Teaching multilinguals

Basic education is free.  

The home address decides the child’s school location (Map).

The language of teaching is Finnish.  

Two schools have bilingual education. The second language of teaching is English.  

Other special classes are music, physical education, and mathematics classes.  The application for special classes is in December-January.  You can get more information from the Coordinators. 

The learning material is free.  

It is good for the student to have clothes suitable for the weather.  

Students are insured during the school day.  

School holidays can be found here.

Students receive support for language development, learning and school attendance. 

Preparatory teaching is for students aged 7–16 whose Finnish language skills are not yet sufficient to study in basic education. 

The Coordinators interview the student before the school begins.  

The student can start preparatory teaching in the middle of the academic year.  

The student studies the Finnish language and key issues of other subjects.  

Preparatory education will continue for about one year.  

A student’s own study program is made together with the guardian.  

7–10-year-olds have 24 hours of lessons per week.  

11–15-year-olds have 27 hours of lessons per week.  

Preparatory education is not available in all schools.  

Preparatory education has own curriculum.

After the preparatory teaching, the student transfers local school.  

The curriculum of the subject Mother tongue and literature is chosen for the student.  

The subject Mother tongue and literature has 12 different syllabuses.  

A student can study the S2 curriculum if his mother tongue is not Finnish, Swedish or Sámi or he is multilingual.  

The S2 curriculum is for students whose Finnish language skills are lacking.  

The curriculum can be changed because the student’s language skills develop.  

The guardian decides the curriculum.  

S2 education is available in all schools.  

The teaching is not the same as remedial teaching or special needs education.  

S2 curriculum is equivalent to Finnish as a Mother tongue. 

The teaching of one’s mother tongue is for basic education students whose mother tongue or one of the family languages ​​is other than Finnish, Swedish or Sámi.  

Finnish, Swedish or Sámi-speaking students of basic education who have got other language skills abroad can participate in the teaching.  

We try to organize the teaching if there are at least four students of the same language. 

There must be at least two students in Finland’s official minority languages.  

Teaching is voluntary.  

Teaching is free.  

The guardian takes care of the transportation.  

There are two hours of teaching per week.  

The lessons are after the school day.  

The teaching group can be in another school.  

The student may participate in the study of one language.  

Registration is in April.  

Registration is done in Wilma.  

Registration is binding for the next school year.  

Here you will find the curriculum of teaching.

More information about teaching

You can get more information from the Language and Culture Coordinators.  

Students get a free lunch at school.  

The guardian must notify if the student has a special diet or food allergy.  

Print the form here.

1. Fill out the form.  
2. Take the form to school.  
3. The child must have a medical certificate of food allergy.  

School menu  

The student gets free transportation to the nearest school if the trip to school is, 

More than 3 kilometers for a 0–2 grade student. 

More than 5 kilometers for a 3–9 grade student. 

There is no need to make an application for transportation.  

The application must be made if the student has an illness or disability and cannot go to school by himself.  The student must have a medical certificate.  

Application and further information

Route and timetables

Morning and afternoon activities are for students of 1.–2. classes and special groups.  

The students’ parents must be working or studying.  

There are morning and afternoon activities on school days from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and from 11:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m (5:00 p.m).  

Morning activities are at schools.  

Afternoon activities are at schools, parish halls or organizations’ premises.  

The guardian takes care of the transportation.  

For morning and afternoon activities, an application must be made in Wilma or you can do the written enrolment and give it to the child´s teacher.   

1. Open Wilma.  
2. Applications and decisions. 
3. Make a new application.     

Application for morning and afternoon activities. 

The activity is not free. A family can apply for a review of the fee with this  application.  

The following must be attached to the application: 

•  salary certificate 
•  student certificate  
• certificates for other income; for example, supplementary income, investment income, pension, rental income, daily allowance, child support and maintenance payment  
• entrepreneurs and practitioners will provide their income statement on a separate form where you will find information on necessary attachments. 

More information

 School welfare supports the student’s well-being and health.  

School welfare is free.  

Contact information for school welfare group can be found on the schools’ websites.  

The School nurse and the school doctor follow the student’s health and well-being.  

The School social worker helps students if they have concerns or difficulties.  

In some schools there are youth mental health nurses (“miekkari”).  

The School Psychologist assesses the student’s learning and the need for support.  

More information on student welfare

Schools have Youth workers who support the growth of students.  

More information about services for young people

There are free hobbyclubs at schools. You can get more information from teachers.

The school supports the guardian’s educational task.  

Communication between home and school takes place mainly in Wilma.  

The school invites guardians to student meetings and parents’ evenings.  

The guardian ensures that the child fulfills the compulsory education.  

The guardian informs the school about health issues related to the student’s safety.  

The guardian informs teacher if the child is sick.  

Other absences must be applied in Wilma.  

The teacher can grant an absence of 1–3 days.  

The principal approves absences of more than 3 days.  

Bullying is forbidden in schools.  

The guardian informs the school if the student tells about bullying at home.  

Information on bullying in different languages

Guide to bullying in different languages

Curriculum

School attendance and learning support

School beings

Welcome to lower secondary school

Reading is important

School vocabulary

Kajaani Basic Education Curriculum, Finnish

Kajaani Basic Education Curriculum, English

Kajaani Basic Education Curriculum, Russian

Kajaani Basic Education Curriculum, Arabic