Schools in Winterthur area

Family, Education, Health and Pets
1
Moving to Winterthur area and would be interested to here view on international schools or bi lingual schools in the area, we have 2 children (7 and 11) so at this stage as we dont know how long we would stay we feel more comfortable knowing they can slot in straight away and then pick up the language and possibly move into local schools if we decide to stay longer..

2
There are lots of threads (& dilemma's) on this site relating to this topic, check out the search tool.

Local school - go for it!!

Good luck - H

3
Hi there, we are considering moving there as well but that is BECAUSE of the school... our eldest will also be 7 soon so perhaps they could play together.

Are you already in Switzerland? I am arriving officially in February but will be doing a little comute to try and sort a few things out.

Have you managed to find a place to live yet?

Any experiences you care to share?

4
Hi,

I have worked on commuting basis in Zurich for 3 years but am now faced with an ultimatum to move.

We have not yet signed on the dotted line so house hunting hasnt started yet but i plan to stay in Winterthur this weekend to take a look around and then bring the family over for a holiday in feb to see what they think..

I am currently trying to see whether there are scout or guide troops that our two cold join, would also help them build a network of local freinds outside of the ISW.

5
You don't get a real choice unless you choose to educate your kids privately. If you live in Töss, Oberwinterthur, Seen or Veltheim then the local primary schools are a given based on where you live. When you get to the upper grades 1 thru 3 (age 13 and up) then you have Sekundar A, B or Gymnasium (Grammar) or Sek C for special needs which gives you a little more flexibility and choice.

6
Winterthur is really a great place t live if you dont want so much of the hustle of the city life in Zurich, as it is more green and surrounded by nature on the outskirts of the city going to places like Oberwinterthur etc. It is a very family-orientated place with lots of activities for children.

There is an international school in Oberwinterthur called International School Winterthur ( www.iswinterthur.ch ) and is just across from a large park area as well as the little village of Hegi . There is also a Swiss International school, but this is more a bilingual school. International school Winterthur follows the internationally recognized IB curriculum.

Hope that helps!

7

HI and thanks for the info!

I have a question. Why people tend to put their children in International Schools and pay hell of money for that!!!

Do publich schools crap in Switzerland / Zürich??

Please let me know as I am thinking about it seriously for our future children!

8
I suggest you look at this and then do as the lady says!

9
ya and these are in this Forum? couldn't figure out where!

10
She is right.. (your link) but we did not have an option since my son was almost 15 when we moved to Switzerland and he could only speak english back then, so putting him in a local school was not an option. We had to go for the very expensive international school. If your children are still young..go for local schools...especially when you plan to stay for a while. Swiss public schools are good schools..no doubt...and just think what you can do with the extra CHF 35,000.00 per year...and your children will not only speak english but also be fluent in german..kids are amazing, they learn very fast.

11
Hello all,

I have been offered a job in Zurich which, at first, I wanted to take.

But I have 2 children (3 and 6) and I have been investigating the schooling possibilities.

I am absolutely horrified at the price of the international/bilingual schools.

My job is only a 2 year assignment so I didn't want to force them through the state system because of the langugae problem (even though I have heard that state schools are very good).

But it looks like I have little choice:

1. State school

2. Home schooling.

Anyone know of a home schooling club?

Thanks,

Peter.

12
Home schooling is only legal in Zurich if you're a qualified teacher.

Three and six yr olds will do fine in local schools, even just for a couple of years. We live close to the universities in Lausanne, and our local school has a revolving door of American kids who come over with their families for one year sabbaticals. They come into the school, at ages from 3-11 that I've known so far, and have a great life experience. It's not like they miss much academically at that age, and even if they lose the French on their return to the US it apparently lays the groundwork to make it much easier to learn future languages.

All you have to do is keep up a little English reading and writing with the older one, which is quite easy as the school hours are practically part-time anyway.

Hope this makes you feel a little more comfortable about state schools, if that's the way you end up having to go. And the school will have lots and lots of experience of non-speakers turning up; this won't be at all a big deal for them. (Although I'd suggest not specifically mentioning that it's for a fixed period of time unless asked directly; most teachers are dedicated and professional regardless, but there's always the possibility with a few that it could affect their effort and involvement.)

13
I agree with you 100%.

14
Choose housing in the best school area, send the children to the local Swiss School. (Rychenberg?). Go to the local official Schulverlag and get the local school curriculum materials. Hire a tutor for one to two hours a week. Send them to the Musikschule und Konservatorium Winterthur. They will need to practice their instrument about 45 minutes a day. Search online for school quality (not off the shelf) curriculum materials and teach them yourself for one hour a day. They then need 2 hours for homework (English and German). Plan weekend cultural tours and museum visits.

The rest of the time is theirs to spend with their friends, that won't be much time, they will complain. but if you are moving again then a tight family bond will be their rock, not the local kids. Especially if the local kids are not really doing stuff that will benefit your child long term.

15
You do realize the thread is 3 years old? Sounds like a lot of work...not sure a 3 year old would need 2 hours of homework a night, unless homework was playing play doh

16
Huh? Oh well thanks- it thought it came up in a 'New Posts' search!

I thought that I was addressing Simon and Nicky-

17
It did, thanks to a spammy post that was later deleted by the mods.