Hi there,

was wondering if somebody could provide me with some useful advice/ information regarding schooling in Zug.
We are currently relocating to Zug and have 3 children, ages 12.10 and 5. We need help as to the best private schools for the older children and a local school for the youngest child. Having a quick look at the schools is like finding a needle in a haystack. We have been advised the older children are a little too old to place in a swiss local school.
Also how do you go about finding examination/league table results for schools.
Your help would be much appreciated. Thanks lesley

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HiI live in Zug and have similarly aged children. As far as I know there are 2 private options, the International school in Baar, which is english speaking and montana on the zugerberg, which is bilingual. You can go to a private school in another Kanton however and there are more options in Kanton Zürich.
Private schools are very expensive if you are paying yourself.
Local schools simply are what they are and you don't get to choose. your geminde should write to you asking you to enrol shortly after you arrive.

It is very hard to know whether kids are too old for local schools, some EF members have had good experiences but I am only new to the system myself. I am currently having a lot of trouble getting a Gymnasium place for my eldest who does not yet have perfect German. Actually, does anyone on EF have a child in Zug (or neighbouring Kantons) Gymnasium Kanti and if so, do they have a German mother tongue parent? It seems to me that in practice, this is a pre-requisite.

Thank you so much for your quick reply, will certainly look later when i can grab a few mins to myself to concentrate without the interruption of kids!!!!

Thank you so much for your quick reply, i will certainly have a good look at the information.

The Montana is bilingual in the Swiss school department, middle and high school of the international section are only English.

The elementary day school they have is bilingual, though.

There are fundamental differences that make it difficult for older children without excellent German (French/Italian- depending on location).

First of all, kids are setted as a class, and not as individuals. So kids in a class have to be more or less in the same level bracket. In the UK, children are more often than not placed in a Tutor Group with a form Tutor- which is a social/administrative grouping. Then they are setted for all the academic subjects. So a child can be in Set 1 for French, Set 2 for maths, Set 5 for Physics, Set 3 for English,, and so on. If a child from abroad arrives with less than perfect local language skills, and are very bright, they can quickly join Set 1 in sciences and maths- even though they might need special help with English and catching up with the foreign language taught at the school.

In Switzerland- this does not happen. A classe moves around to different lessons as a more or less homegenious 'pack'. so a child with poor German (F/I) just cannot keep up.

At upper secondary levely, students in the UK study 4 subjects only at AS Level, and then 3 for A'Levels. Again, a bright or talented student can choose subjects in which they excel, but where a perfect command of the local language is not essential. In the arts, or IT, or in sciences and maths. In Switzerland you have to continue with all the subjects- and you have to have a good basic grasp and a minimum level in all (approx the equivalent of a 'C' = 4 in CH.) - if you do not have that minimum level in all subjects you cannot enter Gymnasium, and you can't keep up and pass.

One of my best friends daughter (Swiss) failed her first BAC by half a point in German, but had good marks in all other subjects bar maths, where she had just the minimum required. She had to re-do the whole year in all subjects. Next June she passed German, having had help to get over difficulties, but failed by half a point in maths! Curtains. She had to have the BAC to enter the Conservatoire to study the violin- but was unable to do so. Tragic. But it is important to understand why entering a Gymnasium class without excellent language skills is almost impossible and bound to failure in most cases. With older children it is therefore an excellent idea to find a private school in English to get over this.

Younger children who join the local school will very soon acquire all the necessary language skills required at a later stage to succeed. The sooner the better. I'm afraid (actually very glad) that League Tables etc do not exist in CH (having witnessed the effect of their introduction in UK schools as a teacher). Kids go to the local school, and that's that.