There are some basic conditions that must be fulfilled for schools to run English classes:
• Organisation of the daily timetable with block hours (‘Blockzeiten’)
• A sufficient number of qualified teachers
• All primary schools within the catchment area of one and the same secondary school must introduce English at the same time.

The website of the Department of Education offers a variety of possible timetables as examples (also for multi-level classes).
http://www.vsa.zh.ch > Pädagogische Themen > Unterricht > Englisch > Stundenplanbeispiele

 

Of the two official papers which the Education Council (Bildungsrat) has published in connection with the introduction of English, the first one, dated March 2003, is more substantial. It is the result of various hearings and commissioned studies. It argues persuasively for the use of a particular teaching approach:

“Young learners have the capacity for acquiring and storing language subconsciously as long as they hear it regularly and with rich comprehensible input. Language knowledge stored in this way will later be accessible automatically. Early language learning must not be like anticipated foreign language teaching in which aims and content of adult or secondary school lessons are transmitted. Early language teaching can be successful if and when the subject content is interesting and is mediated in an age-specific way. Linking language learning with content relevant for broader educational aims – an approach referred to as Content-and-Language-Integrated Learning or CLIL – is important for schools for yet another reason: given that the time available for teaching and learning is limited, it is vital that all school lessons have an educational value. Language competence develops in parallel with the acquisition of subject knowledge. Learners have to and are able to develop, on the basis of subject content, new vocabulary that is indispensable for communicative purposes. The expansion of vocabulary must, however, not be limited to nominal terminology, but should include all parts of speech in its treatment of lexical fields.” (Translation D. Stotz)

The document goes on to outline the framework at the basis of the approach which is now being enabled thanks to newly produced materials. Some of the conclusions and recommendations have been superseded by the document of March 2004. However, the section on methodology is well worth reading. You can find the document under 10 Printable Downloads.

 

The final decision of the Education Council (‘Bildungsrat’), dated 15 March 2004, argues once again for the early introduction of English in connection with block hours. It takes up some of the agreements reached at round-table talks with teacher, parent and school board representatives. The main results of these talks are: subjects like science (‘Mensch und Umwelt’) or music are not to be taught in English. Rather, English receives its own timetable slots. The German standard language will be given top priority, with two more lessons in Grade 1 to compensate for the loss of one lesson in Grade 2.

The decision, which can also be downloaded from this Knowledge Pool, states that the methodological approach remains unchanged, i.e. as described in the 2003 document.

The 2004 decision further states that the series ‘first choice’ shall be the obligatory set of materials to be used in Grades 2 and 3. There is a choice among 10 topics, and the Education Council expects that at least half of them can be treated in the lower grades (“Es kann davon ausgegangen werden, dass an der Unterstufe gut die Hälfte davon bearbeitet werden können”, BRB 2004, p.6).

For the upper primary grades 4 to 6, the Explorers series has been set as the obligatory materials to be used. The first parts were published by the Lehrmittelverlag des Kantons Zürich in June 2006.