One of the first things Spanish parents discover in Switzerland is that the school system does not work in the same way as in Spain. There is no standard pathway that leads everyone to sixth form or vocational training at the age of 16. In Switzerland, educational guidance begins much earlier. When your child finishes primary school – between the ages of 11 and 13, depending on the canton – they are guided towards an educational pathway that will significantly influence what they can study later on.
In the German-speaking cantons, the most common distinction is between the Gymnasium and the various levels of the Sekundarschule, usually referred to as Sek A, B and C. The Gymnasium is the route leading to the cantonal school-leaving certificate and, from there, to university. Depending on the canton, between 15 and 30 per cent of pupils follow this route. In some cantons there is an entrance exam; in others, the decision is based on academic results and the form tutor’s recommendation. In French-speaking Switzerland, the model varies, but the system of educational streams exists nonetheless, although sometimes with a longer, unified lower cycle.
The form tutor’s recommendation carries a great deal of weight. And parents who are unfamiliar with the system, who do not have a good command of the local language, or who are unaware that this choice has to be made so soon, sometimes realise this too late. In Spain, pupils have until the age of 16 to choose between the baccalaureate and vocational training. Here, informal guidance begins as early as Years 5 and 6 of primary school, and the official decision is made at the end of primary school. Parents who have been through this often say the same thing: that nobody explained to them that the decision had to be made so early, nor that the window of opportunity was so narrow.
There are theoretical pathways for changing tracks later on. In practice, transferring from the Sek to the Gymnasium once you’re already in secondary school is possible but not common. That’s why many immigrant parents who arrived in Switzerland with their children already of school age feel as though they’ve started the game without knowing the rules. Asking the school before that time comes is the best way to avoid finding out too late.