I enrolled in the Sampler Arts Course, 6-9pm Mondays, designed to give beginners an understanding…read moreof different mediums and their applications and felt excited about the upcoming learning. On the first night it became apparent that half the class had different instructions on what materials to bring to first class. I was gifted materials from the kind person next to me. (that person did not turn up again) The teacher appeared tired and unenthusiastic. The information she provided was minimal and sometimes inadequate. Her voice, with strong accent, was very hard hear and this was exacerbated by clanging and banging from the adjacent room. Over the subsequent weeks, this demeanor continued and one had to work hard to understand her instructions, observe her practice and try and reproduce that at our desks in short time frame. I felt that with this level of engagement, more learning could have been acquired by googling and you tubing. I note that this teacher does most of the art classes WEA run and maybe she is overcommitted? My overall experience of WEA has been much better and comes down to the qualities and character of the teacher which is usually a good standard.

This is a great, much cheaper, alternative to TAFE and takes a lot less time. Basically WEA offers…read moreshort courses in almost anything you can imagine (and some things you probably wouldn't believe anyway unless you read them). Not sure if there is an age minimum but as a teenager in high school I did a couple of courses there. One was a Beginner Saxophone course. My mum was sick and tired of me wanting to play an instrument, doing it for a couple of terms of a year then getting bored and choosing a different instrument. So this time she told me I had to do this course first and see if I really liked it. Well her bad luck - I loved it! Then she had to start getting me more expensive real lessons so I could progress further after the course but I still have my sax and play to this day. I also did a hair braiding course here where I learnt so many cool things for a) a female, and b) one with long hair. My friends was as glad as I was that I had done the course! Plus I've done a speed reading course here to help me get through work quicker at school. All 3 were fantastic experiences and I met some new people and learnt some new skills. A great alternative to meet some friends with similar interests - especially if you're not a pub type person. Check out their website. As well as the courses they even have educational trips, like study tours I guess, which can travel to many places in the world and be from a few days to a few weeks long. There really is something for everyone!

Carclew is a magnificent landmark building in North Adelaide, prominently standing in pride of…read moreplace on the corners of Jeffcott Street, Montefiore Hill and Strangways Tce and to think this was once a private residence up until 1965 is amazing! It has since emerged as South Australia's only youth arts establishment for the under 26 age group, providing many arts and recreation programs to help our youth gain experience whilst embracing multi culuralism in the community. This is all possible due to South Australian government initiatives. During the year there are many events, exhibitions and workshops taking place, so have a look online or go for a impromptu visit as staff are more than happy to answer any queries. During the school holidays is a great time to take your kids to any one of the great programs run by SA artists and tutors at reasonable prices, age groups are divided to cater to their capabilities. Have a look online and book as places are filled quickly.

Carclew is in an absolutely stunning building, built in 1897 and owned by the Bonython family for…read moremost of it's early history. Now it is a youth arts centre, and it was in that capacity that I arrived here - I was invited to teach a cross stitch workshop yesterday - 45 kids over the whole day in 3 separate workshops - PHEW!! The staff here really know what they are doing - they are organised, very good at handling kids and keeping them interested, and very good to work with. There are a lot of activities to keep your kids occupied, and to teach them very important artistic and lateral thinking skills. School holidays they have programs - yesterday I was part of the 3-in-1 Workshop day, where your kids get to do 3 different workshops from 9.00 to 5.00, in groups of 15. All tutors and assistants must have a current police check for working with children, and there are staff on hand all day to make sure everything is running smoothly. Kids are not allowed to wander around by themselves - it's a very tightly-run ship! We will definitely be taking my partner's daughter to the next one of these, as the staff are very trustworthy, and the workshops are of a high standard.

Flinders is often much maligned as the forgotten SA uni. Far from the city and not nearly as hip it…read morealmost as if it causes the staff and students to work harder to change perception. With two campuses in Bedford Park most students are now situated on the Main campus with the recent addition of the newly built Education building. It has also recently had a multimillion dollar upgrade to the sports facilities and now boasts one of the best views of any uni and cheapest memberships for a fully equipped gym. Degrees ranging in the areas of Education, Humanity, Science, Law and Medicine there is a massive range and great level of experience that goes along with them. Party life dropped off a bit with the closure of the Tav but after a few years is picking back up with the advent of powers that be getting their acts together.

Flinders is a good university. Almost everyone is friendly and helpful. The first year science…read moretopics are generally well structured however I find the resources at Adelaide University to be outstanding in comparison. The facilities at the uni are nice however look slightly outdated in comparison to Adelaide. Overall, Flinders is a good uni, however Adelaide has a range of extra facilities for science courses, with tuition fees that aren't significantly higher.

This school stands out for me as apart from the normal high school curiculum, it has a special…read moreeducation unit which offers building and construction, basketball program which gradually leads into a Sports Coaching program and Tower Arts Centre where I was privilleged to attend a Meet the Author sessions some years back. They have a lovely mix of students from various multicultural background, which makes it a great and happy place to learn. My friend was a Student Teacher here for a term or two, and she came back with positive reviews. Great location and easily accessible by buses along Five Ash Drive along Goodwood Road.

I went to Eynesbury for years 10, 11 and 12. When I went there they only had the second half of…read moreYear 10 but now you can go there from the start. The school is structured differently from all public and private schools, it is like a bridge between school and university. You are given a lot more freedom, but the academic level is still extremely high. How school works is you have two 2-hour classes for each subject. Your hours vary depending what subjects you do, but the day starts at 8am and finishes at 5pm. You refer to the teachers by their first name, which enables you to be on a more equal level with them, it is less like a dictatorship. They are very helpful and often in their office able to help you with any questions or problems. All the teachers say, if you do the work they ask, you will do well. This is very true, the lessons and homework they give is exactly what you need to do well in every subject. There are no extra curricular subjects available at Eynesbury. You can't play sport, however, there are so many clubs around Adelaide that if you do want to play a sport it is easy to do so. I loved the location of Eynesbury. It is just off Victoria Square and they now have a new campus off Gouger Street. You can sit in the Square on breaks and you are right near the markets. Think of the food you can get for lunch, no more over-priced un-tasty cafeteria food. The city also makes it very convenient to catch public transport to and from school.

I attended Eynesbury for year 12 back in 1999. At the time it was a senior college catering for…read moreyears 11 and 12, but as Samantha says it has now been extended to encorporate year 10 also. I found the level of education and support provided by the teaching staff excellent. It was a highly supportive and nurturing environment, particularly for academically strong students. The expectations and standards are high for students. The freedom of dress, calling teachers by their first name and flexibility afforded by free periods was an excellent preperation for university. I do, however think this style is more effective for final year students and those independantly motivated. I am glad I didn't go to Eynesbury in year 10 & 11, as I believe my rebellious streak would have flourished a little more freely than in the traditional school system. I also enjoyed PE in my younger schooling and it would have been detrimental to my health and wellbeing to opt out of it at an earlier age. As Sam said, the subjects offered were all core academic subjects and the majority of SACE subjects offered were PES.

My child went to this school for a few terms before moving to a more specialised one closer to…read morehome. It was a fantastic school. Especially if your child has any special needs. They have more SSO support than most schools and are a specialty disability school as well as a normal mainstream public school. They also have a great OSHC facility on site which we used being full time working parents. The schools communication was extremely effective with the teacher even emailing out weekly newsletters - which was great when we rarely saw the teacher as we would drop off and pick up from OSHC. There was a little disruption when he was there with some building works occuring due to additional schools funding. He was in a huge hall as a temporary classroom but it would all be finished now and would look even better.

Adelaide Central School of Art has such a brilliant reputation…read more I am due to be a student there this year, and it is only due to their flexibility, helpfulness and access to FEE-HELP (Hecs) that I am able to follow one of my primary passions - visual art. I have tried to study at UniSA twice, but their inflexible study times and minimum workload requirements made it impossible. However, I decided that I really needed to have some direction in art and I've always wanted professional mentoring in traditional mediums including drawing and oil painting. ACSA provides that and even when I asked tentatively if they had any places left for the 2012 Bachelor course, they accepted me (Supposed to have applied in November 2011). The Receptionist was incredibly lovely, helpful and passionate about art and we talked about it for ages. This is one of the only places that do night time classes and on the 6th of Feb, I'll be starting 7pm classes in drawing and oils. This place is a safe haven for the artistically inclined.

More than just an art school. Central, situated presently on Osmond Terrace in Norwood, but likely…read moresoon to move (as to where they apparently have not yet decided) houses both a gallery and an independently owned art supplies store. The gallery is well respected in the South Australian contemporary art scene and shows the work of local and national artists throughout the year as well as hosting graduate exhibitions and group shows of emerging artists. Until recently, the gallery was hosting an exhibition entitled "Flourish" featuring the work of Central's instructors and former students. The next show on the calendar entitled "Emergence" will display the work of this years graduates. Although I have only seen a few examples of the work to be on show, it appears that there is certainly some talent this year and it will be well worth checking out. As well as offering full length degree programmes, Central also offers a number of short courses and hosts interesting workshops from time to time. Prior to commencing my studies there, I took the painting short course which proved very useful in developing basic painting skills. The workshops are often directed at specific areas, and are often suited to more the experienced, whereas the short courses are often suited to begginers. The full length of study at Central can prove to be very expensive, although, Central's recent affiliation with Flinders University has now made HELP Loans available with respect to study fees.

St Peters Woodlands Primary used to be located in central Glenelg and it was a much smaller school…read moreback then with hardly any grounds. It wasn't until the school relocated to the former Woodlands Girls Grammar School site that it became the school it is today. Both of my daughters attended this school and I can't say enough about it. The ground and the school buildings are picturesque and steeped in history. I used to love helping out with reading, sitting above the cloisters with beautiful views across the oval and Glenelg. My last daughter left here 4 years ago but back when they were both here the teachers were amazing, and very dedicated. The former headmaster, Roger Taylor was an outstanding Headmaster, and it was a very sad day when he retired, leaving very big shoes to fill. Things have changed a little in the last few years with well rennovated modern classrooms built, in keeping with the older buildings. The school has both a strong academic focus as well as a wonderful sports and music programs. They have also always had an artist in residence so the fine arts are well represented too. The school has a wonderful community feel and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.

My daughter is in grade 4 at St Peters Woodlands. This is a 'safe' school and struggles with…read morestudents who are outside of this square, that is; students who have learning difficulties or who are academically bright. We were forced to hire a tutor on top of what is essentially a very expensive school because the school failed to help our daughter. Frustratingly the Headmaster is Utopian - "we are all happy here at St Peters Woodlands". They do have a Boost programme which is spasmodic and, for our daughter at least, failed to follow up on any requests. In our experience we have had to fight - phone calls, meetings - to get anywhere. There is another thing to consider - when they reach grade three the classes drop from four to three which means that the number of students per class dramatically rises. My daughters class this year has 29 students, my niece in a public school has 28. If your son/daughter has any problem this is a real issue. They disguise all of these issues by beautifully manicured grounds. For almost seven thousand dollars a year you would expect a lot more from this school