«Parents have little influence on school success»

Mr Jenni, children in this country start school at the age of six. At what stage of development are they at this age?

As at any age, the stage of development is very different. I would say at the level of a four-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half-year-old child.

Can you explain this to us?

When a teacher has a first primary class of 20 six-year-old children in front of her, the children differ in their developmental age by up to three years. For example, one boy, let's call him Ruben, is at the developmental stage of a seven-year-old and can already write, while Mara, who is the same age, is a long way off at five years old.

You have to accept the child as it is and support it according to its stage of development.

In addition, one and the same child is not equally developed in all areas. In other words, Ruben's writing skills may be at the level of a seven-year-old, but his social behaviour is more like that of a five-year-old. The norm is that a child has strengths and weaknesses. Just like us adults.

So when is a child ready for school?

The term school readiness is orientated towards the child. You look at the child and ask whether they are ready to cope with everyday school life in terms of language, cognitive skills, social behaviour, independence, work behaviour and motor skills. However, whether the child should start school also depends on other factors, such as the school it will attend. What is the mission statement of this institution? What is the experience of the teaching staff? The class size? Does the child's profile fit into this school or not? That is the real question we need to ask ourselves ...

... but this does not correspond to current practice.

True, but this type of individualisation would be appropriate for children. It's about ensuring that the child's characteristics match the requirements of the environment and, in this case, those of the school. You simply have to realise that children are very different in nature and you have to accept this variability between children, accept the child as it is and support it according to its stage of development.

Today's education policy is not based on the child, but on economic interests.

You are thus addressing individualised teaching.

Individualised teaching is a challenge and is coming under pressure due to the fact that education is constantly being tested, standardised and evaluated. Today's education policy is not centred on the child, but is driven by economic interests. Education is seen as one of a country's most important economic resources and success factors. And this resource must be actively and specifically promoted. This is at odds with individualisation.

Are teachers not doing their job?

I am convinced that many teachers recognise the great diversity in the classroom and strive to do justice to every child. On the other hand, however, they have an education system behind them that requires them to make all children fit for the economy and, for example, to eradicate the reading difficulties that one in five young people exhibit when they leave school. The pressure on teachers is enormous.

What can parents do if their child has problems at school?

Seek dialogue with the teacher quickly. I hope that teachers are not only subject specialists, but also development specialists, that they know how to deal with a situation when a child has problems, is over- or underchallenged. If there is a great deal of distress, it makes sense for teachers and parents to seek help together from a specialist such as a school psychologist, have the child assessed and find out exactly where the problems lie. Performance requirements can only be adjusted if you know where the child is in their development.

Critical voices are now complaining about a veritable «clarification mania» in our schools.

I don't see the differentiated assessment of a child as a problem. I am more concerned about the fact that specific therapies are initiated immediately after an assessment.

Parents should have confidence in their child's abilities and put their own ideas and wishes aside.

But that is the logical consequence of a clarification.

No. That doesn't have to be the case. The most important thing in an assessment is to get as accurate a picture as possible of the child, to understand their developmental profile and to analyse their behaviour so that, together with the teachers, we can work out which strategies will help the child.

What does that mean in concrete terms?

If the teacher recognises the child's language problem, she will not write two words on the board, say a lot about them at the same time and hope that the child with a language problem understands what she expects of him behind her back. Rather, she should draw the child's attention with visual cues, for example. She should look at the child while they are speaking and repeat important information several times. The result of an assessment must always be to match the child's individual profile with the requirements at school and at home.

Nevertheless, I can imagine that many parents are worried that their child will not be successful at school.

Parents really are under a lot of pressure. Today, they are held responsible for their children's success. But child development cannot be accelerated.

Can't parents do anything?

Parents should have confidence in their child's abilities, convey a sense of security and safety, but also provide guidance and structure and put aside their own ideas and wishes. It is important to recognise what a child can cope with and in which situations they are overwhelmed and need support.

A child who starts school too early can experience early failure and never catch up.

And nothing more?

Society assumes an outdated developmental model that says that the child can be controlled from the outside. However, development is an extremely complex process that is controlled by the child in close interaction with the environment. Development is a mixture of what the child brings to the table and what the environment provides. There are many studies that show that parental influence on a successful school career is rather limited.

That sounds relieving.

Yes, whether a child is successful depends on many factors. On the qualities that the child brings to the table, on the environment that we provide and on role models. These are drivers of development that play a major role. As a parent, you have little influence to actively and specifically influence and control them.

So parents should consider early on which school catchment area they want to live in with their children?

That is no guarantee that it will turn out well. There are factors that you can't influence in advance. What is the teacher like? What is the composition of the class? Are there a lot of difficult children who require the teacher's attention? These are questions that cannot be answered reliably. I would plead with parents to remain calm.

So parents can't exert any influence in advance?

Parents have a certain influence on a child's success at school when it comes to choosing when to start school. If the child's development or behaviour is delayed, then I would advise them to wait a little longer. This gives the child time to take further developmental steps and they will start school stronger. A child who starts school too early can experience early failure and never catch up. There are a number of studies that show that starting school too early can be the reason for later school failure or poorer performance.

The first day of school is a big event in life, who doesn't remember it? You should discuss it with your child in a relaxed manner. Which school desk do we want to buy? How is the journey to school? Who will you be in class with, what will the teacher be like? I am convinced that most children manage the transition from kindergarten to first grade well.

Let's trust the children. They are much more resilient than we think anyway. My message to parents is: in the first two years of school, the child's performance should not be the main focus. It's about getting to know school life and not primarily feeling the performance requirements.

And what can I do as a parent to ensure that my child continues to enjoy school beyond the first two years?

When parents realise that their child is not coping, it is wrong to focus on the problems, sit down with the child all the time, study together and do homework. It is then important to seek dialogue with the teachers and delegate school tasks to the school. Otherwise, parents end up in a conflict of roles.

Why is that?

Children need their parents as caregivers who give them a sense of security and safety. Performance stress impairs this relationship. Parents often come to me and say: "The relationship with my child is disturbed, we often argue, but only about homework and school topics. As soon as the pressure of school is gone, we can reconnect.

Encouragement is effective when the child is supported in his or her own activities.

So parents are not responsible for their children's homework?

It is important to show interest in those children who have no problems with school requirements and cope well with them. But the moment there are problems, it is important to delegate them to other people.

There are also children who want to share their school-related concerns with their parents.

This is the great challenge for parents, namely to recognise the child's needs and then support them. Encouragement is effective when the child is supported in their own activities. Then they make progress, feel that they can make a difference, are effective themselves and develop a good sense of self-worth. If you always challenge your child in those areas in which it has weaknesses, it will constantly experience failure and develop poor self-esteem. A child must always have more successes than failures.

Can you give an example?

I know a boy from my consultation who had a severe language acquisition disorder at the age of four and whose parents drilled him daily with support. Now that he is at grammar school, his parents have contacted me again because they want to compensate for his difficulties. (Editor's note: Necessary adjustments to lessons or exams to compensate for the disadvantages of a pupilwith a disability ). I am really shocked. This boy's self-esteem is minimal, he seems depressed. You can feel the chronic overload. And now he's in a place that doesn't suit his abilities. I'm convinced that he won't make it this far, despite his parents' best efforts.

You yourself are the father of four sons aged between 10 and 18.

They have very different personalities and talents. One of them, for example, is doing an apprenticeship as a forester.

And as an academic, you didn't want to talk him out of it?

No, he goes his own way and is happy. He has a strong character and loves the outdoors. After his apprenticeship, he still has the opportunity to do further training or even a vocational baccalaureate if he wants to. Some people don't know what they want until then and mature later. I'm relaxed about that. In Switzerland, we have a permeable education system and young adults still have opportunities to shape their careers later on. A match between our own abilities and the expectations and demands placed on us by the world around us - that is a key element for our self-esteem, our sense of well-being and happiness.

In adulthood, we can control this ourselves ...

...while children cannot. As parents, we therefore have a responsibility to find and create a suitable fit, a match between requirements and opportunities for our children. This is a central task of being a parent, and at the same time a very demanding one.