Private vs public schools comparison

Family, Education, Health and Pets
41
I've come across another possible issue with the international schools that I don't think has been mentioned yet.

A friend of mine visited some international schools in and around Lausanne before finally deciding to plump for the local system. She was teetering anyway, but said that the thing that swung it for her - and it was something that simply hadn't occurred to her before visiting - was the level of English being used to teach the younger years. As a significant number of the younger pupils come into the school as non- or very limited English speakers, the language used to teach them has to be correspondingly simplified.

She did say that it didn't seem to be an issue higher up in the school, where presumably the majority of the kids are then fluent English speakers.

kodokan

42
Dear OZHK, that is why I said worldwide. Not in countries where the public is seen as the less desirable option. Sometimes maybe you pay for a smaller class, sometimes a good reputation, and sometimes to rub shoulders with the children of your idea of the right sort. Years ago that was important for professional reasons, but not really so important anymore.

43
My kids go to an International school. We decided to send them there rather than the local swiss school, because we do not intend to be here long term and the company would pay for it.

I would not send my kids to a private school in my home country (Australia) the kids went to a local small town school in a regional, lower socio-economic area. I have found the kids at the international school fall into many categories.

10% of the kids are Swiss, not sure why many of them are sent there, a couple of parents I have spoken to have said that they wanted the kids to learn english, since this is widespread and often a business language. I guess if you can afford it, the hours are probably better for working parents as mentioned before.

Some kids are the children of expats who are here long-term, both of english-speaking and non-english speaking backgrounds. Some kids like ours would not normally go to a private school but only attend because of the same reasons as ours. Some children would have attended private schools in their home country.

My point is it is a mixed bag.

Kodokan, with respect to the simplified language, this is not always the case. A lot depends on the teacher. I have known parents from non english backgrounds whose children have complained that they have not understood the teacher because they have used either complex language or unfamiliar terms (this is in grade K and 1). This has caused great angst for the students.

What I think is fantastic about the international school is that the kids get to mix with and sample so many cultures, not just the Swiss culture. The school does try to make the most of the diverse population. As a parent, I have had fascinating discussions on politics and culture with others coming from a completely different viewpoint. I have learned a lot about other people and how much we have in common.

I feel the children are not learning German very fast or learning Swiss German and they are somewhat isolated from the local community, which is a downside. However we live near the school and the children have made friends with other students from the school that live in the same village. The kids also have the opportunity to meet more 'locals' by joining sporting clubs or other activities.

Larissa

44
With regards to Champittet and religion, you can choose between catechism and "normal" RE from 4th grade upwards. Below that if the parent does not wish the child to participate then they draw pictures or read a book for the half hour lesson.

There are some posh kids but of the three private schools I worked in in Switzerland, it was not the worst!

The bilingual section only really starts from grade 2 and if the child is younger than that and an English native speaker then it won't be very challenging - a bone of contention for some parents!

The best way to get a feel for the place is to visit but I appreciate that this might not be easy!

45
Oh absolutely, and of course using simplified language is what a sensitive and responsive teacher will naturally do. When my son's teacher is speaking directly to him, she uses a simpler form of French than she does with the others - easier words, single clause sentences, slower delivery. Naturally I'm delighted at how she's helping him progress. Totally hypocritically, though, I would be concerned if a teacher was delivering all the lessons in a similar semi-basic English in an English-speaking school that my kids were attending!

But 'concerned' in this context could simply mean being more aware of the English we used at home, to make sure it was fully enriching, included more poetry reading, TV viewing was more carefully screened, etc. I was just flagging it up as something to be aware of.

Before arriving here, I too saw this as a huge potential benefit of the international system. I was surprised to discover just how varied the children are in my daughter's class: Swiss, English (just her), French, German, Albanian, Ukranian, Chinese, Portuguese - and that's just the ones I know personally! Obviously this won't be the same for all areas (we're along the shore of Lake Geneva) and this too will create issues of making the teaching language accessible for all the children. Luckily, although many of the others have different 'home' languages, my daughter was the only totally non-French speaker at the start of the year.

There's always a compromise somewhere, I feel. If I had secondary aged children, I think I would have popped them into international school, no question. I have it in the background as a possible approach for their secondary education anyway, when they get to that stage.

As mine were younger when we moved over last year (8 and 4), I felt able to conduct a huge 'lab rat' experiment where in the hopefully short-term I trade off large chunks of their primary education and currently restricted socialising against bilingualism and being more settled in the community. Only time will tell if this was the right approach .

kodokan

46
My children all attend(ed) the local school (not considered to be a very good school by the way). The school has around 300 pupils from about 30 different countries, so is just as international as the international school.

They have friends in the neighbourhood and are fluent in Swiss German. The eldest two have gone on to gain good degrees at UK universities.

And the class size varies from 15 to 20 children, which is no larger than our local international school.

47
Having gone through this decision tree nearly two years ago when we first arrived here, my husband and I are now coming to reassess, as it now looks like we shall be here for at least another 4-5 years. We decided when we arrived in 2007 to place our older daughter in the local kindergarten, and remain very happy with that decision. It forced her to learn Swiss German, helped integrate both her and us (well, largely me) into the local community, and helped her make friends in the neighborhood. We have been very fortunate to have an extraordinary Kindergarten teacher who truly cares about the students, and is patient and kind, albeit firm when she needs to be.

After two years, our daughter can communicate without any problem in German. However, she does not have the vocabulary of her peers, because she does not speak German at home. She still finds the language a struggle sometimes, and does not enjoy going to school. Her teacher believes her German is exactly what should be expected of her, and there is no indication of any learning difficulty, but I know it is hard work--she gets frustrated to the point of tears. She is afraid of going to first grade, because then she will have to learn in High German, which in some cases is practically a different language. We have told her that her peers are in the same boat, but that does not help. She also does not do well in highly structured environments, as she is a perfectionist (cannot imagine shere that might have come from ). Her teacher has said on several occasions that she needs more opportunity to be spontaneous. I am not sure whether we will find that in the local school. As she gets older, she will benefit less and less from homework help from her father and me, because my German is limited and my husband's is nonexistent.

We are looking at three different options: keeping her in the local school regardless of her trepidation (which would also pose other difficulties, if I ever find a job, but that is another topic); transferring her to the international school, (which is non-profit, by the way,) IF we are offered a place; or moving her to a bilingual Montessori school. Anyone else dealt with these issues?

Does anyone have much experience with Montessori in the early grades? In particular, how easy it might be to transition to a more traditional school in a few years' time?

48
Yes you would think that public school teacher salaries would be low because they are govt. servants. In Switzerland though, I was very surprised to find out how much they actually earn. Quite a lot!! My initial reaction was, why doesn't everyone become a teacher then, for that kind of money and seemingly nice working schedule? The answer is that because you need to be highly qualified to be able to get a job as a teacher here. You really need to work hard and spend years to get the right qualifications.

49
Not just here axman. Generally there are a lot of exams and extra courses to do in any country. People forget that if you don't have the vocation and lots more besides you wouldn't get there or stick it out when you get there! Yet the pay isn't usually as good as people with similar years of education in other sectors.