What to expect from a prep school interview in Brisbane

2 weeks ago 5

The email arrived. An invitation from a superior schoolhouse for an interrogation earlier my four-year-old’s introduction to prep.

I’m definite I’m not the lone genitor to consciousness anxious, wondering if kindy kids tin walk oregon neglect earlier they’ve adjacent learnt however to necktie their shoelaces.

But determination is thing to interest about. Here’s what you tin expect from an interrogation with a Brisbane schoolhouse for the prep 2025 year.

Children mightiness beryllium asked to place numbers oregon colours astatine a pre-prep interview, but the process is designed to assistance the schoolhouse larn much astir students to enactment them.

If you’ve applied to a authorities school, and you live in-catchment, you’re in, but adjacent if that’s not your situation, don’t stress.

The interrogation questions, format and activities volition differ, but examples see asking the kid to constitute their name, gully a picture, number items, sanction colours, place letters, numbers oregon shapes, and speech astir their favourite things.

Parents mightiness beryllium asked wherefore they chose the school, if their kid has hearing, eyesight oregon improvement issues to program aboriginal support, their child’s temperament, and however they header with separation.

The format is mostly conversational, and schoolhouse leaders recognize if your kid is shy.

Lucky Ali with her girl Mojisola astatine her wedding past year.

Mum Lucky Ali said her girl Mojisola was interviewed by the principals of 2 Catholic superior schools, and offered a spot astatine both.

At 1 school, her girl was asked to place colours, gully a flower, count, speech astir her interests and springiness her age.

At the other, Mojisola was invited to colour in, and questions were directed to parents.

“I was a spot apprehensive astir the full process, but we had a large acquisition astatine some schools – determination truly wasn’t thing to beryllium tense about,” Ali said.

Amanda O’Doherty’s lad had an interrogation astatine a authorities school, describing the acquisition arsenic relaxed and friendly.

He was asked to constitute his name, place letters of the alphabet and numbers, number items and to gully a representation of his family.

“There was nary anticipation that helium was capable to bash each of these things, [it] was much of a measurement of wherever helium was at,” she said.

A Brisbane prep teacher told maine she reassured her friends interviews were “not a pass/ fail”, and were alternatively astir gathering families, truthful they were not conscionable names connected paper.

I spoke to parents whose children interviewed astatine Catholic schools, and portion religion was sometimes mentioned arsenic being taught, they were inclusive of different religions and nary 1 was quizzed connected the Bible oregon religion attendance.

An Education Department spokeswoman said authorities schools made idiosyncratic decisions connected enrolment processes to familiarise children and families, including modulation days oregon meetings with teachers.

Durack State School, successful Brisbane’s outer south-west, welcomes aboriginal prep students aboriginal by hosting a play playgroup, a programme from semester 2 successful the twelvemonth earlier prep focused connected numeracy and literacy, and an assignment successful word four, which main Anja Janosevic said was “the interrogation part”.

“I really don’t similar the word ‘interview’, and it sounds similar specified a ceremonial process erstwhile it is much a ‘get to cognize you better’ session,” Janosevic said.

The escaped playgroup astatine Durack State School meets each Wednesday done the schoolhouse word and is unfastened to parents and caregivers with their children, aged 0-5.

About fractional the students astatine Durack State School travel from the bottommost 4th connected the organisation of the socio-educational vantage scale.

“As good arsenic assisting students with their transition, the programme has agreed our assemblage and brought to the schoolhouse families who ordinarily would not travel into a school, whether arsenic a effect of trauma oregon due to the fact that they had unhappy experiences during their schooling,” she said.

“We person collated information to amusement the quality pre-prep attendance has connected pupil outcomes successful prep. It is amazing.”

Moreton Bay College caput of superior Rebecca Lennon says parents volition beryllium asked questions to summation a position of their children. “Parents cognize their children best, truthful their insights and content are indispensable to a creaseless modulation and affirmative commencement to prep,” she said.

At Moreton Bay College, a Uniting Church School, the ceremonial introduction twelvemonth is kindergarten, portion for children entering successful prep, caput of superior Rebecca Lennon says nary mentation is required for the interview.

“We volition inquire questions astir what the children bask spending their clip on, what they are funny astir and what involvement they person successful listening to stories,” she said.

Lennon said if children were confident, they mightiness beryllium asked what they liked to bash astatine kindy, and gully a picture, but if they were shy, they would not beryllium forced to respond, and mightiness beryllium invited to play a gentle game.

“Every interrogation is different,” she said.

I’m hoping you present stock my assurance the pre-prep process is designed to assistance schools amended enactment aboriginal students, and determination is nary request to stress, conscionable similar determination is no request to cram for NAPLAN tests.