Does anyone have experience of school system in more than one of the countries: UK vs FR vs DE vs CH?

If you had the choice of putting a kid through one system versus another (leaving aside all other considerations of job etc.) which would you choose and why?

Yes. With the caveat that all anwers you get will be subjective, divisive, and probably end up with folk taking their ball home.

UK vs CH: would take UK any day. The pastoral side and Special Educational Needs seem, to me, to be vastly better in the UK. I think the methods of teaching and learning are preferable too. I also think Early Years provision is superior: it certainly suits us.

That's not to say it's all roses, of course it isn't. It is, however, the better devil I know.

How do you explain how most Swiss can speak multiple languages to a high standard, when that is rare in the UK even through languages are taught or were when I went to school.

Have experience of 3 of the countries and they all have their merits depending on the age of the child.
Younger children educated in CH were behind in Maths/reading as the emphasis seemed to be on social skills which is not a bad thing.
Older daughter's work ( she was 16)- maths again was at an extremely high level in CH. She went back to the UK for University but did go to school in France for a year.
In answer to FMF - I really think speaking multiple Languages just does not seem to be so much of a priority in the UK - as everyone now world wide seems to want to or can speak English - whenI was at school we learnt Latin as that was my teacher used to say, the basis of most languages - if you learnt Latin you were half way there...

I would guess:

1. They start earlier
2. They are exposed to it in daily life
3. Have more opportunity to practice/use

Off the top of my head:
MFL has had its funding squeezed and squeezed
CH has four official languages, the UK doesn't (though Welsh kids learn Welsh and English)
Kids don't habitually start til 11+ which is when self-consciousness really kicks in
English is more of a universal language than any Swiss one - which is why in CH kids are taught English to enable them to be able to compete.
STEM subjects are deemed more important currently ( rightly or wrongly)

You're welcome.

How do you explain the relative lack of creative thinking in Swiss education post kindergarten?

Anyway, I though you though all schooling is for mugs?

1) Too many rules
2) Swiss never are allowed to make mistakes

I've heard this quite a few times but don't seem to have experienced it in our (ok, limited) experience with Swiss schools.

They seem to have huge resources for all sorts of creativity and the diversity of projects which my son has taken part in has been pretty impressive. Yes, they also have times where they ALL produce the same interpretation of "The Scream", but it was part of a wider project.

I feel that in the years immediately after Kindergarten the onus is on drilling down and perfecting base skills. As always, I think it comes down to the teacher and/or school. Same as everywhere.

I'd agree with this.

Having said that, I believe a lot of teachers have a bit of an attitude problem here - they're right, what they say goes and the parents (and pupils) have no say in it.

Perhaps that exists in the U.K. too?

As for the teacher who recently told my son, in a history lesson, than the Apollo moon landings may have been a hoax.

I'm surprised he hadn't mentioned that the holocaust may have been fiction, too.

The bullying is pretty shocking here too but I suppose that may be the same in the U.K. as well.
The reaction from many teachers here has, in my opinion, been very unprofessional, and totally unfitting for the profession they have chosen in life.

I also don't mind that the children start and finish the school terms in the church (a bit of Onward Christian soldiers never did me any harm) but I wish they would teach pupils about other religions too. It would make things a bit more rounded and some of the kids wouldn't act like they were attending the Christian equivalent of the local madrassa rather than a supposedly secular school system.

Depends on the area. In godless Zurich, the church is not involved one jot and, looking at the RE curriculum stuff, the kids do learn about all religions.
Although, having just said the church isn't involved, they did in fact visit a church, mosque, jewish church as part of the topic.

On the flipside, you're in Luzern, right? At least you get more catholic hollies than we do.

About the Apollo landings, my son's teacher can be a bit of a weirdo sometimes and say weird stuff, too, but my son is a bit of a gobby sod and pulls her up on it. The Einträge in the homework book are comedy gold...

Good system is one that teaches kids to disagree well. And ask questions.

CH probably, my comparison is teaching local, IB and FR system. Why? Because it makes a kid quite resilient while it offers multiple ways to advance. It gives a lot of persknal time to kids. Slower life. A lot must be compensated by home, though. Which isn't bad, either, considering me appreciating parental envolvement in child's education.

Read up OECD stats on edu, really good.

"Most" is an exaggeration. There being 4 languages here would explain alot. Andthe Brits have an aversion to German language,as well as Italian