After-school activities are instructed leisure time activities for comprehensive school pupils in first and second grade and special support pupils. The activities provide age-appropriate fun things to do after the pupils’ school day.
“It’s great to have so many young pupils take part in after-school activities. Instructed activities after the school day make families’ everyday life smoother and support the child’s wellbeing,” Head of Basic Education Outi Salo rejoices.
The after-school activity programme features play, exercise, outdoor activities and small hikes in the local environment. What is important in the activities is doing things together with friends. The activities will begin on the first school day in August and continue until the end of the school year.
The introduction of a new application method was a success – Wilma now the primary application method
This year marked the first time that applications were primarily submitted via the Wilma online service. For this process, the guardians of upcoming first-graders created a Wilma account for themselves.
Applying via Wilma made the application process and the processing of applications smoother. The application is saved on the guardian’s Wilma account, which the guardian also uses to take care of other affairs related to their child’s schooling. The after-school activity place decision will also be available in Wilma, in addition to which guardians will receive the decision by post.
The decisions will be posted on 24 June. Instructions for requesting a revised decision and a client fee notice for the next school year will be enclosed in the decision letter. The decision will be available in Wilma after 24 June.
A place will be offered to all first and second graders who applied within the application period
A place in after-school activities was offered to first and second graders who applied within the application period. If no place could be provided at the preferred activity site, the child was offered a place at another site in the area.
After-school activities are provided at a total of roughly 250 activity sites across the city, both at schools and in the vicinity of schools, including at playgrounds.
If there are more applicants for an activity site than there are places, first grade pupils and special support pupils are given priority. If necessary, equal applicants will be selected randomly. It does not matter on what day within the application period the application is submitted.
The application period for after-school activities for the school year of 2024–2025 has already ended, but guardians can apply for a place at other times as well. Applications submitted after the application period will be processed from August onwards. Guardians who apply for a place outside the application period may have to wait, and not all wishes can be fulfilled.
Guardians can apply for a fee reduction based on their income
The monthly fee for after-school activities is €100 or €120 depending on whether the child attends the activities until 16.00 or 17.00. The invoicing period starts from August.
Based on their income, guardians can apply for a fee reduction, whereby the monthly fee is reduced by half, or exemption from the fee, whereby no fee is collected.
Guardians cannot apply for a fee reduction until August when their child has started attending after-school activities. For the application, the guardian must provide up-to-date income information. The income limits in place and additional information can be found online at hel.fi/afternooncharges.