English speaking kids in a Finnish school (grad 9)
English speaking kids in a Finnish school (grad 9)
Do Finnish schools cater for non-Finnish speaking children of returning citizens?
- Hank W.
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Well, now the thing is that the "regular" school "immigrant classes" might cater more for kids who haven't been studying with the latin alphabet to start with, but then again due to the babel of languages (I think in Helsinki it was over 200) then learning in Finnish is more or less the only way to do it. So besides the academics the kids also need to communicate with each other so you have the incentive to learn the language pretty fast. There was a story in HS of an immigrant guy who wrote the Finnish matriculation - with pretty good grades- and he'd not been in the country but some 5 years. So it can be done...
Problem with English is that it is then the 2nd common language with Finns, so there might be no incentive to learn Finnish as one can "slide" and that will backfire then. Happened to me with Swedish. As Richard said there are the English immersion/schools that would be more geared towards someone speaking English. So then the learning Finnish might be a bit bad, but the academics are in English so there is no excuse for not studying. The thing is that 9th grade (+optional 10th) makes the difference where you continue your studies.
Problem with English is that it is then the 2nd common language with Finns, so there might be no incentive to learn Finnish as one can "slide" and that will backfire then. Happened to me with Swedish. As Richard said there are the English immersion/schools that would be more geared towards someone speaking English. So then the learning Finnish might be a bit bad, but the academics are in English so there is no excuse for not studying. The thing is that 9th grade (+optional 10th) makes the difference where you continue your studies.
Cheers, Hank W.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
- Nadriandel
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Another thing is that learning a new language is quite easy for children.
I once read a story about a familly (husband + wife + teenage daughter) that moved to France. The daughter didn't know French at all, but she became fluid in it in a matter of months, and refused to speak her native tongue after a while!
So maybe looking for an english-speaking school may not be worth the trouble?
I once read a story about a familly (husband + wife + teenage daughter) that moved to France. The daughter didn't know French at all, but she became fluid in it in a matter of months, and refused to speak her native tongue after a while!
So maybe looking for an english-speaking school may not be worth the trouble?
Could you elaborate on the last point?Hank W. wrote:Problem with English is that it is then the 2nd common language with Finns, so there might be no incentive to learn Finnish as one can "slide" and that will backfire then. Happened to me with Swedish. As Richard said there are the English immersion/schools that would be more geared towards someone speaking English. So then the learning Finnish might be a bit bad, but the academics are in English so there is no excuse for not studying. The thing is that 9th grade (+optional 10th) makes the difference where you continue your studies.
We live about 500m from Kilonpuisto koulu, and are thinking it sounds like an ideal situation for Samuli, but are you saying it may hamper His possibilities if He wants to carry on studies further?
- Hank W.
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The grades on the final year's report card, 9th grade average, basically says if you're going tio what school if you want to continue. Top notch Lukios like SYK require 9+ average, to some suburbian paradise you can get with 7; mind you this, some vocational school courses open up with an 8 average. But to say to go study an IB you need a good average on the 9th grade report card. I actually applied to study with my 9th grade report card some ten years after the fact...
Cheers, Hank W.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
I do not see how a 9th grade student with NO Finnish could survive in a Finnish school. IMO the school would be very reluctant to take a child with no Finnish language skills at that level. And Hank is right, the only way into Lukio is with a good report card at the end of 9th grade, or a direct application to an IB /AICE lukio.... AFAIK the special immigrant programmes are at primary level - though the education board of your local council will be able to tell you more. Go to http://www.vantaa.fi or espoo.fi or helsinki.fi and find the contact details for the koulutuskeskus.
There is Vantaa International School, Espoo International School and also Ressu IB and Kulosaari Yhteiskoulu and The English School in Helsinki that all offer state (ie free) education 7-8-9 th grade which includes English as an "A" language and Finnish as a foreign language. These schools are required to save places for returning Finns and also for immigrant families and temporary mobile families.
Feel free to PM me if you have more questions
There is Vantaa International School, Espoo International School and also Ressu IB and Kulosaari Yhteiskoulu and The English School in Helsinki that all offer state (ie free) education 7-8-9 th grade which includes English as an "A" language and Finnish as a foreign language. These schools are required to save places for returning Finns and also for immigrant families and temporary mobile families.
Feel free to PM me if you have more questions
Where would I find the stats on how kilonpuisto compares to other schools on final year report cards?Hank W. wrote:The grades on the final year's report card, 9th grade average, basically says if you're going tio what school if you want to continue. Top notch Lukios like SYK require 9+ average, to some suburbian paradise you can get with 7; mind you this, some vocational school courses open up with an 8 average. But to say to go study an IB you need a good average on the 9th grade report card. I actually applied to study with my 9th grade report card some ten years after the fact...
- Hank W.
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Well, you can't... they don't give out the statistics.
Besides which the grading in a Finnish school is usually on a Gauss scale. So there could in principle be a 9 average kid from a school A that would be an 8 average in school B, if the school B is slightly more competitive... So in every school you will have the student getting the "hymypoika"...
Besides which the grading in a Finnish school is usually on a Gauss scale. So there could in principle be a 9 average kid from a school A that would be an 8 average in school B, if the school B is slightly more competitive... So in every school you will have the student getting the "hymypoika"...
Cheers, Hank W.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
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I took 2 non Finnish speaking kids to Finnish schools and they were looked after very well. They didn't have an English program but they made one for my kids. They were grades 8 and 3. That was back in 2003 in Seinajoki and they were there for 5 months. They had both learnt basic conversational Finnish in that time.
I guess it depends very much on each Individual school.
I guess it depends very much on each Individual school.

