Which school would be best?

[Puolukka]

Hello,

I have read with great interest the comments on the local school v. English-speaking school debate, third-culture kids, etc.. Our child is approaching school-age, and before we settle into some neighborhood in he Helsinki region, we are trying to determine which school, specifically, in the Helsinki area could best meet our needs and interests. We are an English-speaking family, with long-term plans in Finland, and we are hoping to place our child in a school that could provide:

1. Finnish language immersion. (Our child will have some Finnish skills after spending a couple of years in Finnish daycare, but is now and will likely be considerably behind her Finnish peers since there is no reinforcement at home.)
2. English language instruction which would be sufficiently rigorous for native English-speaking kids.
3. A stable environment that is not strictly intended for non-Finnish families or families living in Finland temporarily.
4. An opportunity for non-Finnish speaking parents to participate.

For those out there with any insight on this matter, which international, English-language, or bilingual school would you recommend? Or would you recommend the local Finnish school? I have so much respect for the Finnish school system that I am tempted to go with the local school option, but I'm not sure it fits our situation, and I don't want to introduce social or academic problems for our child. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[Mattlill2000]

We also moved here when my oldest kid was ready for grade 1. We also had the same thoughts and decided for local Finnish schools. My son at first went to a special class at the local school as he really didn't know Finnish and after a year his Finnish was up to par. We have absolutely no regrets with our decision and am glad we didn't send them to some english speaking school.

[Rosamunda]

I would probably recommend the local Finnish school. But try and find one that has a strong English stream (ie teaches A1 English from 3rd grade) as, even if your child does not take the English classes, you will be able to "use" the English teacher as your contact point with the school. But don't expect school meetings etc to be held in English for your benefit. (Even in bilingual schools this is rarely the case.) All the primary schools offer Finnish remedial classes for kids that need the extra help, so don't worry: the fact that you do not speak Finnish at home is not necessarily a problem.

If you are resident in Helsinki you should have received a booklet that lists all the primary schools with their specialities. But you might be able to download that booklet from the webpages on http://www.helsinki.fi or find it in a local library. If your child was born in 2001 then she or he will be starting school this August. Applications for school places were in January/February so you may find some schools are already full. If s/he was born in 2002, then you still have plenty of time.

The English language option is, as I pointed out on another thread, not the best choice for ACQUIRING fluency in Finnish. There is no such thing as a "Finnish immersion" school in Helsinki. At best, the English language schools offer a Finnish Foreign Language programme, which is not always tailor-made to the individual student's needs and rarely driven with any specific goals or targets.

The English School is the "odd one out". Despite its name it is probably the most Finnish of all the English language schools in Helsinki these days (was not the case 80 years ago when Hank was a pupil there with the American nuns). So that might be a solution that would work for you.

I strongly recommend you visit all the schools before you make your choice.