Hi,

We are trying to decide whether or not to take up my husbands company's offer of a job in Geneva. My son is 3 and starting nursery in the UK this week. I had assumed to continue his nursery and then further to start school when he is 4 next September that we would have to pay for private international school. However, I've seen somewhere on this forum that the public schools do offer English tuition and "bridging" lessons until they are able to join normal classes.

How do I find out which schools offer this service? We're looking at the Vaud region or closer to Geneva itself, no further out that Lausanne though.

Can anyone help?

thanks
Sue

The Swiss schools start at 7, with kindergarten 5-6. If your child goes to kindergarten, they'll pick up the language quite easily. Once they start school, they may, if necessary, get extra tuition in German or French. Although there are moves afoot, maybe already implemented, to teach English in primary, there is nothing as you describe, to the best of my knowledge.

For older children joining the system, there are integration classes/schools, focussing on the learning the local language. Maybe that's what you were thinking of.

There are MANY threads about Swiss schools. Have a look through and you'll find a wealth of information.

id also say put him in French school. He will only benifit and pick up the language in a few weeks. They say best time to learn multiple languages is before the age of 6

Ok, but stupid question, will the school send home circulars/ letters of information etc in French only? I won't understand anything? So I understand that my son would probably cope and pick it up - but how would that work for me?

This depends on the school ... my children attend a bilingual school in Zürich (German / English) so most notices are in both languages - or in one language, with the vital bits translated. Also, all of the staff are able to speak English, so questions can be clarified.

Down in your area, in a public school ... I imagine the info will all be sent home in French, but you should be able to link up with a staff member or fellow parent who can help you translate the relevant stuff. Also, if you can get the school to email stuff, Google Translate is adequate for most things ... at least going from a foreign language to your own.

My child is 4 and has just started Kindergarten, they give her German lessons 3 times a week for half an hour. As I understand this is common in our area (zurich) and all my friends children living in other ares have this too.

She cant speak a word yet but as it is not 'real school' by the UK standard (more play learning) It hasn't bothered her one bit ...I think she just follows along with what they are doing and hopefully picks up a few words as she goes.

As for me understanding the letters that get sent home I either sit and spend some quality time with Google translate, if it looks quite important I send it to work with my husband for one of his colleges to help with.
I also have made friends here - as will you , and if one of them speaks the lingo so I ask her too.

My learning as been a bit slower but hey Im getting there...

The way it works here in Basel (and I imagine the Geneva area is not that different since it's also an expat centre) - kids starting kindergarten with no or little German (French in your case) get a few hours a week extra tuition in German to catch them up. But this depends on how many "second language" children there are in the class - there have to be at least 3 kids here for them to provide a teacher. This varies from place to place too - depends how many such teachers they have.

For English there's nothing provided for free, but there are private places that do English for kids in Swiss kindergarten/school. So it's possible to supplement that if you choose public school.

As for you not understanding the letters that get sent home.... well, yes, that's true I'm afraid - they will only be in the local language and you will be expected to try and make some effort to understand. A lot of teachers do speak English, but for sure letters home definitely not, and parents evening too. There's a general policy that foreigners are supposed to learn the language so it may well be actively discouraged for you to use English.

Kindergarten is a very small local affair too - it's not like nursery school in the UK. Think more "playgroup". There will probably be only one room and no older kids nearby (some kindergartens are located next to primary schools but that's not all that common).

Honestly, probably the best thing to do is to go private - preferably at a bilingual school - for a couple of years. Your son isn't old enough for public options here anyway so you would have to pay if you want him to go to any kind of school or daycare. And then you yourself can then make the effort to learn some French and then switch over.

I'd say it also depends on whether you would stay here long term. If you're going to be off back to the UK in a year's time then it's probably worth going private because it's easier for everyone and your son would slot back in at home a lot easier (because of the not learning to read or write or do maths in Swiss school until age 7.)

Teacher's word: French English Swiss... it's also a cultural question. One can say many things about French school, but not that it is too easy academically.

Sorry Faltrad, I do not understand what you are saying here. Could you clarify it a little?
Skirby, English (as a foreign language) is taught in Primary from second class but that may be just in Zurich.
Your child is too young for kindergarten here, so that's still a while off.
I wore out the dictionary with letters from the school but most teachers can speak good English and will be happy to oblige you and brief you, after school meetings too.
But in the long term life gets awkward if you don't make the effort to learn a little of the local language.

As I stated earlier, it is not currently the case in all cantons. But there are moves to make it so.

We had no German when we arrived. We had three children in school. Somehow we managed to work out what the circulars and letters were about. At least you've only got to learn French. We have to cope with German and Swiss German.

My blunt opinion:

Your child is only three and secondary education would not be for another 8 years so wouldn't worry about Private Education at this point with regard to moving to Switzerland.

I would send your child to any Swiss State school as the standard of education and environment of education is better than most UK schools including Private Schools.

Your child will intergrate and socialise better in Switzerland if with the locals. If you continue to speak English at home; your child will have the advantage of being able to speak good English and French or whatever region you are in.

Your child will learn English at a Swiss school as part of the curiculum.

Most foreigners (unlike the English) understand grammer which makes learning languages and writing gramatically correct.

Hi

We are in Vaud and my children aged 7 and 8 have just finished their first 2 weeks in the Swiss school system (all in French) and they are having a great time, even though they don't yet speak french. Several of the other kids in the class are bi-lingual and help translate for them, and all the teachers so far speak a little english which helps. From next week they will both have intensive french lesssons one morning a week (some schools organised this with the lesson being 1 hour each day) organised and paid for by the canton of Vaud which I understand will be available for them for 2 years.

All the letters and comments in their agenda are in French, but we are coping using google translate, friends, dictionaries and asking questions in the diary when we don't understand.

At age 3 your child would cope amazingly well being in a french speaking nursery and it is a great opportunity for them to learn another language.

HTH

I should point out for the benefit of other readers, that Cashboy is English, which a) explains his awful syntax b) validates his point.

But I do entirely agree with what he says. For once.

You forgot to mention bad spelling as well, NAT ...

Sorry for the eliptic answer.
If you go to Geneva, it is not only about learning French as language of education. French, Swiss and English schools do not have the same educative culture. What is considered normal to demand from a child at different age varies. French school system tends to put a great emphasis on academic contend and the progression of learning is quite "steep". Swiss school and international system are more balanced between academic drill and social developpment of students. I won't lecture you about English school, you know it better than me. French school makes very independent learners, if the students are up for it... it does not suit everyone, and you only know when your child is in it. One can't predict this kind of things. I loved it and made fun of my German co-students in Hamburg in Gymnasium for being such lazy wimps - but I had years of successful French school behind me, so I found overwork normal.
If French school is an option for you, you have to know that it is not an easy system. Not nurturing at all. This has down sides and good sides.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice. My intention is to try and learn French myself as fast as possible because I do believe that when in Rome... I think a French public nursery to start will be our best option as my son will pick up French and I can cope...and then when it comes to proper school at age 4, he'll need to go private as we're only here for 2 years, so when we go back at age 5, he needs to be able to read and write otherwise he will be left behind.

And I don't disagree with you on your points about my English.

O' Level English - C Grade was obtained on the third attempt.

I could tell you I was dyslexic like so many others but I was just bloody lazy and couldn't stand reading books. One of the reasons I am on this forum is to improve my written English, not just to troll.

Back to the subject; I went to an English private school and my English as confirmed by other forum contributors is crap which confirms to send your child to a Swiss state school as your child will be better off.

They usually won't accept children younger than 4 (école enfantine starts at 5 and is not mandatory)
Try the private Montessori schools.
I was very pleased with the bilingual French-English education they've had to offer.

It is a very good idea to put your child in a bilingual environment from the start, even more so if you intend to stay here.

Personally I think that's a good decision. I just wanted to add that if you intend to go private you may well find an international school that will take him already at age 3. My son attended the bilingual Swiss International School here in Basel when he was 3 1/2 - and he was allowed to start mid-year in January. Private schools are generally more flexible about such things (because frankly they want your money!) We switched over to public when he was old enough for kindergarten - because of his birthday he wasn't eligible to start Kindergarten until age 5.

Keep in mind that the public nurseries (creches) often have very long waiting lists and can take years to get into. Like the above poster mentioned, many of the private international schools have a programme for 3 year olds, CDL comes to mind, and thus you may want to start out there at 3 and keep the continuity until age 5. You also stand a much better chance of gaining a place.

Also, just to clarify, the norm in this area of Switzerland is school at 4, not 5 or later as some have mentioned. As both GE and VD adopted HarmoS, this will become 'mandatory' at age 4 (not optional) for the cantons accepting HarmoS as of 2011 I believe.