A student who does not speak Finnish may be provided with preparatory education for basic education.
Preparatory education follows its own curriculum. The goals of preparatory education include learning the basics of
the Finnish language andachieving general readiness for schooling.
Students typically study in a preparatory education group for about one school year, after which they usually transfer to a nearby school in their residential area. During preparatory education, students may also participate in lessons in Finnish-speaking classrooms for certain subjects.
The scope of instruction is 900 hours for students under 10 years old, which equates to approximately 24 hours per week over the course of a year. For students over 10 years old, the instruction totals 1000 hours, or approximately 26 hours per week for a year.
Preparatory education can also be provided inclusively, for example, in pre-primary education or within a first-grade class in the student’s local school.
Parents or guardians of students requiring preparatory education should contact the coordinator for immigrant education and complete the online aplication form.
Registration for preparatory education for basic education (in Finnish).
Saimaanportin yhtenäiskoulu: Preparatory education is provided for students of primary and secondary school age.
Tuppuralan koulu: Preparatory education is provided for students of primary school age.