Australian children starting school

Childhood Education, 2002 by Dockett, Sue, Perry, Bob, Howard, Peter, Whitton, Diana, Cusack, Mella

In New South Wales, Australia, the school year begins in early February, and children are eligible to enroll in school (the first year of which is called kindergarten) if they will turn 5 by the end of July. Some parents choose to keep their children out of school until the following year, which means that the age range of children in the same classroom can be between 4-1/2 and 6.

The majority of the New South Wales (NSW) population resides in coastal cities, such as Sydney. However, a substantial population resides inland, within rural cities and towns, and in small or isolated rural communities. This article describes the experiences of several young children who come from a range of locations and backgrounds, as they start school in New South Wales.

What Matters As Children Start School?

The Starting School Research Project involves a group of researchers from the University of Western Sydney and a wide-ranging Advisory Committee that represents leading early childhood organizations, early childhood employer groups, parent associations, school organizations, unions, and the community. To date, project implementers have interviewed groups of children, parents, and early childhood educators, and have surveyed parents and early childhood educators, to determine what is important to each of these groups as children start school.

The interviews and the questionnaire responses build a description of what seem to be the most important issues for children, parents, and educators as children start school. Certainly, the children have a different perspective than the adults (Dockett & Perry, 1999a; Perry, Dockett, & Howard, 2000). For example, children say that starting school is about getting to "know the rules" and that having friends is vitally important. Parents and educators typically focus much more on how well children adjust to school, particularly to different adults and to the organization of the school. When children and families do not know the rules, the adjustment becomes much more difficult.

A New Country and a New School

Celia arrived in Australia a few days before the start of the school year. She had been living in Shanghai with her grandmother while her parents established themselves in Australia. Celia had been to preschool in Shanghai, and was looking forward to being with her parents and starting school in Sydney.

Celia, her mother, and her grandmother visited the school the day before Celia was to start. On the first day of school, Celia's grandmother accompanied her. Both spoke only Mandarin, but were excited by the prospect of Celia's school experience. When her grandmother arrived to collect her at the end of the day, Celia looked despondent. She said she was hungry. When her grandmother asked her if she had eaten her lunch, Celia said that it was still in her bag. Upon further questioning, Celia revealed that she had taken out her sandwiches at recess time, but that the teacher had said to her, "No, not now." Celia had taken this to mean that she was not allowed to eat at school, so she had not tried to get her food out again.

Children are particularly keen to adjust to school. They want to know the rules and they are aware of issues related to power; for example, they know that teachers make the rules for the class, and that school principals make the rules for teachers (Dockett & Perry, 1999b). They are also aware of the disciplinary implications of breaking rules (Dockett & Perry, 1999a). Parents recognize that children who do not adhere to the school rules, or who do not conform to expectations, are labeled as unruly or disruptive.

An Aboriginal Mother's Description of Starting School

The Aboriginal kids came in and choofed the parents off. They wanted to look at everything. One went over to the toy fridge and said, "Why isn't this turned on? Why isn't it cold?" Then he opened the bottom part: "Why isn't this working?" He tried to turn the taps on: "There's no water coming out of them." He felt the element on the stove: "Where's the pot? I want to cook something."

They came out at recess and called out to all they knew, and chatted away. "Look at my new shoes, my new shirt." For lunch, the little Aboriginal kids pulled their lunches out and they were excited! Their older brothers and sisters came over and took on the role of the parents. The non-Aboriginal brothers and sisters came over and cried with the younger ones. It was a real contrast. [The Aboriginal kids] climbed and played and were seen as unruly. They were labeled as unruly from that day. It was also suggested to me that Aboriginal children learn to fend for themselves a lot earlier because they are neglected. I laughed. It's how you choose to bring up your child.

Making and interacting with friends is a critical part of children's settling in to school. School seems like a good place to be when children have friends, or the opportunities to make friends. When children feel that they have no friends, school is a lonely place. A transition-to-school program can be an ideal opportunity for children to become part of a social group and make friends.