It is the time for transfer decisions – from primary school to secondary school. Parents sit tensely in front of me, teachers struggle to make fair assessments, children are under great pressure – and above all else is the question: where will the child's path lead?
Recently, a father gave me a vivid description of his son's situation. He talked about his strengths, his enthusiasm and his insecurity in certain subjects. Then he said something that has stuck in my mind ever since: «My son has not yet reached his full potential.»
That's the dilemma: we have to make a decision by a fixed deadline, even though we know that talent needs time.
That is precisely the dilemma. We have to make a decision by a fixed deadline, even though we know that talent needs time.
Parents and teachers find themselves in the same predicament during this phase. They want to support children – yet are forced to judge them according to fixed criteria. This means that opportunities are lost before they even have a chance to arise. How much more honest would it be to give young people a few more years!
The wrong time
Puberty is a phase full of differences. While some are already surprisingly well organised, others are still finding their way. Skills such as abstract thinking and independent working develop only gradually. Nevertheless, it is during this phase that we decide between secondary school, vocational school or grammar school.
It is particularly difficult for children from families with fewer resources. Early selection reinforces social differences rather than levelling them out. Children with the same potential therefore have unequal opportunities.
Developmental paediatrician Oskar Jenni points out this inequality of opportunity: «Boys with lower socio-economic status, foreign-language parents and a migrant background have – even with the same performance – three times less chance than girls from privileged families of being recommended for a demanding level at secondary level 1.»
Many parents ask themselves: won't high-achieving children lose momentum without early selection? The answer is clearly no. Talent does not disappear when children are given time – they just need the right channels to become visible. Later selection does not mean that differences are blurred. On the contrary, it obliges us to provide targeted support to children – both those who need more support and those who learn particularly quickly.
Three key points
The following approaches are suitable for this purpose:
- Compacting: Children who already know how to do something do not have to repeat it endlessly. Instead, they have time for new challenges.
- Enrichment: Anyone who wants to can delve deeper – through projects, experiments or creative tasks.
- Accelerated learning: Young people can progress more quickly in certain subjects while continuing to learn at a normal pace in others.
In everyday life, this means that learning plans or learning maps help children to follow their own individual path. Teachers begin with a check-in to assess previous experience – either verbally, in writing or digitally. Based on this, the children are given appropriate tasks.
Teachers no longer stand at the front of the classroom in front of the blackboard, but act as coaches throughout the learning process. If necessary, small courses are offered for groups that need to consolidate their knowledge. At the same time, children who feel confident can help others with their learning. Digital tools such as educational videos open up additional opportunities. Competence grids, portfolios and learning maps make the learning steps visible so that children, teachers and parents can track progress together.
This creates learning paths that do not slow anyone down or leave anyone behind. Promoting gifted children is not a luxury – it is a duty for schools.
Empowering children
What children really need for life is confidence in their own abilities, the experience of self-efficacy. School can promote precisely that by allowing children to follow their own learning paths, experience success, receive constructive feedback and take on responsibility. Their motivation grows when they are allowed to make their own decisions (autonomy), experience that they can do something (competence) and feel that they belong (connectedness). When schools enable these experiences, children grow not only in knowledge but also in personality.
We – the Association of School Heads – want a new primary school that encourages rather than filters.
For this kind of learning to succeed, cooperation is essential. When teachers plan together and support each other, they can provide children with much more targeted guidance. In some schools, two teachers work together in one class, which creates more time for each child. Learning workshops are another example: children from different classes work on their own projects and receive support exactly where they need it. When schools work in this way, a culture of cooperation emerges in which every child finds the place they need.
The path to the future
A new primary school for children aged 4 to 15 is not a distant vision, but a necessary step forward. At 15 or 16, young people are in a better position to make educational decisions on a more stable basis – fair, well-considered and with an eye to their potential.
There are already examples of this in Switzerland: in the city of St. Gallen, young people in some pilot classes continue learning together after Year 6. The experiences have been positive, which is why the model is now to be expanded. In the canton of Bern, models with mixed classes and different levels are being trialled. Step by step, a school is growing that does not filter, but encourages.
For such concepts to succeed, favourable conditions are required:
- Heterogeneous core classes also in upper secondary school, in which children work on tasks with varying degrees of difficulty. Clear criteria ensure that it is possible to move up to a higher level at any time.
- Joint responsibility of local authorities and cantons to support schools with targeted resources, binding guidelines and evaluations.
- Legal adjustments at cantonal level to enable selection-free transfer up to the age of 15 and to amend report card and transfer rules accordingly.
Parents, teachers, politicians and business leaders all share responsibility for this. If we continue to engage in dialogue and listen to research and experience, we can create a school system that empowers children – for their future and for the future of our society.
Our position as an association of school administrators is clear: we want a new primary school that nurtures rather than filters. Together, we are moving forward step by step – with responsibility, sound judgement and the goal of shaping the school of the future for our children's talents.
