Decile rating - is higher really better

[andrewp]

I guess this is a pretty subjective question, but one that I am battling with so I thought I'd seek other viewpoints...

Is a school with a higher decile really better for kids than a school in the middle?

From my limited internet research there seems to be a correlation between a schools decile and the cost of housing in the school's catchment area. Now this is to be expected since "A school's decile indicates the extent to which the school draws its students from low socio-economic communities. Decile 1 schools are the 10% of schools with the highest proportion of students from low socio-economic communities, whereas decile 10 schools are the 10% of schools with the lowest proportion of these students. A school's decile does not indicate the overall socio-economic mix of the school.". I know this says there isn't a definite correlation, but it does seem to follow.

I'm assuming that schools with a higher decile have better facilities than lower decile schools, or am I wrong here?

One thing that does worry me with some of the higher decile schools I've seem stats on, is the large number of scholars enrolled. I've always felt that schools with a few hundred scholars are better since these scholars get more individual attention.

OK, I'll stop rambling now. Just trying to get my head around where we're going to live and be able to balance what we can afford vs what's best for our kids.

[Joanne100]

Higher decile schools are usually in the better areas and they have higher fee's or should i say "higher donation"
I wouldnt say they have better facilities, they get less money from the government but i must admit i did use the decile to pick the area to live in.

[Bergita]

I found it a useful guide. My daughter is in a decile 10 school, and the yearly donation is $250. Not that much when you compare it to SA school fees. It did help us focus on some areas to consider.

[peebles16]

I do feel there is no substitute for visitng a school if you get the chance. The school I thought I wanted our kids to go to was a higher decile but really didn't have a good feel to it IMHO Our son attends a decile 6 or 7 school (can't remember which??) and to be honest wasn't on my list when we made the move but works great for him. Seems to be very well resourced with lots of space, at least compared with his school in Scotland and the 'donation' is $65 per year plus stationary and school trips

Karenx

[Tia Maria]

I have to agree about visiting the schools as regardless of decile rating they can all have a different feel. I know of quite a few people who rent locally to attend various schools, so that is something you could way up against visiting schools with a lower decile and buying. I'm sure once you can see in person it will be easier to make the decision.

I read an interesting article about secondary schools and it was looking at which schools 'added the most value' to the children's education, rather than those with just the best results.

Essentially the argument was this, a school in a higher socioeconomic area, which also had good parent involvement, would turn out good results even if it only had average teachers, as those families would do all the after school clubs, extra home work, tutoring etc. In other words the results didn't necessarily reflect good teaching. Whereas, a school that got good, but maybe not fantastic results, in a lower socio economic area, with poor parental involvement, was in fact the one that had the better teachers.

Its quite an interesting idea really, that the ones at the top of the league table aren't necessarily the ones with the best, most inspiring teachers, just very driven parents whose children would have been OK anyway in many other schools.

Everyone I know has looked round about 3 schools and has preferred one to the other due to their children's personality, regardless of decile rating. If you like the area and the school seems to be doing all the right things then trust you intuition.

Cheers

Tia

[beanbeanz]

Higher isn't necessarily indicative of a 'better' school. Higher decile schools receive less funding than lower ones. In terms of facilities, I've seen low decile schools with great equipment and resources.

Really, it is a subjective decision. Some children from lower decile schools may have 'more on their plate' in terms of a difficult home life. However, this is also true for higher decile schools (kids who act out for attention because daddy works all day making the big bucks).

I've seen some high decile schools that literally bribe the children to learn by giving out sweets for correct answers/good behaviour etc. I've also seen this in lower decile schools.

Best thing to do is visit the school, get to know what their values are and whether they match yours and your children's. Best to check out the neighbourhood too - you might not enjoy living in a 'snobby' decile 10 neighbourhood.

[andrewp]

Thanks for the replies guys. You've all confirmed what I had thought would be the case. I've been known to over-analyses things and this is just adding to the analysis headache. We are lucky in that our oldest will only be starting school 18 months after we arrive, so we'll follow advice and visit schools before making decisions on where to settle.