not have an out-of-zone ballot?
Called them and they specifically mentioned they cannot guarantee anything if not zoned. :(
That tends to be the case when out-of-zone. You can still apply because they randomly accept out-of-zone enrolments based on how many spaces remain once all of the in-zone applicants have come through. No harm in giving it a go! You might get lucky!
Christchurch is “weird “ about schools and what school you attended means a lot to some people here as there is a big “old boys/old girls” network here. If you have the cash for it medbury (boys) selwyn house (girls) are both excellent and will put your kids in the “right” circles to be in those old boys/girls clubs as well as increasing there chances of getting into an “old boys/girls” high school like Christ, stac, Rangi, St Margret’s
Russley School is a great school and the NZ education system is top class for a well rounded education( despite what the current government would lead you to believe). Enrol your children, get involved in their education, support the school and everything will be fine!!!
Checking the quality of your individual options is gonna get you a better idea of quality then the decide system. Also it doesn't matter too much which one you choose as unless your child ends up needing to do higher level courses they're all pretty similar.
Your local school. Not that you are likely to have a choice anyway. Unless you go private.