Farmers and people living in rural regions are used to making tough decisions but one of the hardest ones affecting home and family life is about to get a whole lot easier.
The annual Boarding Schools Expo, established 14 years ago, is back again from this month to take the sting out of deciding the pathway to young people’s future.
The expo, which travels to four major towns, has become an institution for families setting out on the boarding school journey.
The state’s one-stop-shop for schooling options begins at Dubbo Convention Centre on May 18 and 19.
There is a “pop-up” expo at Griffith Ex-Servicemen’s Club on June 14, ahead of the Wagga Wagga expo at Bolton Park Stadium on June 15 and 16.
The expo roadshow heads north to Narrabri, at the Crossing Theatre, on July 27 and 28.
This year the expo seeks to highlight how boarding schools have become a home away from home for students. Boarding schools are very different for today’s children than they were for their parents.
As the education sector tackles the complexities of a modern world, professional industry standards in Australian boarding schools have driven improvements across all schools, at the same time as putting student needs at the centre of the picture.
Research by boarding school specialist and head of boarding at Ascham, Sue Newton, has shown that while boarding schools are now operating in a complex and competitive environment, they are consistently going beyond expectations in meeting the educational and pastoral care needs of many rural and remote families (see story on page 4).
Expo director Meg Bennett said the expo sought to connect farming families with the myriad of excellent education options on offer today.
Those opportunities were not so defined when she set out to find suitable schools for her two children after they all moved from the city to live with her second husband, Michael, in Narromine.
So Ms Bennett began the expo 14 years ago to make the choices easier for other parents.
“It’s a major cost for any family and a huge emotional investment,” she said.
“The expo gives families the opportunity to meet senior people from schools to start the dialogue.”
Ms Bennett said the expo enabled families to ask the right questions.
“It is important you choose a school that shares your family’s values and beliefs,” she said.
“You want your children to be living, learning and growing up in a nurturing environment within a dynamic community.”
Admission is free.
- Visit boardingexpo.com.au
