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Do other countries do it better?
Right Start (December 1996)
Chantal Duval was six last April, but she still hasn’t started primary school. She isn’t missing out on her education,
though, because she started the official programme of elementary education last year – at her nursery school.
All French children are allocated a free nursery place at the age of three and start ‘big’ school at six. French children
attend primary school on four weekdays (they have Wednesdays off) and Saturday mornings. Their school day begins early,
at 8am, but they have two hours off for lunch – which they generally have at school – and finish around 3.30 to 4pm...
In Germany, each area or ‘Land’ has its own education policy and children who move from one Land to another are faced
with a totally different system and curriculum.
Most German children attend a nursery, though parents may have to pay for this and, just as with French children, they
start primary school at six. Rather than keep the children for a full day, most schools opt for five or six longer
morning sessions, leaving the afternoons free. But older German children may be given as much as two hours homework
to complete each day.
Johanna Moser is a teacher in a country school in the Black Forest, where the children are given a gentle introduction
to ‘big’ school. "We start with structured play-centred activities and move gradually to more formal teaching,” says
Johanna...
While German and French children have most of their lessons from one teacher, in Italy the government has recently
introduced ‘team’ teaching in primary schools to encourage greater subject specialisation.
Maura Carmagnola, headmistress of a cluster of small country schools around Cannobio, explains how the new Italian
system works: "For every two classes, we have three teachers. One specialises in Italian, creative subjects and R.E.;
another teaches maths, P.E. and music; the third concentrates on history, geography, social studies and science. Work
is done in modules and groups of children rotate."
Maura finds the new system exciting and challenging: "The curriculum is laid down by the State, but everything else
is up to us. We must organise our own teams, arrange our timetable and agree on a common approach. Obviously, we work
closely together. I'm lucky that my teachers are young and keen. It's not so easy in schools with older teachers who
cling to traditional ways."...
© Alison Thomas | 
