STATE SCHOOL
In Switzerland foreigners make up 22% of the total population. Many of them do put their kids into private day- or boarding school, but most foreigners and over 90% of Swiss parents choose a state school.
Basically the Swiss state school isn’t really a school run by the federal government but by each canton. That means that there are as many school systems as cantons (26 in all). One of the things they have in common is that they are all non-fee paying school and everyone can attend (also families with B and C permits).
Even though there have been and are attempts to conform the Swiss state school (and many are still waiting for a more harmonized (harmoS) school system), there are cooperation across the cantonal borders (Cantonal Directors of public Education) that are supposed to ensure contact and harmony between the different schools. The problems arise mainly when a family decides to move to another canton and must face the difficulties the child has to adapt to another school system.
Another problem with the Swiss state school is that the school day operates with inconvenient hours for working parents. The goal for those parties that favor changes is to implement an extra care options to working families, such as school meals or supervised homework.
Set aside the negative aspects of attending a state school, it is worth mentioning that the Swiss state school is rated among the best in the world and Swiss children scores significantly higher than other children from other countries in math and natural science.
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Primary School (Primarschule, école primaire) is a part of the Elementary school (Volkschule) and is mandatory for all Swiss Children. The minimum starting age is six years. At this point you would have to make up your mind wetter your child is going to attend private or state school.
The Primary school is normally divided into two or three levels: the first two years are called Unterstufe or premiere degree. The third and the fourth year is called Mittelstufe or duexieme degre and the last two year is called Oberstufe or troisieme degree. In Primary school all the subjects are usually taught by one teacher.
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Secondary School (Sekundarschule, école secondaire) usually last three to four years. Secondary school is divided into three different levels. What kind of level your child attends, depends on her / his last primary school year. The main subjects they will be tested in are: local language, mathematics, local history and geography. If your child wants to be admitted into the highest level, it is important to do well the last year in primary school. But doors aren’t completely closed even if he or she wasn’t admitted to the highest level.
The Sekundarschule is divided into many different types of school. The highest level, being the Upper Secondary School (Gymnasium, Kantonalschule, lycee / école, cantonale), allows your kids to enter tertiary education (University and technical institutes). Those finishing the Upper Secondary School have gained a maturity certificate and can from there be admitted to Universities or university of applied sciences after.
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* PRIVATE SCHOOLS
* PUBLIC SCHOOLS
* KINDERGARTEN
* VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS
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* MONTESORRI EDUCATION
* RUDOLF STEINER SCHOOLS
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* BILINGUAL SCHOOLS
* BILINGUAL UPBRINGING
* FOREIGN LANGUAGE
ACQUISITION
IN EARLYCHILDHOOD ----------------------------------------------
* Deutsch für fremdsprachige Kinder
* Learning the language of the
country in which you live * Becoming bilingual: How to help
children learn more than one language----------------------------------------------
* ARCHIVE