Dispute over early school enrolment Parents think girl is highly gifted - and take her to court over it
A girl from the canton of Zurich is to skip the second kindergarten and start school straight away. The parents think their daughter is highly gifted - but the school psychologist, teachers and authorities see things differently.
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- Parents from the district of Dielsdorf ZH wanted to send their daughter straight to school after just one year of kindergarten.
- A private expert opinion spoke of giftedness, but the school psychologist's assessment contradicted this.
- The administrative court ultimately upheld the school and an appeal to the Federal Supreme Court is pending.
A dispute between parents and the local school has escalated in the district of Dielsdorf in the canton of Zurich. What began in January 2025 with talks with the school management quickly developed into a legal dispute, as theNZZwrites today.
The kindergarten teacher conducts tests with the girl, which are usually used before she starts school. The child passes them "very well", it is said. The teacher considers the girl to be basically ready for school - but at the same time points out that her emotional maturity is not yet sufficient.
The parents attach little importance to this assessment. They have their daughter assessed for giftedness and urge her to skip the second year of kindergarten. Parallel to the school psychological assessment, they commission a private report.
In April 2025, both reports are available - with significantly different results. The private report certifies that the girl has "clearly above-average results" and an intelligence quotient of 123. The kindergarten teacher is also "doing well" in social and emotional terms. It is expressly recommended that the girl be sent straight to school.
Girl starts school - but requires a lot of attention
According to the NZZ, the school psychologist came to a different conclusion. Although she also attests to above-average cognitive development, there is no evidence of giftedness. The recommendation is therefore to keep the child in kindergarten.
The school administration follows this assessment. The parents appeal - first to the district council, then to the administrative court. The court temporarily orders that the girl be enrolled in school anyway. The reason given for the decision was that it would be less stressful for the child to be downgraded to kindergarten at a later date than to miss the start of school altogether.
In the main, however, the administrative court rejected the parents' appeal. In particular, the observations of the class teacher and a special needs teacher called in were decisive. Although the girl had integrated socially in first grade, she seemed very young and required a lot of attention.
If she doesn't understand something, she often stands up, goes straight to the teacher or says things during the lesson that have nothing to do with the subject. If he finds a task difficult or doesn't feel like doing it, he finds it hard to follow instructions.
Both the teacher and the remedial teacher came to the conclusion that an additional year of kindergarten would have been better for her development. It is not clear from the ruling whether the girl has actually been demoted in the meantime.
Legal disputes at schools time and again
The case is not yet closed: An appeal is pending before the Federal Supreme Court.
However, legal disputes at Swiss schools occur time and again. For example, parents who extended their children's stay in the Caribbean and withdrew them from school ended up in court. The Zurich High Court ultimately acquitted the parents.
Disputes over grades or exclusion from grammar school are also regularly brought before the courts. In the canton of Zug, for example, parents went to court because their son was to be expelled from grammar school. The case ultimately ended up before the Federal Supreme Court, which finally dismissed the appeal by the pupil and his parents
