Me again.... do you know about Grand-Saconnex and/ or about Petit-Saconnex?

I am also interested in this question

Thank you very much for the reply.

The problem is actually the opposite.... in a way. Since the school we are entitled to -at moment- is crap we are moving out  looking for a new appartment. Obviously we will apply to the regie only and exclusively if I know that the neighborood is good and the school there has a good reputation. I understand that the programmes are all the same in public schools (and this is not a problem at all), but some schools have good and nice pupils/parents, other are quite rough.

Needless to say.... I am not interested in Private Schools.

So... does anybody know if we could move to grand-Sacconex or to Petit Saconnex? Somebody knows anything about those schools and about the area?

If you decide to move to Petit Saconnex, Budé and Tembley are choices and they are both good.

That is good news.. I saw am appartment for rent in Petit Saconnex which could be ok.... :)

Astrid

Just wondering why you write :

Needless to say.... I am not interested in Private Schools.

Private school fees start at chf 20,000 in Geneva, with the international school running at 35,000 if you include all the additional costs.

Another reason for considering a public school is to better integrate into Swiss society. I know of several people who's children suffered physical and emotional bullying at Ecole des Eaux-vives and Vollandes. I am also heard this about other Swiss public schools, and the school system does not appear to have policies regarding bullying. 

The Swiss public system has a great reputation, but I fear it applies only to a select number of schools.

Does anyone else have positive or negative experiences at specific schools? I have heard Charmilles is good, but don't have direct experiences. 

Thank you Sean....

I have just found an apprtment for rent in Charmilles.... before applyng to the Regie... does anyone has expereince/ feedback about the  school in Charmilles?

PS: If I could afford it  I would not care about the second issue you mentioned... integration! LOL

My daughters went to trembley/vidollet, secheron and some of their friend to bude, pommier, vernier, and avanchet.I've heard a few reported cases of bullying and most cases gets resolved by the teachers if not then the school can/will move your child to another commune.

My advise is to get involve in your child's school, attend PTAs, promotions, etc... this way you'll get to know the parents.

I know of experiences in Grand/petit saconnex and Petit/Grand lancys. The schools in principle are the same. But the demographics are different as the people in these communes, which maybe important for the community for the kids. I think name callings, a few bullyings all take place, may be in one place than the other, depending on how diverse the setting is. The key is to be there to support the kid and ensure things are going well with the school, just so not to think the school is going to be prompting questions and solving issues proactively. I personally preferred Petit Saconnex, Cret/Bude for international kids. One very pleasant surprise was that how kids pick up english 'automatically' with very few school hours dedicated to english. I think most kids there know english even if they are not all from english-speaking countries. They seem to be speaking french all the time, but somehow all appear to learn good english, just maybe from the community itself. So Cret for primary, and Bude CO are great in petit saconnex. 

I'd like to thank you all for all the replies. All of them very useful and interesting. A big thank you.

I am about to go on holiday for a few week so I will no longer able to reply often.

Neverless I will surely keep an eye on this Forum and on  the very useful information you are providing me. Thank you so much, and please keep on writing :)

Astrid 

My daughter is in the Sismondi high-school, and she's very happy with it.

i'm moving to geneva next month& i shall apply to public schools , my kids are 7 & 8 years old, can you share with me ful names & details of public schools, i haven't picked a specific area to live in yet, so is there a directory for public schools of geneve or websites for them that i can browse? 

Hi... you can look at this link with the map and the name of the schools.

https://www.ge.ch/primaire/etablissements/

Your children will be assigned to the school which is closest to your appartment... so basically you have to chose the appartment/ area... rather than the school :)

Hi, if you talking only about primary schools (up to 12 years), Charmilles has (or had) not the best reputation, but the school at "Les ouches" nearby is known to be very good (that's where I live). Personnaly I cannot tell why Charmilles does have that "bad" reputation, but when I pass by (when doing my shopping...), indeed, it's not the place I'd like to see my children spend all day...

In any case, have a close look where you're kids would go to school when moving to another appartement, you don't have any free choice once you're in an appartement, it's predifined by public authorities based on your address... For example, whether they have to go to "Les Ouches" ou "Jardins du Rhone" can depend on the number of the house you live in. If you have any doubt, give them a call, they'll give you the information you need...

can you please tell me the start date for the public school year 2015/2016 exactly?

24 August 2015. You can download the calendar from the DIP website 

What is DIP website?

Thanks

I am moving to Geneva in 3 weeks, my kids are 6, and 8 years old, what are the required documents for the Public schools enroolment?

Do they need any documents from their previous schools?

Please Advise
Thanks

Ramy,

the DIP wesite is the website from the public schools in Geneva, made by the state

Here is the link to check the calendar to 2015/2016

http://www.ge.ch/dip/vacances_scolaires1516.asp

Hi Gerald,

Our son has been assigned to Trembley. Could you please share your experience? Your views about the school?

Thanks

Carlos, I assume you live in the area, Ecole Trembley is one of the best public schools in Geneva. A lot of teachers/parents are multi-lingual. Your son will enjoy it there.

There is also a big plan of moving some student of Trembley and Vidollet to "Rue Chandieu" which is just across the street.

Thank you Gerald. I do, I live nearby. I live between EP Genets and Trembley. We thought Genets was a better alternative, though.

It is good to know it is such a good school. Where can I get that info about schools? How can we know whether one school is good or not?

Thanks

Even if your son goes to Genets, he will still move at some point to Trembley or Bude once he reaches age 7 or 8. So staying in Trembley is a good choice.

Sorry for asking so many questions but it is difficult to get info.

What are the differences between Genets and Trembley? Budé and Trembley?

Genet, Vidollet,  Trembley and Bude all have cycle élémentaire (1P to 4P) but only Trembley and Bude have cycle moyen (5P to 8P).

9 to 11 is then Cycle d'orientation which is Secheron and Monbrilliant. 

Thanks again. And what do you know about Trembley and Budé? Are there any differences?

They are both public and the school determines where your son gets assigned to. Again it depends where you live closest and depending on the availability. As most of the members posted, you can try applying but in the end its the school who decides. 

Is Cycle d'orientation  Secheron a good school for reception classes?

Coming back to this post with the benefits of experience: the Swiss public system offers an excellent education in sciences, humanities and languages, probably better on the 3 Rs than that of some of the private schools in Geneva. It's also free and a better path to integration in Geneva.

It also offers a direct path to Swiss universities which private schools teaching the IB do not. As I understand it, students from private schools will need to qualify for Swiss universities as if they are are applying from another country. Aside from cost, this is a huge negative for private schools.

What's the downside of the publci system? It's very selective and tries to focus students towards apprentiships rather than university. Streaming starts in primary school and there are several "gates" throughout school life. There is a *lot* of pressure in the first year of Collège, and the system does not support struggling students (it actively streams them out). 

You can make it work though, by being actively involved in your childs education and also engaging tutors. Check out https://ararep.ch/ to find high quality tutors at CHF29/hr, which is a bargain.

I think all of the schools are pretty good. For Collège there are 2 schools that offer dual French-German and two that offer English-French. You are automatically disqualified from the dual language track if the child already speaks the other language at home. 

See this site for lots of information https://www.ge.ch/parcourir/ecoles-formations