Special Education for small children in Switzerland, we need some information please

[MovingAgain]

We may have to relocate to Geneva due to DH?s work. DS1 who is 4 years old has learning difficulties (severe speech delay and fine motor skills), due to his delayed speech we have been advised by several professionals that he needs to be taught in English.

I need to find out what sort of help could DS get in Geneva in English. I know that all the state schools will be in French, but are there any private English speaking schools that accommodate children with special needs? He would need speech and language therapy and occupational therapy as well as a special need teacher in the classroom.

Thank you, much appreciated! This is really urgent for us so I hope someone out there can help us

[strudelface]

We too are re-locating to Geneva so I have done a bit of research on schools who have English as their language of instruction. There is the International School which has 3 campuses and does offer the help your DS needs. Unfortuneately their website is done at the mo.

There is also a British Primary School just outside of Geneva. I would call both of these asap as they are both full and operate waiting lists - it costs nothing to apply and get on the waiting list. For what its worth I found the International School the most helpful.

HTH

[strudelface]

their website is DOWN

[LIZS]

International schools usually have therapists attached to them who will work with the kids on site. Some are purely englsih speakign , others bilingual. I'm sorry to say the Swiss state system isn't always that tolerant of expat kids with special educational needs. You will need to get agreement from your private health insurer that they will meet the costs too as any therapy there is not cheap. Ask on this site and the moderator (a friend of mine) also has a spin off SN kids site she can direct you to. hth

[MovingAgain]

Thanks for replying.
Strudelface, I also did some research and that international school does sound the most appropriate but I was hoping to hear from people that already have children in that school or other schools to hear their experience. What did they have to do to admit their child with SN? How difficult was it.

LIZS thank you for that information. I am upset to hear that the local system is not very tolerant. But if the school provides the therapy and support then I think I wouldn't need to access the services provided by the system (I am not sure).

[LIZS]

If you opt to go for private education then you are unlikely get access to the public support services attached to state schools (For example they can refer for Ergotherapie, not sure what equivalent term is in French, basically like OT, and Speech therapy). Most other therapies are paid for by your insurance for which you can get some personal recommendations via that website and self refer or go through a local paediatrician. Your best bet is to speak to the schools you prefer and ask about learning support or locate a local therapist and ask which schools may be the best ones to approach. Contact details for some schools/therapists are here. The state system varies by Canton (area) and even by town.

There are some special schools - both state and private - which cater for SEN, such as primary schools which cover the standard first years's work in two for those with mild sld's or delayed learning for whatever reason. Your dd is still Kindergarten age which covers ages 4-6 ish so it woudl be very much playbased initially in either system. It isn't uncommon for a child to be a year or so "behind" their peers either on educational or behavioural grounds so some may repeat a year at Kindergarten or later on.

[MovingAgain]

Thanks for all that info Lizs. Greatly appreciated.
Why is life so complicated!!