Experiences Komeetta, Kilonpuisto, Jalavanpuisto, Tähtiniitt

[stone]

Hi,

I have been searching for information about education in english (Espoo) and found quite a lot already.

Our child (who speaks both english and finnish) will go to school next year.

I would like to hear your experiences of Komeetta, Kilonpuisto, Jalavanpuisto, Tähtiniitty schools. What is good, not so good? Have you kids been happy and so on? What are the differencies? Any comments are welcome.

Thank you!

[Rosamunda]

Hi,

I have been searching for information about education in english (Espoo) and found quite a lot already.

Our child (who speaks both english and finnish) will go to school next year.

I would like to hear your experiences of Komeetta, Kilonpuisto, Jalavanpuisto, Tähtiniitty schools. What is good, not so good? Have you kids been happy and so on? What are the differencies? Any comments are welcome.

Thank you!

It is difficult to comment on the differences since most families only have experience of one of those schools! But off the top of my head, here are some of the obvious ones.

The main difference is that Komeetta is the "odd one out" because the teaching language is English, so ALL subjects except Finnish are taught in English. The other three schools are immersion schools where English is the main language of instruction in grades 1-2-3 but gradually more and more Finnish is introduced so Finnish is the dominant language in 6th grade.

Komeetta's homeroom teachers are ALL native English speakers (not all British, but ALL are native English speakers), this is definitely not the case in the other schools. I have no experience of the immersion schools but I doubt if they have many native English teachers at all. On the other hand, the teachers in the immersion schools are probably all fully-trained and qualified primary school teachers (ie they have a Masters degree in Primary school education from a Finnish university). The native English teachers in Komeetta come from different backgrounds and not all of them have a formal teaching qualification.

In my experience (Komeetta) there is not a huge amount of integration between the Finnish speaking and the English speaking classes. They are quite separate. The kids in the English stream tend to stick together outside the classroom. There are no lessons (not even crafts, art, PE, religion etc) where the two streams come together for lessons.

Komeetta has a Finnish foreign language class in each grade, as far as I know this is not available in the immersion schools. On the other hand, the immersion schools offer an intensive immigrant program (as does Komeetta on the Finnish side). if your child has weak Finnish I would probably suggest the immersion schools would be a better choice. The Finnish foreign language programme in Komeetta is not intensive enough to take a child to fluency in the 6 years he or she is in the school.

Another difference is that Komeetta feeds directly into Espoo International school in Pohjois Tapiola (yla aste) whereas children from the other schools have to pass a language test. Depending on the feed from Komeetta and Postipuu there may or may not be extra places available for the children from other schools. (For example, this year I know that 23 out of 24 kids in Komeetta 6th grade are going to Espoo International...)

All four schools teach the same National Core Curriculum, so there are no huge differences in the learning content. I have found some of the teaching methods to be lacking in inspiration (rote learning from books followed by a test), but I am not sure if this is typical of Finland or what.

If you were to compare the English programme at Komeetta to the National Curriculum in the UK, then I would say there are some big differences. But that's another story.

BTW, my three boys all went to Komeetta and were very happy there.

[enk]

If Kilonpuisto has a native teacher, I haven't seen her or him. Last year the first
graders had a superb teacher who had lived for decades in the USA and taught
school there, as well. She went back to study for her Master's though. Her replacement
is pretty good, too, but the same can't be said for all the teachers there. It is quiet
apparent from letters and notes sent home that English is not the native language
of any teacher there and I spend a lot of time correcting my children's English.

I've also been extremely disappointed (and more than peeved) about the school
not taking bullying seriously (see the sticky about violence for more info). It's
been a right nightmare and at least one parent was planning on moving her
kid to Postipuu.

In addition to all of that, the first graders are NOT tested for English skills
before they are accepted into the program, leading to an unbelievable situation
in some grades where some kids don't know a single word of English when
they enter first grade.

All in all, I've considered switching where my kids go to school, too, especially
since the school doesn't even stick to the objectives it sets for itself and for
this program that it has prominently displayed on its own website.

-enk

[estherk]

Hi,

My experience of the school system (limited as it maybe), is that it's a nitemare! But as my daughter is due to start school this year, I will be wiser with my next two. It seems the point system for selection to school is some what subjective!

Anyway, we went for testing at Komeetta school in Olari (where we live), and put Tähtiniitty as also in Olari as second choice. My daughter is fluent in Finnish and English but went to a Finnish state pre-school and päiväkoti. So we did the tests, and after a month found out that she passed with flying colours....BUT so did a lot of other kids too, so she got a reserve palce in Komeetta, as this year 2009-2010 they will have 2 classes of 18, so they gave 25 places now to kids and the other 7 places are pending, ie they will let you know after they have tested kids from abroad. I also found out they give places to kids living outside Espoo if they move to the area. So back to my daughter, she also then recieved a place in Postipuu, which was interesting as that wasn't one of our choices due purely on location. So I told Espoo city that we won't be taking the place. To cut a long story short, my daughter now has a place in Tähtiniitty and a reserve place in Komeetta. SO we need to wait until the autumn to find out which school for sure, which means I don't know which after school club to apply to (the deadline being next week)!

BUT what I don't get is my daughter did well in the testing, the only test which was weaker (according to the headmaster) was the interview, which took place late in the evening, my daughter was left to last, she was tired, hungrey, and angry because she missed skating school, and was also a little shy. My mother a primary school teacher and ex-teacher of that school who herself did testing, could not believe that my daughter could be marked down on her interview, the result of which basically mean't the difference between a place and not it seems!

I hate to say it but I just don't trust those test at all (but then I would say that as my native english speaking girl didn't get a place).

We will know more in the autumn in the mean time I don't know which school to tell my daughter she is going to, 'maybe this or maybe that'!

What I will say is the headmistress of Tähtiniitty is lovely, and very helpful. The headmistress at Postipuu is also very nice and informative as too is the headmaster at Komeetta.

Hope you have an easier and less stressful time when going to school then us. E.

[Rosamunda]

BUT what I don't get is my daughter did well in the testing, the only test which was weaker (according to the headmaster) was the interview, which took place late in the evening, my daughter was left to last, she was tired, hungrey, and angry because she missed skating school, and was also a little shy. My mother a primary school teacher and ex-teacher of that school who herself did testing, could not believe that my daughter could be marked down on her interview, the result of which basically mean't the difference between a place and not it seems!

All the English language primary schools in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa now have the same entrance test. This harmonisation took place last year. So, it may have changed since your mother was there.

Not all the interviews are done by the same teacher. I suppose this could lead to some inconsistencies, but I do not see any other alternative. I don't know how many kids were tested this year but I remember a few years back when I was selling coffee at the testing sessions, there were over 80 children being tested and interviewed.

Anyway, if they have left 7 places pending there is still a chance your daughter will get in. And Tähtiniitty is a fine school, so no worries there! I wonder how Komeetta will cope with the extra class? It already seems so crowded and the Papyniitty building for the older kids (the one above the Shell station, under the car repair garage) was never intended to be used as a school.... The extra class might be sort of a vaguely political move to try and force Espoo into building the new school in Suurpelto... that has been on the cards for years and big money has been spent on designing it.... but the plans are controversial (Swedish, Finnish and English schools all under the same roof) and AFAIK nothing has been approved.

Just for info, I believe Komeetta and Tähtiniitty are both using the Oxford Reading Tree (the "Biff and Chip" books) for reading.

[estherk]

Well according to the headmaster at Komeeta millions of kids applied to the school and also to Tähtiniitty, hence the decision by Espoo city due to the huge demand to have two English classes in Komeetta and 41 places at Tähtiniitty!!!! I wonder how they will cope too, they should just make one of the two school (Tähtiniitty and Komeetta) purely English speaking/bi-lingal as the schools are so close together anyway! Lets hope that they will build this big school in Suurpelto they've been discusing for years. When we went to the testing they had groups of 10-15 kids all day.

Well I guess the only alternative is that if the interview doesn't go so well but all the other tests are excellent they could consider re-interviewing the child, but due to time constrictions etc. I guess they don't want to do this.

There is a chance my daughter will get a place at Komeetta after all, and we have a place in Tähtiniitty (which is great), it just would be nicer for her if she knew already now which will be her school. I guess I am just shocked that a native English speaker doesn't get a place in an English speaking school, she is fluent and can read and write in English and Finnish. We also recently (11 months ago) moved to Olari in order to be near the English schools. I am also dissappointed that the info from Tähtiniittyn is only in Finnish, makes me personally feel isolated from the process, even though I speak and understand Finnish quite well. I guess on a personal level I feel like the fun and excitment of this going to school have been overshadowed by this uncertainty, dissapiontment and sence of failure, despite passing the tests and unfortunately that rubs off on my daughter to a certain extent (although I have tried my best to hide that from her).

Good to know about the books so thanks for that