Thanks in advance.
We have come across this school as a possible school for our then to be 3 year old son. Does anyone have any information or experience with this school. I see there was a website with some complaints but it seems to have been removed/deleted.
I think the best advice is to go through the many threads we have on 'international schools' 'bilingual schools' 'childcare' 'montessori' and 'public schools'.
The second advice is to make a 'short list' of options for your child, and then come to actually see the schools.
I was not even aware that ISZN had a programme for 3 year olds...that's a new one for me!
Is there a reason why you want an english-dominant school and not a bilingual programme for your child ? How long are you planning to live in Zurich, and what will be your general location for commuting to work ? There are *lots* of options in and around Zurich for kids - at age 3 you could also choose a really good quality english or bilingual preschool/kindergarten, and they transfer to primary school around age 6.5 - 7 in the swiss system...
I commend you for assigning your child to a disciplinary learning environment at such an early age, especially if you both have careers to pursue, it must be the easiest option.
After all, 3yr. olds don't need to waste time at home playing useless games with useless toys - they don't need a pre-school childhood.
The world needs more imbalanced, hyper-intelligent, over-qualified adults, who can't fend for themselves at a basic day-to-day level.
Speaking personally, as my daughters have Swiss citizenship, I was completely disappointed that they couldn't get in a couple of years military service before they started school at 6yrs. old ..... damn Swiss system bringing up mummies' girls - where's the discipline for Gawd's sake?
Did you really need to post this? The OP was asking for info on the school not for child-rearing advice. Someone must have really rattled your cage today for you to take your frustration out on an unsuspecting stranger. I suppose you expect that people who don't want to put their career on hold for 5 years should not have children, or maybe that all nurseries should be closed so that all children should play at home on their own instead? Or do you think that nursery for 2.5+ year old children at ISZN is somehow more disciplinary than any other nursery?
Good for you. Were you put in disciplinary learning environment at age 3 yourself? Then I understand you point.
It's over now, you are a free individual, you can play with any toy you want. Momy loves you. Kiss dear.
Firstly, if someone posts on a public forum on the world wide web , then they shouldn't expect that they're just going to get back the fluffy answers that they want to read. I was purely being opinionated, as is my right, until told otherwise.
And no, my cage wasn't rattled - I'm my usual happy self; but I do find it obscene that someone is considering uprooting what is nothing more than a toddler from everything that he has ever known in his short existance, bringing him to a strange country and contemplating putting him a school (in whatever guise) at the age of three. Maybe it's already happened, as he's already in Denmark, with at least one English parent.
And, yes, in general, I believe that during a child's most informative years, up to what one would consider the generally accepted age to begin school of 5yrs., it is important that he or she has the company, guidance and security of one of their parents.
I also accept, that often, when in one's home country, sometimes there isn't always the choice for both parents not to work - despite childcare and/or private schooling eating most, if not all, of the second salary.
However, for someone who is considering moving here, in the majority of cases, this must be a career choice and not a necessity, probably hoping to improve one's lot. Therefore, taking that into account, I really don't see why this is even a consideration, until at least the family are here and can see for themselves - and then, hopefully for the sake of the child, not for another couple of years.
When it's not a necessity for both parents to work, I would ask whether those couples who want to pursue their careers, should question whether or not they should have children. CAREERS ARE NOT MORE IMPORTANT, THAN CHILDREN.
No .... I was nearly normal. I started school a month short of my 5th birthday, back in the day, in the UK, when there was a new intake after Christmas, as well as in September.
And playing on my own with my toys, up until that point, I'm sure helped me to be imaginative, creative and independent, and held me in good stead for later life.
I wish I had toys to play with now, and not just projects and problems to solve - although problem solving, is another attribute that I accredit to playing with limited resources during my childhood.
swisspea, thank you for your reply. and thanks for the reply to my other thread. i appreciate the advice and info. we will be in zurich for under 2 years, so an english school/nursery is our first choice. we will be visiting before we relocate and will definitely visit all the schools we have shortlisted.
No, what you have done is not expressing your opinion. It is a personal attack on somebody you have never met and have no idea about.
It's probably no coincidence that it's usually men who shout this more often than not. Who says the parent in question has a career? Pre-school has an amazing benefit of putting kids in an environment where they can play and learn to behave around other kids. Hanging around with mom doing the shopping, cooking and laundry, especially if there's only one child, can be pretty darn boring for the child, even more because the German kids on the local playground won't play with the English speaking kids(at least they won't with my daughter). At a bi-lingual school/international school, they have a chance to make some friends.
It's difficult for me to understand why there are so many downright hateful sorts on this forum who feel compelled to belittle others who may choose a different option than the 'traditional' 1950s nuclear family.
Hi, I am having daughter 3.5 year old and planning to send her Swiss International School Zurich North (ISZN), Wallisellen. Does anyone have any information or experience with this school or any other nice bilingual school is there. Please share your knowlege or experience.
Thanks inadvance.
It may have changed over the last few years - background reading:-
SaritaG - my 3 year old son will be starting at ISZN in August. I had heard that there were some issues when we were looking for schools, but the issues seemed to be with the high school - and I couldn't find out too much detailed information. When we visited the school we were happy with the classrooms, teachers etc. The teachers seemed genuinely warm and welcoming. In fact, we actually got a better feeling about ISZN than the Nursery department at Winterthur for a few reasons. My son has had 2 trial afternoons and has been happy when he comes home.
Telandy - thank you for providing the link to the complaints website. I must admit that although that was 2 years ago, it still makes me a bit nervous about the school.
I would like to think that a lot of the issues have been resolved since 2010 but the only way to really find out is if we get some information from parents who have kids at ISZN now. Specifically the Nursery/Kindergarten classes. My information comes from a limited experience of the school.
Just some feedback about ISZN. My son has been there for a month now and is so happy. The teachers are great, parents are lovely and I am happy with our decision. I'm sure that there will be some annoyances along the way (as there always are) but in my opinion, it is not the same school as described on the complaints website.
Dear Stacey,
Just a quick message, if I may, to inquire whether you still continue satisfied with ISZN.
We are moving to Zurich in January, 2013 and I am considering enrolment for my 3-year old in ISZN. Feedback from parents, whose small ones are enrolled in that school, would be so great.
Thank you in advance.
Happy holidays!
Hi aggiekam
Yes, we are still very happy there. The staff in nursery are fantastic. I would be happy to answer more specific questions if you want to pm me.
Stacey
ISZN has changed greatly since the bad press a few years back, I would say the teething problems have diminished. A few parents had issues with the upper management of the school.
The lower school has huge classes with lots of space and the upper school has it's own building with room for growth. Both campuses have proper teachers with proper degrees and equipment.
Check it out if you are looking for International Schools...it might be to your liking.
I'm a bit worried about your mention of huge classes. There may well be a lot of space, but many parents would probably prefer smaller classes which would provide more individual attention ( especially for the younger pupils).
i meant huge class rooms, not pupils per class. Sorry for the confusion.
of course parents are into more individualized teaching, thus the reason many send their kids to internationa schools, plus the mobility factor with the curriculum taut, whether UK, IB or other...
For potential world movers it is an option worth checking into.
Once again, sorry for the confusion on class size and class room size...
Hi Stacey check this out:
https://sites.google.com/site/experi...schools-review
.
Teachers are nice but academic level needs to be reviewed (Huge involvement of parents needed) Owned by 1 person (A non profit organization, this says it all...) Intercommunity school in Zumikon or SIS Winterthur would be my recommendation, keep off ISZN!!
No changes since 4 years since all children moved from school and i guess this will be repeated soon.... I experienced it myself the principle showed his real face and threatened us as we asked too many questions about firing well experienced teachers and being replaced by cheaper personal with less skills. Parents still paying 25k CHF per Year for less academic skills of teachers, so parents involvement is huge for volunteering and homework and charities (which still do not pay out to charities... Teachers of ISZN send their children to ICS Zumikon although they would have 50% off at ISZN, i guess that says it all....