Preparatory education

When enrolling your child who is starting first grade in preparatory education, information on his or her Finnish language skills is required.

If your child is able to play in Finnish, but needs help in understanding Finnish-language instructions and concepts, he or she is entitled to receive inclusive preparatory education. Talk to your child’s pre-primary teacher about the matter and make sure that you share an understanding of your child’s Finnish language skills.

Enrol your child in inclusive preparatory education by ticking the box “The child needs inclusive preparatory education” on the school enrolment form. If you forget to make this selection, you can also fill out an inclusive preparatory education application form together with your child’s pre-primary teacher, who will then submit the form to Multicultural Education Services.

If your child does not speak any Finnish at all or only knows single Finnish words, he or she is entitled to receive group-form preparatory education. Enrol your child in group-form preparatory education by filling out a preparatory education application form together with your child’s pre-primary teacher. The pre-primary teacher will then submit the application to the Preparatory Education Coordinator at Multicultural Education Services.

When a 7–⁠16-year-old child who does not have good Finnish skills starts at a Finnish-language school, detailed information about his or her Finnish skills is needed.

If a 7–⁠16-year-old child does not speak any Finnish at all or only knows single Finnish words, he or she is entitled to receive group-form preparatory education. The child is enrolled in group-form preparatory education at a personal meeting with the Preparatory Education Coordinator.

Contact the Preparatory Education Coordinator to schedule an appointment. Contact information is available below. The child enrolling in preparatory education must be present at the meeting together with his or her guardians.

If a 7–⁠16-year-old child can speak, read and write in Finnish, but needs help with studying and understanding more complicated matters in Finnish, inclusive preparatory education is usually sufficient. Enrol your child in inclusive preparatory education by filling out an inclusive preparatory education application form at an Espoo school together with your child’s teacher. The teacher will then submit the inclusive preparatory education application form to the Preparatory Education Planner. Contact information is available below.

1. Please send family’s name (guardian’s and child’s), home address, birth time of the child and country of origin to our coordinator for preparatory education, Ms. Ilham Hamdouni, ilham.hamdouni@espoo.fi.

2. Our coordinator will reply to you as soon as possible and send you two documents: link to a survey and a registration form. Please fill in the survey and the registration form. In the survey, there are questions about your child’s school background and personal information. If you have several children, please fill in one survey per child. In the registration form, please fill in part 1 and 2 precisely and sign the form. Pay attention to write the name and birth date exactly like it is written in your child’s passport.

3. After having filled in the survey, please scan it and send it by e-mail to our coordinator. If you need help in scanning, please go to one of the local libraries and the staff will assist you. If you need help in filling in the form, please go to Hello Espoo Info in Iso Omena shopping center (3rd floor).

4. Please note that there is queue in the beginning of the semester in the coordination of preparatory education. Pupils can start preparatory education also after the first day of the semester. Our coordinator will tell you the exact starting date and time.

The City of Espoo also offers education that prepares for basic education in Swedish. Preparatory education is provided to pupils who have an immigrant background and who need to work on their Swedish language skills to be able to take part in basic education. Preparatory education in Swedish is not necessarily provided in the pupil’s local school. The school providing preparatory education can vary from year to year. 

If you have any questions about school enrolment or want to enrol your child to a Swedish-language school or preparatory education in Swedish, please send e-mail to skolanmalan@esbo.fi.