You plan to move to Sweden with your family, and you are worried about your children's education? Education in Sweden is high quality, accessible and mandatory for children between six and sixteen years old.
The municipality shall inform the guardians or parents about the available schools near the home, and on the utbildningsguiden web page can have access to compare the different school options to decide what is the best for their children. For new students in Sweden, the school interviews the child's previous schooling, knowledge, experiences and interests. An interpreter may be present, but it has to be impartial and doesn't influence the evaluation. If the child is over seven years old, it is a must to evaluate to determine their grade according to prior knowledge and skills.
Children who have just arrived in Sweden attend a preparation class for a maximum of 2 years to learn Swedish as quickly as possible while receiving instruction in their regular class. The school director is the one who decides when it is no longer necessary for the student to attend the preparation class.
Children who arrive in Sweden and whose mother tongue is different from Swedish can receive compulsory education in their mother tongue and learn Swedish as a second language. To access this type of education, it is necessary to ask for the requirements directly at the school.
Schools want parents to be aware of their children's education, so they organize meetings and school boards so that teaching methods are known. In schools, children's independence is encouraged, through critical thinking, creating questions and thinking in different ways of seeing the world. Schools also offer daily meals for lunchtime and special menus for children with some nutritional conditions.
The Swedish National Agency for Education ensures that all children and students have access to quality education in a safe environment to carry out the activities of each school level.
The stages of schools are as follows:
Förskola (nursery or preschool) is provided by the municipality for children from one to five years old; the kids attend 15 hours per week and are free of charge. After the 3 hours per day, the preschool is subject to a fee based on the parent'sparent's income and with a maximum limit fee.
Preschools are based on the child's development according to their needs and interests through play. Preschool teachers and parents meet 1 or 2 times a school year to talk about the child's growth in the field of knowledge and the social sphere and propose opportunity areas to be able to work on them.
Pre-school class is for children who turn six years, is free of charge and comprises at least 525 hours during an academic year, with 6 hours of attendance every day. These schools can be independent or municipal; they have various specializations, such as English classes or culture and sports classes.
After the preschool class, children begin in the nine-year compulsory school (Grundskolan). Compulsory education has different types of schools: special-needs compulsory schools, the compulsory school for the hearing or visually impaired (special school), Sámi schools or preparatory dance education. The students of the compulsory school study Swedish or Swedish as a second language, mathematics, English, practical-aesthetic subjects, technology, social studies, science, mother tongue and modern languages. Once a semester, the schools organize a development meeting in which the student, the teacher and the parents reunite to discuss the student's development in the different areas. The students receive grades once a semester. The grading scale has six levels: A –E (passing) and F (not passing).
Students between 6 and 13 years old can attend a recreation centre when parents are working or studying, open before and after school hours, where children participate in different activities like language, creativity, nature and physical activities. The municipality runs this programme and has a reasonable fee based on the parent's income.
The Upper secondary school or Gymnasium is optional and free. Youngs between 16 and 20 can attend these schools by choice. Eighteen regular three-year national programs are to choose from: six are higher education (University) preparatory courses, and twelve are vocational introductory courses. Entry requirements vary according to the selected course, but for all, it is necessary to have passed the subjects of English, Swedish and mathematics in compulsory education. There are secondary schools for people with intellectual disabilities and variations of the program aimed, for example, at athletes. The grading scale has six levels: A –E (passing) and F (not passing); the students get a final grade at the end of the school year.
A study and career advisor provides students with advice and information about the educational system, working life and the labour market so that students can choose the career they want to study and thus plan their future.
By living in Sweden, you can be sure that your children will be able to access a good education where the school is a safe, peaceful and quiet place for children and youth, so they can work and thrive; that guarantees them to be independent people in the future.
Education, along with other factors, is one more gear to have a high standard of living. Decide to live in a country like Sweden and benefit from all these aspects. Start your process with Iknal Semikan and broaden your vision.