- All schools and pre-schools in Ralston village cater for both Canadian and British children.
- You are advised not to bring children to Canada who have started or are due to start
their secondary education during your tour. You are strongly advised not to bring
children to Canada who are currently studying for GCSE’s or are due to begin studying
for GCSE’s during your tour. There is no provision for children to continue with this
programme of study, and the equivalent qualification in Canada is a 3 year programme
of study, which if not completed results in no qualification at all. Boarding school is an option for older children and Continuity of Education Allowance is available to offset the cost of sending your children to boarding school. Children at boarding school are entitled to 3 free return flights a year to return to the family home during school holidays. HIVE information offices hold information on boarding school choices.
- It is difficult to provide for children of any age with learning difficulties. If your child has a
special educational need, please contact the BATUS Education Officer to ensure that your
child can be catered for through the school system available at BATUS. The Education
Officer can be contacted on 001 403 544 4020. Children with learning difficulties should
arrive pre-assessed.
For those families living in Ralston Village, there is a school located in the village catering for children from kindergarten to 14 -15 yrs old. For those families living in Ralston Village whose children are older than 14, the secondary school for these children is called Eagle Butte, and is located on the far side of Medicine Hat, however parents can choose an alternative secondary school in Medicine Hat. A school bus is provided to transport the children to and from school. Journey time is about 1 hour. For those families living in Medicine Hat, Calgary and Cochrane, children will need to attend local schools. Whilst the school year is the same as the UK, running from September to August, the class your child will be placed in is determined by their age on the 28th February, not the 31st August. Classes in Canada are worked out on a grade system with grade 1 being roughly equivalent to Year 2 in England.
- All children will follow a Canadian Curriculum in schools in Ralston village, Medicine
Hat, Calgary and Cochrane. Links below for Alberta Education, Prairie Rose School
District and Medicine Hat school district will give information on the curriculum.
However, Ralston Village School does not currently offer a modern foreign language at
secondary level, and music, science and history are not taught in the same way as they
are in the UK system. Children start school later in Canada than in the UK, and for this reason, the school in Ralston has a combined kindergarten/Year 1 class to accommodate British children. A Service Children’s Education (SCE) teacher is employed to work in the school in Ralston village in this age group to ensure an appropriate curriculum. Kindergarten is the Canadian equivalent of a reception class in the UK. If your child is due to start school during your tour, or is currently aged between 4 and rising 6, then you need to live in Ralston Village. There is no education provision for children of this age in Medicine Hat, Cochrane or Calgary.
- The school in Ralston does not have a school uniform, and does not offer hot school
dinners. This is the norm for Canada.
Pre-School Facilities
Kiddie Kare
Kiddie Kare is provided by the MFRC and is run for children from the ages of 0 to 3 years of age. The hours of operation are Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 11:40 am. A maximum of 40 hours per month is allowed for each child. There is also a casual drop in service. The program is age appropriate and geared to children and child/staff initiated play. There is a charge for using Kiddie Kare
Little Gophers Pre-School (Nursery)
Little Gophers Pre-School caters for both Canadian and British children from the age of 2 years 9 months until they start school. The school is open five mornings a week from 9.00 – 11.45, with extended care Monday through Thursday until 2.30. Term dates are the same as Ralston School.
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If your child is already at nursery or due to start nursery on arrival in BATUS you are advised to put their name down on the Little Gophers’ waiting list as soon as possible. There is a charge for using Little Gophers of $10 per session, but if your child is of nursery age, then Nursery Allowance should cover this cost. The Nursery Allowance currently covers 5 sessions a week for 2 ½ hours per session for 33 weeks per year. Nursery Allowance is also
available to those families living in Medicine Hat, Calgary and Cochrane
Other Voluntary Run Pre-School Clubs
There are other voluntary run child-oriented clubs such as ‘Pop In And Play’, ‘The Lollipop Club’ and ‘Baby and Me’ These are run by volunteers at various times and places during the week, and are aimed at both mother and child attending.
- Types and amounts of these clubs are dependent on the community in the
village at any given time and are subject to change.
Useful telephone numbers and e-mail addresses:
Little Gophers Pre-School
Telephone: 1 403 544 5559
littlegopherspre-school@hotmail.com
Ralston School
Telephone: 1 403 544 3535
Headteacher:
School Administrator:
MFRC (Child Services’ Coordinator)
Telephone: 1 403 544-551
smfrc@telusplanet.net
For further information the following websites may be useful:
Ralston School - Preparing young minds for the challenges of tomorrow
Ralston Kindergarten - Alberta Curriculum is combined with the Early Learning Goals
Education.gov - Albertans invited to celebrate excellence in teaching
SCE Schools - Service Children's Education
Prairie Rose School Division No.8
Medicine Hat SD76 - Medicine Hat School District No. 76