As they say, age is just a number
I would not worry about whether the age is going to be an issue later. Some kids are made to stay behind and must repeat a class. But equally, I understand that if a kid is bright and bored, many schools have a process where they can move the child up a class!
Please have a really good look at the 'sticky' threads which are are the top of the forum areas. For example, under the section Forum / Education there is one specifically about Swiss schooling.
For Gymnasium in Zurich, in the Swiss system, the exam is only in maths and German at the entry point after grade 6 primary, or maths, German and French for the entry point after year 8 or 9 (secondary).
The age gap between children in the gymnasium is quite often a year, or two or even more. There is a long and short gymnasium and it's also possible to enter after 3 or even 4 secondary school years to do the short programme.
The system is quite complex, in the sense that it has many pathways for where you want to be, and there is little advantage in finishing school as fast as possible but not actually having a clear goal, or simply being younger than your peers entering the workforce.
You can download a helpful brochure with a diagram that explains the levels here:
http://www.awa.zh.ch/internet/volksw...m_overview.pdf
There are so many educational tracks, but if you stay in Zurich for the long-term the biggest hurdle will be getting a Bachelor's degree in something other than German....
Talking specifically about Adliswil, my understanding is that for Kindergarten they just immerse all the children in the regular classes and then offer additional support later if deemed helpful. For grade 1 upwards they do have a special German intensive language school, but it's not conveniently located in the centre of town - it could be in Langnau or Horgen...
Very, very useful. Thank you! I feel much reassured and less tense about making this decision. The main idea was to reduce stress for her when entering new school and I understood that there are good ways to do it without going to LFZ. Which is great.
@swisspea Do you mean they do not provide extra "german as second language" classes in kindergarten ? I shall clarify it with them. In Kilchberg they told me they have it...
What is the de-facto language children speak/read/write in local schools in Zurich area, is it high-german or swiss-german ?
Also, what is the approx. daily schedule for kindergarten/primary school (again, in Zurich)? Here in Brussels we had something like 8.45 till around 15.30(except Wed), with the daycare option till 18.30
Many thanks!
Kindergarten is taught in Swiss German.
About 8:05 till 12:00. The big kids - second year Kindergarten - normally have two times afternoon-school, too: About 13:30 to 15:30. Wednesday afternoon is always free.
School-timetables tend to vary a bit from community to community. Vacation schedule is the same as primary and secondary school.
Daycare: You'll have to look for additional daycare if you need it. Kindergarten belongs to school and is paid by taxes. Daycare is a different thing, you'll have to find a Hort or other daycare option to cover the missing hours and you'll pay accordingly. There are already some threads about this, search the forum.
Good luck with your move!
Thank you @marischi
Is it the same for primary/secondary school ?
I am also curious about average number of kids in a class in primary, how does it compare to lfz, where you could have 26 max.
The language of instruction switches to High German from primary school, when the kids learn to read and write. At our school, the teachers speak High German to the kids in class, some of them switch to Swiss German outside of class, the assistants always speak Swiss German. The kids have to speak back in High German to the teachers in class (and they will be corrected if they speak Swiss German), outside they may speak whatever they want; most of them stick to High German, but that's because the majority come from mixed families (very few 100% Swiss German kids).
It sounds complicated, but it's not. I actually wish that the Troll had been to local KG, because he would speak Swiss German by now and be "invisible" in public. As it is, he understands Swiss German perfectly but has decided that he doesn't want to speak it and instead he sticks to a very correct and adult High German. So much for blending in with the locals.
Not sure about the number of kids in classes in public schools.
26 children is normally the maximum. Personally, I like bigger classes because there is more choice of playmates for the children - and a bigger variety of ideas and opinions. I once had a class of 16 - you'd think that's easy - but it was hell. They all depended so much on me, because the choice of mates was very limited, they were not well matched and most of them needed lots of litigation by me. I became better when I realized that fact and thus taught differently. But the first semester was hell...
Most classes will have a range of 20-26 Students. Our school will have a Kindergarten class with 32 students this year, but this is exceptional, and there will be a teaching assistant in the classroom.
The language of instruction from Grade 1 is High German. If children get additional German classes in Kindergarten, High German is taught.
When my kids arrived in Grades 4 & 6 three years ago they learned High German and Swiss German simultaneously from school and playground. The result is that one now prefers speaking Swiss German and the other prefers High German, no idea why!
Schools usually have classes from about 8-12.00 and 13.30-15.00 or 16.00. Wednesday afternoons are always off. Kids in lower grades sometimes have an extra afternoon off. Most schools or communities offer some sort of lunch program. They may or may not offer an after school program (Hort). Both programs you need to pay for. If this is something you need, contact your school or community.
Sounds like it was really hard to manage smaller class... So, you are a teacher in public school in Zurich, @marischi, what do you teach ?
Yes, I am. Actually teaching at a clinic school in different levels, but will take over a new Kindergarten class after summer break. Just some hundred meters over Zürich city limits.
Yes, I love the diversity of bigger classes. My new class is an "in between class" but I was assured that I will get more students because of new housing development in the area :-)