Differences between the Spanish and Swiss school system

I have been in Switzerland for almost seven months, and the school system is one of the aspects that has caught my attention the most. There are many differences between Spanish and Swiss education, such as the grading system, the division of the school year, and the structure of secondary school. But there are other aspects that I would like to highlight.

Restrictions

Firstly, in Spain there are a lot of restrictions on leaving school. They only let you leave at the end of the school day, otherwise your parents have to come and sign for you to be allowed to leave. In Switzerland, on the other hand, there are no restrictions, students have complete freedom when it comes to leaving school.

Electronic devices

Another point is that there are also electronic devices. In Spain, they are prohibited. For example, if they see that you have a cell phone or another device, even if you are not using it, they confiscate it for three days and your parents have to come and pick it up. But here in Switzerland at Realgymnasium Rämibühl, the electronic devices are the main work tool for both teachers and students from 3rd grade onwards.

Schedule

On the other hand, another thing that seems very different to me is the school schedule. In Spain, we have the same hours every day, we start at 8:15 in the morning, finish at 2:45 in the afternoon, and eat lunch at home. And also we only have a 30-minute break at 11:15 for breakfast. In Switzerland, it’s completely different. The schedule is very irregular. Every day starts and ends at a different time and we eat at school. We have different free periods every day and a 10-minute break between classes.

Something else that stands out is,that in Spain, students have a single classroom and it is the teachers who change the rooms. At RG, both students and teachers change classrooms and even buildings.

Relationship

From my point of view, the relationship between students and teachers is more respectful than in Spain, where there tend to be more arguments, anger, and backtalk from students. For example, students tend to talk a lot and loudly, which prevents the teacher from teaching the class properly and causes the teacher to get angry and leads to arguments between teachers and students. Or, if the students don’t like something, they complain about it and don’t say it respectfully. The relationship between students is also very different. In Spain, everyone tends to get along with everyone else, but here in Switzerland, people are more reserved.

In my opinion, both systems have their good and bad points. I think that having the freedom to leave the school grounds makes students more responsible. The use of devices is also a plus, as it helps students in many ways. But something I prefer about Spain is the schedule, as you have a daily routine and can eat at home and have the afternoon free for other activities. Another thing I miss is the relationships between classmates, but something I like here is the tranquility of the classes without being disturbed.