Aussie families flock to Sydney’s expat schools for love of language
ENGLISH speaking parents are leading a surge in enrolments in the Sydney’s international schools traditionally reserved for expats.
Parents are sending their children into schools without any prior knowledge of languages such as German, Japanese and French with the goal of eventually becoming bilingual. But they’re also attracted to the global minded outlook and the emphasis on respect and responsibility they believe is lacking in traditional Australian schools.
The German International School Sydney in Terrey Hills has seen enrolments of Australian children surge by a massive 100 per cent over the last eight years.
The number of Australian families has grown from 95 in 2011 to 176 this year and they now make up 50 per cent of the school’s population of 353 students.
School principal Dr Lorenz Metzger said while it could be tough starting a school in another language, they gave new students two hours of extra language training.
“It is a language immersive approach, we don’t put all the Australians in one class and all the Germans in another class,” he said. “When they graduate they have an international education, they can speak two languages, they know how to learn languages other than their mother tongue, which would enable them to learn a third language if it was required for study or their job.”
Maths and sciences are studied in English and art, music and physical education are fully in German. Although it is taught in German, the curriculum is fully compliant with the NSW Standards Authority regulations and offers the International Baccalaureate.
Mum Alison Totterdell’s daughter Myka attends because values of personal responsibility taught there.
At Sydney Japanese International School also in Terrey Hills, last year only 27 per cent of 123 children had Japanese parents at the school, with English and Chinese speaking parents leading the bulk of enrolments.
Deputy principal Jodie Hoenig said in addition to bilingualism, parents were attracted to the school because of its emphasis on respect.
At Lycée Condorcet, The International French School there has been a rise in the number of native English speakers.