Hollywood Primary school?

[redbox]

Hi - we are thinking of sending our daughter to Hollywood Primary (WA) - either for Kindy or pre-primary. I understand they are an out of boundary school which is appealing for us.

Does anyone have any thoughts about Hollywood - i.e. whether it is a good school? I hear that the secondary school is shenton college.

Thanks!

[Helen9876]

Hi redbox

The early years classes at Hollywood (HPS) seem to be OK. It might even be OK at Year 1, but from Year 2 onwards, problems start to emerge, and at Years 4-7, you might find yourself regretting ever joining the school.

I would say these are there main problems:

1. A lot of the teachers have been at the school for a long time and are not open to parents being a part of their child's education.

2. A lot of the teachers are not interested in listening to parents' concerns about their children.

3. The teachers think that they are teaching to a high standard, but compared to other schools, I do not believe that they are.

4. Due to reasons 1-3 above, a lot of parents enrol their children in private tuition, or do it themselves. This is extra work, commitment and expense for you and your children, outside school. Tuition also bumps up the NAPLAN scores.

5. There is a real 'us and them' culture among the parents - a lot of those who live locally are not happy about the 'out of area' families being at their school. It may be hard for your child (and you) to be accepted and make friends with local kids - but there are always the fellow outcasts, who tend to be friendly. Walking/cycling home after school doesn't happen though, so there is a lot of driving involved and this may affect your child's development, as well as your petrol bill and wear and tear on the car.

6. Pluses - there is a before-school service and 2 after-school services that drop off/pick up from the school. It might be close to your workplace, making it easier for you to drop in for sports day, meetings, etc.

By the way, this school might be a feeder school for Shenton College, but unless you live in the catchment area for Shenton, or your child gets into a special program there, you do not get to go to Shenton College. This makes it tricky if your child goes to a feeder school but you don't live in the catchment. Your child makes friends at primary school, but won't get to go to high school with any of them, unless he/she gets onto a special program.

There are reasons why some schools do not have a boundary. Yes, I could tell you more, but I might not want to do it online.

[littlelara]

Hi there,

Sorry I couldn't pass by and not comment because I did not want to leave anyone with the illusion that the early years at Hollywood PS are OK. I have more than one child and have now had my children at 4 separate Kinders both here and interstate. I have also visited dozens of Kinders as well.

Having experienced the Kinder program at Hollywood, it is seriously the worst I have come across. The current teacher has been there 4 years and there have been a littany of complaints in that time. I could detail the problems there but won't do that online but "nightmare" is how it was described to me when we first joined the school by another parent. Starting in Pre-primary would be better than Kinder. Seriously there are much better and more developmentally appropriate Kinder programs around.

As Helen says, there are teachers at HPS who believe they are doing a great job and hate it when Parents want to be involved in their childrens' education. The Kinder at Hollywood is no exception. These problems do also exist in the other early years grades. There are some good teachers at Hollywood but unfortunately it is not universal throughout each grade, nor throughout the school.

Yes, Hollywood is a Non-local intake school but for that reason it should not be attractive unless you work or live nearby. It is also quite a disadvantaged school because of the area it is in, it misses out on much needed funding. If you come and look at the school and the facilities and compare it to other schools you will see that that is the case.

Choosing a school is totally an individual decision. Good luck in what you decide. My advice would be to educate yourself about what makes a good school, ask lots of questions and weigh up want is important for your family.

Like Helen, I could post heaps more but won't do it online. It is a small school with a small community IYKWIM.

Good luck.

[Glassarffull]

Hollywood Primary School hasn't been a disappointment to our family. We have had one child in the school for 3 years & we are satisfied with the social & academic progress.
As parents, we value the diversity provided in a school where students attend from different parts of the city and we try to find ways to socialise with other families - local or otherwise. I have never been aware of an 'us and them' mindset.
Lastly, I have found the staff very approachable & have had a number of discussions with teachers or principal regarding our childs development or other school-related issues. I recognise we have been fortunate to date & not everyone has enjoyed that good fortune, I'll remain satisfied so long as our child continues to enjoy schooling, is being intellectually challenged, & developing relationship skills.
It's a big decision where to school your kids, do the research & talk to the appropriate people in order to give yourself the greatest chance of making the best choice for your family. Good luck!

[sunnyflower]

All these posters with only one post count. Mmmmm