Education system

Australia's education system is divided into three broad areas:

• Primary education (≈ ages 5 - 12)
• Secondary education (≈ ages 12-18)
• Tertiary education - Vocational Education and Training (VET) and higher education, e.g. universities)

Primary and secondary schools fall into one of three categories:

• Public schools - schools run by the government. Approximately 65% of children in Australia attend public schools.
• Independent (private) schools - these schools tend to be run by either secular educational philosophies (e.g. Montessori) or religious organisations (e.g. Protestant, Methodist etc.). Independent schools generally charge much higher fees than public schools.
• Catholic schools - Most Catholic schools are either run by their local parish, or diocese and their state's Catholic education department.

All schools, whether public or private, adhere to a standard set of rules and regulations that are controlled by the State or Territory governments.

For more information about Australia's education system see About Australian Education - Australian Government Future Unlimited website and The Australian Schools Directory - lists all public and private schools in Australia (Search for schools by location) at the links below.

The education system in New Zealand has three levels:

• Early childhood education - from birth to school entry age
• Primary and secondary schools - from 5-19 years of age (school is compulsory from age 6-16)
• Further education - vocational and higher education

School falls into one of three categories:

• State schools - owned and funded by the state
• State-integrated schools - were private and have become part of the state education system
• Private schools - receive some government funding but are mostly funded through charging parents school fees.

Further information about the education system in New Zealand can be found at the NZ Government website at the link below