Preparatory education

Children aged 6 to 16 who do not yet speak enough Finnish or Swedish can start school in a preparatory education class, even during the school year. In preparatory education, pupils study Finnish or Swedish for one year and get to know the Finnish school.

What is preparatory education?

Preparatory education is for children aged 6–16 who do not yet speak Finnish or Swedish well enough to begin their basic education. In preparatory education, the focus is on learning Finnish or Swedish and becoming familiar with the Finnish school system. Every pupil gets an individual education plan.

The child’s age determines the type of preparatory education they will receive. The children receive 24–26 hours of teaching per week. The aim of preparatory education is for the pupils to learn basic language skills, so that they can manage everyday situations in Finnish or Swedish.

Pupils may attend preparatory education for a maximum of one calendar year. If a pupil can follow teaching in Finnish or Swedish, preparatory education may end sooner. The teacher will assess the child’s skills.

To register for preparatory education, you need to send an application. You can apply for a place for a child who has arrived from abroad as soon as the child has arrived in Finland. In Finnish-speaking schools teaching is provided in Finnish, and in Swedish-speaking schools in Swedish. You can choose which language will be used as the pupil’s teaching language in Finland. Pupils can register for Swedish-language preparatory education by contacting a school directly.

Find instructions on how to apply for Finnish-language and Swedish-language preparatory education below. 

Preparatory education in Finnish

In Finnish-language preparatory education, 6-year-olds participate in preparatory education in pre-primary education, which usually takes place in a daycare centre. First and second grade pupils (children aged 7–8) attend preparatory education in their local school. Pupils in grades 3 to 9 (9–16-year-olds), often start their preparatory education in a school other than their local school. However, we try to find everyone a place as close to home as possible. 

After one year in a preparatory class, the child continues in a Finnish-language class at the local school.

In Finland, children participate in pre-primary education one year prior to starting school. Pre-primary education lasts one year and is provided by the daycare centre. You can apply for preparatory education already in pre-primary education for 6-year-olds. It is part of the overall education and activities provided.

A child who has arrived to Finland and is 6 or turns 6 years in the current year participates in pre-primary education.

Please note that preparatory education is not available in private pre-primary education at the moment.

How to apply for pre-primary and preparatory education in Finnish for a 6-year-old:

  1. Find a daycare centre that provides pre-primary education.

    Check the Service Map for daycare centres offering pre-primary education. You can apply for a place in pre-primary education in your own neighbourhood or request a place elsewhere.

  2. Enrol your child in pre-primary education.

    Fill out and print the PDF application form Application for pre-primary education, PDF. Post the application to:
    Service Guidance for Early Childhood Education, P.O. Box 51300, 00099 City of Helsinki.

    or

    If you have a Finnish personal identity code or online banking credential, apply to pre-primary education through the Asti online service.

  3. Inform the daycare centre that you wish to apply for preparatory education for your child.

    Once your child has started pre-primary education in a daycare centre, inform the daycare centre staff that you wish to apply for preparatory education for your child.

    Please note that preparatory education is not currently available in private pre-primary education.

Brochure in different languages: Preparatory education for 6-year-olds (in pre-primary education)

Children start school the year they turn seven. In Finnish-speaking preparatory education, the first and second grade pupils study in their own local school, which is the school assigned to them according to the home address. Preparatory education is part of the overall education provided. When the preparatory education year ends, the pupil will continue as a basic education pupil in the same teaching group.

How to apply for preparatory education in Finnish for a 7 and 8-year-olds:

  1. Check the child's local school.

    Find your nearest school on the Service Map. Enter your home address in the search field. 

  2. Fill out the PDF form.

    Download and fill in the PDF enrolment form for preparatory education. If you need help with the form, please contact the school principal.

    PDF application form for preparatory education

  3. Deliver the form to the school.

    Send or bring the form directly to the principal of your local school.

  4. Wait for the school to contact you.

    Wait to hear from the school. The school will contact you once your application has been processed.

Brochure in different languages: Preparatory education for 7 and 8-year-olds

Pupils aged 9 to 16 receive preparatory education in their own preparatory education group. Not every school has these groups. Each pupil will be assigned to a group that is either as close to their home as possible or has good transport connections. During preparatory education, the pupils will also attend other classes at their school.

Finnish is the main language of study in the preparatory education groups. In addition to Finnish, the pupils study other subjects.

If a pupil’s preparatory education group is not at their local school, the pupil will transfer to their local school once their preparatory education has ended. Alternatively, the pupil’s guardian may submit an enrolment application to the school that has been providing the preparatory education.

How to apply for preparatory education in Finnish for 9–16-year-olds:

  1. Fill out the electronic application form

    Fill out the electronic application form for preparatory education:

    Electronic application form for preparatory education for 9–16-year-olds

    If you need help with filling in the form, please contact valmistavaopetus@hel.fi.

  2. Wait for the school to contact you

    The school will contact you when they are ready to enroll your child. This might take 1–5 weeks depending on the volume of incoming applications. 

Brochure in different languages: Preparatory education for 9–16-year-olds

Preparatory education in Swedish

Swedish-speaking preparatory education is always provided in the child’s own local school based on the home address. When the child has been in preparatory education for one year, the child will move to a Swedish-speaking class in the local school.

In Finland, children participate in pre-primary education one year prior to starting school. Pre-primary education lasts one year and is provided by the daycare centre. You can apply for preparatory education already in pre-primary education for 6-year-olds. It is part of the overall education and activities provided.

A child who has arrived to Finland and is 6 or turns 6 years in the current year participates in pre-primary education.

Please note that preparatory education is not available in private pre-primary education at the moment.

How to apply for pre-primary and preparatory education in Finnish for a 6-year-old:

  1. Find a daycare centre that provides pre-primary education.

    Check the Service Map for daycare centres offering pre-primary education. You can apply for a place in pre-primary education in your own neighbourhood or request a place elsewhere.

  2. Enrol your child in pre-primary education.

    Fill out and print the PDF application form Application for pre-primary education in Swedish, PDF. Post the application to:
    Service Guidance for Early Childhood Education, P.O. Box 51300, 00099 City of Helsinki.

    or

    If you have a Finnish personal identity code or online banking credential, apply to pre-primary education through the Asti online service.

  3. Inform the daycare centre that you wish to apply for preparatory education for your child.

    Once your child has started pre-primary education in a daycare centre, inform the daycare centre staff that you wish to apply for preparatory education for your child.

    Please note that preparatory education is not currently available in private pre-primary education.

How to apply for preparatory education in Swedish for a 7 to 16-year-old:

  1. Check the child’s local school.

    Check the child’s Swedish-speaking local school on the Service Map. Enter your home address in the search field.

  2. Fill out the application form.

    Fill in the application form at the school or order the form through the advisory services of the Education Division. If you need help with filling in the form, please contact the principal.

  3. Deliver the form to the principal of the local school.

    Send or deliver the form directly to the principal of your local school.

  4. Wait for the school to contact you.

    Wait for the school to contact you. The school will contact you when your application has been processed.

Video: Preparatory education in Grades 7–9 (age 13–16)

This video tells the story of Saqrib and Sa'adi's school day in a preparatory class at a lower secondary school. Watch the video to find out more about the boys' school day!

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Preparatory education in a separate group

Watch the video in other languages:
Групповое подготовительное обучение в старшей школе
Waxbarashada diyaarinda ah eekooxda gaarka ah ee waxbarashada diyaaarinda ah
مجموعة التّدريس التحضيري في المرحلة العليا من التعليم الأساسي
Ryhmämuotoinen valmistava opetus yläkoulussa

Video: Pupils' stories about preparatory education

In this video, 20-year-old Zainab and 18-year-old Mohamed talk about what it was like to come to Finland for preparatory education, and how a year in a preparatory education class helped them get started in their studies.

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Valmistava opetus: Zainab ja Mohamed

Watch the video in other languages:
Адаптационное обучение
Waxbarista u diyaarinta ah
التعليم التحضيري
Valmistava opetus