Thousands of parents across the Penrith District, New South Wales and Australia are preparing for their children to start or return to school. Statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) estimates that 4,042,512 students were enrolled in 9,614 schools in Australia in 2023.

The preparation is tedious, starting straight after Christmas for most families. But for Kindergarten goers, the process starts at the end of the Pre-school year with visits to “big” school for orientation, beginning the transition to Primary education.

Uniform, check. Shoes, check. Bag, check. Drink bottle, check. For Llandilo’s Alex Robinson, her daughter Indi has been ready for school since the end of December and starts at Llandilo Public School this month. Indi is most excited about starting and is most looking forward to playing in the playground with her new friends and helping Mrs Carroll with the chickens.

Indi’s Mum Alex said, “It will be such a proud moment for us, as Indi’s parents watching her walk into school on her first day. She has waited and watched her brother go to school daily whilst she has been taken to daycare at Early Learning on George in South Windsor”. Indi is very eager to learn and is a very determined little girl.

“My favourite memory of school was going on the school bus to Underwater World at Manly and being allowed to paint and do craft” explained Alex. So, what advice would Alex give to other parents? “Our advice would be to not compare your child to others. There’s no comparison between the sun and the moon. They shine when it’s their time”.

Despite having only just started school, and the fact that she will not even start Year 7 till 2031, and graduate High School till the year 2036, Indi has decided that she will be a hairdresser and make-up artist working for herself when she grows up.

We wish Indi and everyone a wonderful start to school in 2024. Western Division schools return to the classroom on 6th of February 2024.