So what are the levels and when are they decided.
Our son is 10, so I understand there will be a decision made by someone ?? if he is good enough to goto the the grammer type school or the normal school??
then what, what are these 3 levels I keep reading about?
Ta
However, keep in mind that until HarmoS gets agreed, there are major differences between Cantons. So what is true in one place, another may contradict as it is totally different elsewhere, eg. age of starting school. And sometimes even regional/local variations.
thanks we are in zurich, but I didn't understand the diagram in that link at all maybe I should go back to school
in grade 7 there is a split between higher class and normal class. you need to get more than 5 on three subjects here it is french maths and german to qualify for the higher class. they do not use percentages but a number system 6 being between 95 and 100% so a 5 woulld be 80% or more for each subject.
from what i can pick up it is far far beter job wise if they are in the higher class
hope this helps
they also look at all three subjects and if you have 5.5 on two you can now do the third subject in the lower class!!
VSB--highest track, university stream
VSG--middle track, some specialised additional education
VSO--low track, vocational training, apprenticeships
Age/class of separation depends on school/Canton, usually around 5eme, but sometimes this is just based on previous grades and this year is more a confirmation. In some places it is rigid, and no movement between tracks, in some cases one can change but often having to repeat extra year(s). Only about 10% go to the university stream. Mandatory schooling typcially ends at 9eme.
Are there set numbers of children go from the school to the grammer school? or is it just the best from wherever?
What I'm getting at is can the schools influence the amount of pupils who get to the higher schools by setting easy papers?
we know our son is at or near the top of his class but by these standards no one from his school will be moving to the top school??
And just how much of a handicap is it not to goto vsb?
Oficially no, unofficially yes - there are so many applicants they have to reduce them through the entrance test and the probation period. A kid I know had to do the exams reserved for those who were sick during the regular period. He got through but daddy was told that there was no place for him in Gymi and that he would have to go to Sek. Fortunately daddy works for UBS and can afford the fees for the Freie Gymnasium.
Yes - if your teacher thinks your kid is good enough for Grammar school he will give the kid a 5.5 in German and Maths which will ease his way during the exam. if your kid is getting a 4.5 in either then its going to be difficult to get through. This is why the marking during the entrance exam is harder than one might consider reasonable.
No gymi, no direct path to university, its that simple. Considering the number of idiots who do go on to university I would consider that a major handicap. Major got into gymi on her own, minor is going to need a push and my attitude is that she is going through the grammar school (or boarding school) system whether she likes it or not, I don't like the pre-defined slots teh Swiss subject their kids to.
Here is my take on it. I have a daughter who is 11 and is currently in year 5. We are in Kanton zurich and so this information is based on what I have been told for the school system here. During grade 5 the children are told at what level the teacher thinks they are at because at grade 6 the children who reach a 4.5 average are put forward for extra classes to prepare them for an exam in grade six. These are on a wednesday afternoon and run by the geminde. The children who are put forward for these classes are then able to sit the test to see if they get the grades to go forward to the gymnaisum school. If they do not get put forward for the test you can discuss it with the teachers and they may give the child the chance. If they pass the test then they go through to the gymnasium school and start the long matura course (6 years). This will give them the Matura certificate which allows them to go to a University. If they do not pass the test then they get another opperatunity at the end of grade 8 to start the short Matura in grade 9. This gives them the same out come with the Matura certificate after 4 years. My understanding is that in the long Matura they will study some different subjects such as latin. If they do not make the grade for the gymnasium school then they will go to the Sec A or Sec B school. From the Sec A if you do well you are able to move up and also if you do not keep your grades up then you can also be moved down from any level of the schools. I have heard that a child who has not been in a swiss school for at least 2 years can not go into the gymnasium and will have to do 2 years in sec A first of all with extra german support. There are several gymnasiums in Zurich now that offer a bilingual matura but not all the schools offer long and short courses, so you have to look at each individual school.
I hope this makes it clearer and I hope my understanding is correct as well.
Good luck.
I have to point out at this stage that major was the only child from the school that made gymi without attending a prep course (apart from the afternoon course given by the teacher).
There is a budding business in prep courses which then advance into get-through-probation courses (which we didn't do either but felt it necessary to have grinds in Latin).
If you decide to go through the prep route you might try the ones at the Freie Gymnasium - if you do them you get automatic entry to their gymnasium, which isn't cheap (anyone know if its tax deductable?) but if the alternative is Sek C with a bunch of Albanian mountain peasants ....