Top Melbourne school zones: Why family moved from New Zealand to Oakleigh South to get kids a better education
Rajkumar and his wife Sudha moved their family from Auckland a year ago in a bid to get their children into one of the state’s best performing schools. Here’s why.
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Rajkumar Karunanidhi and his wife Sudha Sachi moved their family from Auckland to Oakleigh South more than a year ago in a bid to get their children into one of the state’s best performing primary schools.
In November 2022, Mr Karunanidhi travelled to Melbourne from Auckland just to meet with Oakleigh South Primary School principal Ron Cantlon to discuss his children’s future.
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“Ron spent an hour with me and I was very impressed with the school’s educational outcomes including its NAPLAN results,” Mr Karunanidhi said.
“I was also given a tour around the school and I was so impressed by the efforts the school leaders had put into students’ education.
“I walked out of the school and I immediately phoned my wife and told her we were moving.”
Mr Karunanidhi said his children Aadhini, 12, in year 6 and Aadhiyan, 9, in year 3, had thrived at the school, which last year achieved an overall NAPLAN average score of 568.4.
“Both my children have achieved excellent results in their schooling. My daughter Aadhini is a STEM captain and my son Aadhiyan is a class captain.
“I had previously looked into private schools but they had long waiting lists. I also looked into other areas but Oakleigh South was the right choice for us.
“When we lived in Auckland the school was 11km away from our home, whereas now Aadhini and Aadhiyan can walk to school.”
He said his family were also lucky to have several secondary school options in the area.
“We haven’t finalised anything at this stage, it’s a big challenge for parents. There are many good secondary colleges in the area.”
Mr Karunanidhi, who lived in Auckland with his family for 15 years, said buying a property in Oakleigh South was the “best decision” his family had made.
“When we walk through the community, it feels like home to us. The people are so welcoming and we are so fortunate to live here.
“We can’t thank Ron and the teachers at Oakleigh South Primary School enough for their ongoing support and dedication to our children’s schooling.”
Want to make your move like Rajkumar and Sudha did? The Herald Sun has just released it’s Bang For Buck’ ratings of over 1200+ Victorian Schools. See more here.
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Originally published as Top Melbourne school zones: Why family moved from New Zealand to Oakleigh South to get kids a better education
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