Feedback about potential schools

[AnaTeresa]

HI all

We are moving shortly to Helsinki from Spain, and our main choices for schooling are the international school of Vantaa (our children are attending an english daycare and preschool). Any comments about these two schools? We need to pick the are were to live depending on the school

Regardless of the final choice for next year, we will likely take them to have this term to "Mi Casita" (the Spanish daycare)

The kids are fluent in Finnish and English, and they speak Spanish are their mother tongue

Thanks in advance

[onkko]

Are you staying or visiting?

[Rosamunda]

Two? What's the other one?

[AnaTeresa]

We are staying in Helsinki, in fact I am moving permanently as I got a job in helsinki. IN adittion my husband is Finnish.

The other choice is the Spanish School.

Ana

[Rosamunda]

I would strongly recommend you put them into a regular Finnish school.

[AnaTeresa]

Thanks Penelope,

It is difficult to explain the decisions we made on what we consider the best for our kids. This is a very specific situation: our children are bilingüal in Spanish and Finnish and they also have an excellent level of English. We would like to keep the same level they have on the three languages. Currently they are enrolled on an international school so to move to a similar environment could smooth their transition to Helsinki.

I do not want to turn this post into a discussion about our choices but I appreciate your recommendation.

I am just asking feedback about these options, in case there is someone who has direct information about them.

Thanks

Ana

[Rosamunda]

We were in a similar situation ourselves when we arrived in Finland with our three boys who had started school in French, in France, before moving to an International School in Hungary. Unfortunately nobody really talked us through all the options and we didn't think far enough ahead when we were making our choices.

With ten years' hindsight I wish every day that we had put them into a Finnish school.

If you are planning to stay here permanently, then sooner or later your kids will be taking the Finnish matriculation exam, in Finnish. IMO there is no reason why they can't maintain their level of English in a Finnish school. Thousands of Finnish kids graduate from Finnish schools with excellent levels of spoken and written English.

As far as I know, Vantaa International school is not accredited with the full PYP-MYP status from the IB World schools. So, in other words, they are just teaching the Finnish core curriculum in English. I think only Ressu (in Helsinki) has PYP accreditation for the primary years programme. Espoo International school just received the MYP accreditation for grades 7-9. You might want to consider the European School of Helsinki also www.esh.fi (I think they have Spanish).

HTH

[luulio]

The other choice is the Spanish School.

I didn't know there was a Spanish school in the Helsinki area. Or do you mean the bilingual Finnish-Spanish class in Käpylän peruskoulu? I think most of that school is just for Finnish-speakers, but might be mistaken. AFAIK they also have quite a lot of classes for special needs pupils in the school. But things might have changed since I last was in contact with them.

[AnaTeresa]

Hi Luulio, you are right, I was mistaken. I mean the school at Käpylä

Ana

[catfish78]

I know sometimes it can be difficult to get into Vantaa International school, if you do not live in Vantaa. Spots go first to Vantaa residents then everyone else.

As far as the school goes, I recommend it. Although I am biased as my eldest is in first grade there, my youngest in daycare and my wife teaches there.

[AnaTeresa]

Thanks Catfish! I really appreciate your comments!

Ana

[Rosamunda]

Spots go first to Vantaa residents then everyone else.

Places go to Vantaa residents WHO PASS THE ENTRANCE TEST before they go to everyone else. So a child in Helsinki who gets a good score in the entrance tests would be offered a place before a Vantaa child with less fluent language skills (though I'm not sure how this is managed in practice).

But... the rules keep changing, so it is worth checking up on the criteria. I'm not sure if extra points are still added for children who have already been schooled in an English-language school abroad. It used to be the case.

The entrance test is now the same for all the English-language schools in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa, so the child only has to take it once.

[onkko]

You dont want to but i want.
Your childrens will be finns and to be finns they dont need only conversation finnish but fluent finnish.
To get that they have to be in finnish schools.
To get all what finland has offer they have to have fluent in finnish.
I really hope that your son or doughter dont want to be "metsäkoneenkuljettaja". or "levyseppähitsaaja".

[AnaTeresa]

Thanks Onkko,

My children will not be Finns, because my children are already Finns. And they are also Spanish.

Both my husband and myself always did what it took to make sure they know their roots. That's why they are bilingüal in Finnish and Spanish, even if they are living in Spain and they are attending a school in English. That means they currently master 3 languages, and we want to keep this. I do not understand why this has to be perceived as something negative.

Ana

[Upphew]

That's why they are bilingüal in Finnish and Spanish, even if they are living in Spain and they are attending a school in English. That means they currently master 3 languages, and we want to keep this. I do not understand why this has to be perceived as something negative.

Negativity might come from the fact that it wasn't clear that your children speak fluent Finnish. Without it many doors close, or at least things are more complicated and harder. It makes you look like a bad parent when you make things harder for your children for little or no gains.

You made assumptions, onkko made assumptions and they weren't the same. Regulars get tired to milk the facts, I myself tend to assume people live at Rovaniemi or Mikkeli or whatever floats my boat at that time, if the location isn't told.