Compulsory school

Compulsory Kindergarten begins with kindergarten. This lasts 2 years. As a rule, the children are 4 years old when they join. The deadline is July 31. 

In Kindergarten , children learn in a playful way. Playing promotes important basics such as creativity, perseverance and social behaviour.
 

> Fact sheet for parents (german)

In Primarschule , children attend grades 1 to 6.

The students are taught the subjects German (English from the 3rd grade, French from the 5th grade), mathematics, nature, people and society, music, design, sports, media and computer science. In addition to these subjects, social skills and self-competence are also promoted at school.

There are support measures for pupils who need more support.

Pupils who do not yet know any or only a little German attend additional German lessons. This is organized by the school.

After the 6th grade of primary school Sekundarstufe I begins.

It is divided into Realschule and the Sekundarschule . This structure helps to provide pupils with an education that corresponds to their talents and learning disposition. Depending on the school, individual subjects are taught in level groups.

Pupils usually enter lower Sekundarstufe I the age of 12. 

When dividing into a certain class level, several aspects are taken into account: 

• Achievements at the end of primary education
• The teacher's recommendation (often with the involvement of the parents)
• Entrance exam (e.g. Gymnasium level) 

After 3 years, compulsory schooling is over and young people move on to Sekundarstufe II , where they can choose the right educational path for them:

In Kindergarten and Primarschule , your child will receive an annual report card at the end of the school year. From the 2nd grade onwards, the school grades are also noted there.

In the Sekundarstufe I , there is a school report every semester.

How can teachers create meaningful report grades?

During the school year, there are various assessment events such as exams, observations of learning situations or presentations. Your child brings home many exam results during the school year so that you are constantly informed about the learning level.

To create the report grade, the teacher uses all available information - not just individual exam results. The teacher prepares an overall assessment for each subject. This assessment is not the same as the average of the exam results known to you.

The grade in the school report corresponds to the current level of performance in a subject.

As parents, you and the school are jointly responsible for your child's education. For this reason, cooperation is needed. 

For children who cannot attend regular school, there are Sonderschulen , such as children and young people with: 

• a mental disability/multiple disability,
  
• a speech and hearing impairment, 
  
• severe learning and behavioural difficulties,
  
• a physical disability
  
• a visual impairment (there are no institutions for this in the canton of St.Gallen, only non-cantonal offers) 

In the canton of St.Gallen, there are Sonderschulen either as day schools with a day structure or as schools with boarding schools. 

There are already curative education offers for young children. As a result, the children receive the best possible support despite their impairment.    

After compulsory schooling, special needs pupils can continue to be supported at a Sonderschule in individual cases until they reach the age of 20 at the latest.

School social work helps all students, parents or teachers with questions, problems or crises. The school social work office is usually located in the school building. The consultation is free of charge. 

Directory of School Social Work in the Canton of St.Gallen