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No, I am not paranoid. I just feel that (and people told me) it is difficult to have a balance. Every one I know keeps telling me that you cannot beat them you must join them. Certain the situation is not hopeless. It is more about the pressure of scholarship. If you are in public schools, no...

That is what I pointed out. But they want more, not just academic result. They have a difference idea of balance. The balance they want is ultra high performance in academic, music and sport. Failing that they want ultra high academic and good performance in music and reasonable performance in...

It's more complicated. The process for selective entry from year 8-10 is complicated and subjective. Scholarships are mainly offered at year 7. Only low performing private schools offer scholarships at year 10-12 to try to snatch a few good students. And the way it looks, you get same problem...

It may appears like what you say but I am not cynical. You was in private school but probably not in a special group of mainly scholarship students? Don't know about your time but now this kind of groups in top private schools are almost 100% from Asian background. Also boy and co-ed schools are...

Nope! That means being kicked out of school and back to the local HS. Cannot even get back to a selective school. Making a choice means we have to stick with it for a while. There is no doubt the teachers are good and the school is generally great. But there is no escape from being surrounded by...

Yes, you see this is an issue. If you turn down James Ruse, you know you cannot come back to a public selective school even if you want to. At least until year 10 anyway by sitting for a special entry test. A normal comprehensive HS is the thing that many parents and students don't want at the...

What you have said makes perfect sense in a public school and still make sense in pubic selective school. Even though students in the top selective schools may be under a lot of pressure from parents to stay at the top. In our case, we are quite relax but teachers (in elite private schools) are...

I'd better clarify a few points. I agree with the concerns. 1/ Referring to having a life and not working real hard, I only mean that many of us believe in this and trust that a balance will be beneficial and may be all the tutoring and extreme hard work might not really matter after all. But...

Please explain how we should approach this? Does this mean getting some tutor to mark the work? It would be getting some limited tutoring in this sense. Her teacher would not help. I will ask when I meet the teacher but the teacher is not helping any one at this stage. The teacher has too many...

Much appreciate this advice. The problem is that her school does not released any past test papers. We would not have any one to mark her attempt even if we manage to get past papers from another school (such as a selective school). My girl is a bit too young at heart. She still enjoys very...

I know similar topic has been discussed here about why selective school students need tutoring to compete or to survive. I seek opinions from those who have been doing high school recently with and without coaching to help my child. I know that coaching can save a lot of time for students who...

Thanks guys. It looks like the New Century Math text books are mapped to curriculum but it is up to the teachers to decide what to do. I suppose this is why some teachers pick topics from math texts 1-2 years higher for their advanced class. The situation in my child's class is a bit like two...

Guys, I had a look at New Century Math textbook year 9. I found introduction of linear equations and how to solve a simple word problem using a single linear equation. I reckon this is too basic. When I was young, I learned about linear equation at year 6 and already solve system of 2 linear...

BTW, I found out that about 248 is enough to get into James Ruse. Between 246.7 and 248 there are 51 reservists waiting for some one to drop out. It's unexpected. Last year James Ruse cut-off mark was only 237 and about 24 reservists got in. It's really not about James Ruse setting the high...

Probably your mum or dad told them just out of elation or a family friend/relative told them. They keep the names on their database. Even if you only come to do their free entry test to see if they would let you into their coaching class, they still keep your name. Years later, they will call to...

Gosh, that's high. A local boy got 259, also went to coaching but he looks like a boy without life in anything else. Typical nerd, glasses and hardly talks and stays away from social activities. I know some people going to 1 main coaching place and going casually to 1-2 more specialised...

Well, this is a no win situation when too much coaching is involved. That makes teachers at schools irrelevant in some subjects offered by the coaching colleges. But it is a frustration for both school teachers and the kids too. At least SS offers some extensions not offered else where...

PreUni is now calling parents whose kids do not go to PreUni coaching to fish information and fake their fame list of students who got SS placemet. Any one who sent their kids to the PreUni ASAT trial will be called. This is how PreUni fake their list and claim that more than 1/2 of the James...

I mean if they can get 230+ to go to Sydney Boys/Girls they would not want a local SS that isn't very nice. Travelling is a curse as it is hard on any one too young or too old. Standing on trains is terrible! Sydney trains are too crowded. Kids turn on the volume of their MP3 players and damage...

Well, I can say a few things about Hurlstone. It smells pretty bad. Asian kids are Aussie kids (very few) don't seem to talk. The school looks bad visually. Graffiti are seen on the walls. The reception area is so small and full of things that you can barely walk properly through. It seems to...