Children must go to school.
Some go to a big school with lots of kids.
Some schools are small.
Some schools have only boys or only girls.
Some kids learn at home if they live far away from any schools.
Many children go to pre-school before starting school, others go to a playgroup or day care.
In Australia the first year of school is called Foundation or Kindergarten, and then there are 12 more years of school after that.
Primary school is Foundation to Year 6 and high school (or secondary school) is Year 7 to Year 12.
A class in high school ©Getty Images
Between the ages of five and fifteen, or in some states seventeen, children must go to school. It is the law. A law is a rule made by the government that must be obeyed.
Some schools are owned and run by the state government.
Some schools are not government schools and are owned and run by a church or a group of parents.
Some schools have a uniform ©Getty Images
At some schools kids don't have to wear a uniform ©Getty Images
Some schools have only boys or only girls, but most schools have both girls and boys.
But all schools must follow the government rules about what children learn at school.
At some schools children must wear a uniform. The uniform often has a tie and a jacket called a blazer.
At some schools there is a uniform and children choose whether or not to wear it. At some schools there is no uniform and children can choose what to wear to school.
Playing hopscotch in the school ground ©Getty Images
Some schools are big, and have lots of rooms and pupils and teachers. Some big schools have students from Foundation to Year 12.
Some schools are small and have just a few classes and pupils and teachers. There are even some very tiny schools with only around 20 students who work in one classroom with one teacher, no matter what year they are in.
Some schools have big playgrounds and some have small playgrounds.
Sports are played in schools ©Getty Images
At school children learn maths, reading, writing, spelling, and other subjects. They also do art and run and climb and jump. They learn sports. They learn other things too, like working together and being part of a team.
Some kids learn at home instead of school ©Getty Images
Australia is a very big country and there are some communities that are not near any others. Children in those places do their school work at home. A teacher sends those children their schoolwork, and the children post it back to be corrected. They sometimes work on the internet. The teacher talks to the students on a radio or on the internet. When those children reach Year 6 they usually go to a school where they can live during the week and go home at weekends or end of term. Those are called boarding schools and students who live there during the term are called boarders.
When students finish school some go to a university, which is like a school for grown ups. They can learn to be doctors, lawyers, teachers and other professions.
A university student studying in the library. ©Getty Images
Some go to a college to learn things like art, design, making clothes, photography and things like that.
Some learn a trade such as plumbing or electrician or builder.
What is your school like?
It’s a good idea to get information from more than one source!
Watch a video about a U.S Year 4 class who made their classroom solar powered:
http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/solar-powered-classroom
