St. Andrews catherdral school in town hall (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Kayengee
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Are you a parent or a student (just to put things in context)?
Parent... hoping to see what students think of the school. thanks
I haven't been to St Andrews, but a few friends of mine went there over the years and from what they have said, it was definitely a good school.
However, I probably wouldn't send my kids there because ultimately, I dont think it's close to being worth the $20-$30k pa price tag. I used to be a tutor for several years and I had students who attended a range of schools including local public schools, selective schools, catholic schools and GPS Private schools. Given what I saw, I dont understand how private schools justify charging what they do. The teaching was middle of the pack and much like a public/catholic school, if your child is struggling, they shift the onus onto you. My first student attended one of the state's most prestigious private schools and when he started struggling in Maths, his teachers told his parents to get him a tutor. Personally, I found it outrageous that a school charging working families $30k a year tuition would suggest that parents need to fork out more money for their sons education. I digress.
Whilst private schools undoubtedly offer better facilities, extra-curriculars and discipline, the price tag isnt justified. Local Catholic Schools in my view offer a similar standard at a fraction of the cost. I understand the Catholic Church isn't everyone's cup of tea, but from personal and professional experience they offer a good value for money education. You also dont need to be religious or Catholic, many non-religious families attend these schools.
I guess to frame my advice, Ive finished HS and university and Ive been in the workforce for several years. Looking back and forward, Im glad I didnt go to a private school and I wouldnt send my kids there. I would rather put the money in a bank account and give it to my child once they get their first full-time job to set them up in life. As someone in their mid 20s, something like that would have changed my life and set me up long term. A private school education would have made little difference to my life and career path.
I know it probably isnt the answer you wanted, but I know for most working families a private school education is an enormous cost. Id really take the time to consider the best way to invest that money for your childrens future, because I think a private school education really isnt a good investment.
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davidgoes4wce
Well-Known Member
I've encountered a couple of St Andrews Catholic College kids in my time as a tutor. One who I tutored in the IB and am currently tutoring General Maths too.
I'd consider it to be worth considering as they offer the IB Curriculum as an alternative to the HSC. Judging from the ranking , St Andrews has been ranked around the 85-200 mark for a while.
Looking at the ranks in the past decade, for a school supposedly charging $30k+ , don't think their academic performance quite matches how much they pay for. They probably tend to perform more disappointing then their co-ed counterparts as well. (Ranks aren't everything I know as well but I'm a bit surprised why they have not achieved a Top 50 rank over that time)
These are the ranks for the past decade: 137, 196, 85, 89, 70, 96, 113, 103, equal 103, 94
I'd want more bang for my buck based on those numbers.
I'd consider it to be worth considering as they offer the IB Curriculum as an alternative to the HSC. Judging from the ranking , St Andrews has been ranked around the 85-200 mark for a while.
Looking at the ranks in the past decade, for a school supposedly charging $30k+ , don't think their academic performance quite matches how much they pay for. They probably tend to perform more disappointing then their co-ed counterparts as well. (Ranks aren't everything I know as well but I'm a bit surprised why they have not achieved a Top 50 rank over that time)
These are the ranks for the past decade: 137, 196, 85, 89, 70, 96, 113, 103, equal 103, 94
I'd want more bang for my buck based on those numbers.
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You make an extremely good point. For parents who have to make enormous financial sacrifices, this is a good angle to consider. For parents to whom money is no object, private schools offer more than just academic excellence. In fact many expensive private schools are not all that academically great. An exception is Sydney Grammar. Of course many prestigious private schools bump up their their performance by buying talent - by offering scholarships to some of the brightest students every year - bless their generosity!
I have occasion to have a look at a few private schools and their campuses & facilities. Compared to the typical public schools, you are at once hit by the stark difference. It's like the lifestyle of the really rich vs the lifestyle of the working class.
But I also wondered how some of the private schools can afford to run 2 streams in their final years. I'm referring to the HSC and the IB. If you have only 30 students (I suspect for some schools, fewer) how they can afford to run the IB programme, with these students taking different subjects. Even for maths, there are 3 streams - Maths Studies SL, Maths SL and Maths HL. Some of the can have a few as 1 student so that the school will have to bear the costs of 1 whole teacher teaching only 1 student! But I suppose the more profitable parts have to cross-subsidise the parts that are bleeding money.
Of course I have not addressed @op's query. I'm so sorry.
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Also I don't think the rich are overly concerned with academic performance. They want to make sure their children are mixing with the right crowd. That the schools offer a range of social & sporting activities they consider desirable.
If their kids obtain a well-rounded education with an ATAR of 85, they are happy. With their wealth, they can always hire the brightest minds to run their businesses for them.
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Thank you for your thoughts. With my sons personality and learner profile, we are looking for smaller class sizes so thinking private would be better.
We are relocating to Sydney city area, and have missed the application deadlines for a lot of the other privates. Only st andrews and trinity grammar have a spot.
Agree the St Andrews rankings are not that great but i believe the IB scores are not included in the ratings. If you include the IB kids, they say 23% of their students achieved a score over 90.
Thoughts on Trinity Grammar Sydney? thank you
We are relocating to Sydney city area, and have missed the application deadlines for a lot of the other privates. Only st andrews and trinity grammar have a spot.
Agree the St Andrews rankings are not that great but i believe the IB scores are not included in the ratings. If you include the IB kids, they say 23% of their students achieved a score over 90.
Thoughts on Trinity Grammar Sydney? thank you
Paying that kind of money just for smaller class sizes I still think is a waste. Having smaller classes isn't really as much of an advantage as you think. At the end of the day, teachers see students for about 45 minutes to an hour per class, they dont have time to provide that individualised support. My private school students who struggled through maths had problems that were easily correctable through some close individual attention by teachers. However, despite the small class sizes, that attention was never given hence why I was hired (at an even greater cost to the families).
Another thing to consider is encouraging adaptability. When you go to university, your child will be in classes with hundreds of students. So really, short class sizes can be more harmful long term, especially if your child becomes used to that environment. University and the workplace is all about adaptability and people generally are more adaptable at younger ages. Sheltering them from these realities can leave them feeling lost when entering university. This is why private school students often perform more poorly at university compared to non-private school counterparts.