The canton of Zurich generally allows children to be taught privately or to have them taught privately. A maximum of five school-age children may be taught at the same time at one location.
Private lessons may only be started after the Private Schools Supervisor has confirmed the complete and correct notification.
Grundsätzlich gilt: Für die Aufsicht des Privatunterrichts ist das Volksschulamt zuständig, die Lernziele des kantonalen Lehrplan (Lehrplan 21) müssen erreicht und die wöchentliche Lektionenzahl muss eingehalten werden.
Compulsory schooling can be completed by attending a public school, public school or
be fulfilled by private tuition (§2 Para. 1 of the Elementary School Ordinance of 28 June
2006 (VSV; LS 412.101).
Private tuition is not subject to authorisation but only to registration.
The registration is valid until the end of the school year. A new registration must be submitted before the start of the school year (August).
Supervision is generally carried out through supervisory visits by the supervisor of public schools. In the
ersten Jahr werden die Kinder im Privatunterricht in der Regel nicht besucht. Aufsichtsbesuche im ersten Jahr werden durchgeführt, wenn Behörden dies wünschen oder wenn Umstände vorliegen, die einen Aufsichtsbesuch erfordern.
Before the start of private tuition, parents must notify the school municipality of their place of residence and the Private Schools Supervision ((§ 69 para. 2 VSG)).
Both parents, if present, must sign.
Likewise, a teaching programme for the entire school year must be submitted to the Volksschulamt and the Schulpflege of the school location before classes begin. This must also contain information about the classrooms, the content of the lessons and the distribution in the timetable.
The Volksschulamt may impose conditions or issue directives.
If your child is to be taught privately for more than one year, the person teaching the child must have completed teacher training (§ 69 para. 3 of the Volksschulgesetz of 7 February
2005 (VSG; LS 412.100)
During the compulsory education period, your child may not be taught for more than one year by persons who have not completed teacher training (§ 73 Para. 3 VSV).
The following points must be clearly visible in the timetable:
- Lesson time
- Subject (except Kindergarten)
- Teaching person
- Teaching location
- Group size
Permanent changes to the timetable or new teachers must be reported to the supervisor
of private school in advance using the appropriate notification forms.
Even if you want to teach your child for less than one year, it must be reported who is teaching your child.
The registered persons must be present in class during the entire lesson time physically.
Distance learning is not permitted. In the sense of total absence of the person teaching.
Trained teachers are allowed to teach in private lessons regardless of the school level of
your child.
Gemäss § 69
Paragraph 3 VSG and §73 Paragraph 3 VSV (Canton of Zurich):
Teaching diploma from the Zurich University of Teacher Education (PH Zurich) for an elementary school level
(Kindergarten-, Primar- oder Sekundarstufe I)
Certificate of proficiency from a predecessor institution of the PH Zurich for an elementary school level
SwitzerlandEDK-recognised teaching diploma for an elementary school level. In case of doubt, the Volksschulamt may request an equivalence check by the EDK.
Foreign Countries
Teaching diploma as well as recognition by the EDK for an elementary school level.
Teachers for German-language classes must have language skills at level C2 of the European Framework of Reference for Languages (GER) in German.
Professionals
Teachers with subject teaching diplomas may teach the subject in private lessons, for
which they are trained.
In private lessons, only one group of a maximum of 5 children is allowed at a time
be managed under one roof (same address, same property). Common
Activities of multiple groups are not permitted.
Exceptions are trips and excursions. Larger groups can also be formed in the subject of movement and sport.
If there are several groups at one address, this is a permit-requiring
private school.
Your child can obtain the compulsory teaching materials provided by the primary school free of charge from the municipality of your place of residence (§ 71 Para. 1 of the Primary School Act of 7 February 2005 (VSG; LS 412.100)).
ln private lessons, the compulsory or alternative compulsory teaching materials must be
taught.
The school communities organise the purchase of teaching materials. They can also regulate this by means of lump sums to the families.
Children in private tuition are entitled to the compulsory or alternative compulsory teaching materials provided in the primary school,
regardless of whether or not they are effectively used in the respective school community.
In the case of alternative compulsory teaching aids, there is an entitlement to one of these two teaching aids in each case.
Books, workbooks, flashcards and licences (of compulsory teaching aids)
for students ar given away.
Solution folders, teacher's comments, didactic material, transparencies, posters and audio carriers as well as licences for teachers are not provided. There is no entitlement to these teaching material parts.
The following maximum lessons must be observed:
1st Zyklus: 6 lessons per day (4 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon)
2nd Zyklus: 7 lessons per day (4 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon)
3rd Zyklus: 9 lessons per day (5 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon)
A break of 15 minutes must be scheduled per morning. The lunch
must be at least 60 minutes.
Longer-term changes to the timetable must be reported to the Private Schools Supervisor.
Teachers/parents in private schooling are not obliged to issue certificates.
If certificates are issued, it is recommended to use the official certificate forms of the
primary schools. Then the provisions of the Volksschulgesetz (§ 31
VSG) and the Elementary School Ordinance (VSV) of 28 June 2006 (§§ 33 ff. VSV) as well as the
comply with the certificate regulations.
The Directorate (the Volksschulamt) may suspend private tuition in the event of serious deficiencies.
(§ 70 Abs. 3 VSV).
Serious deficiencies are:
The learning objectives are not achieved.
The group sizes are not respected.
The reported teachers are not able to conduct classes.
Private lessons are not given by the registered teachers.
The child's socialisation is at risk.
(List not exhaustive)
In the canton of Zurich, compulsory education usually begins at the age of 4.
Children who reach the age of 4 by the cut-off date (31 July) enter Kindergarten at the beginning of the next school year.
Compulsory education lasts 11 years.
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