Growth and Learning Sector projects

During the school years 2023–2024 and 2024–2025, a pilot project on inclusive preparatory education is being carried out in the Matinkylä-Olari area. During the project, all preparatory education pupils in grades 1 and 2 who move to the area are placed in a mainstream education class in their local school. The pilot schools are Friisilän koulu, Kuitinmäen koulu, Matinlahden koulu, Olarin koulu, Päivänkehrän koulu and Tiistilän koulu. The project’s impacts will be assessed in cooperation with researchers from the University of Turku’s INVEST Research Flagship Centre, Åbo Akademi University and the Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius.

The aim of the ‘Kaikki mukana’ project is to develop and deepen the knowledge and practices of general upper secondary schools with regard to identifying students’ need for support and the means and structures of support. In addition to individual pedagogical support, the project will develop access to multiprofessional support at school.

The project will create and establish working practices for co-teaching and cooperation between subject teachers and special education teachers in general upper secondary education. Particular attention will be paid to language-aware education and language support. Many large schools also struggle with limited special needs education resources in relation to the number of students. The aim is to examine the most effective means of support and the digital tools available to identify the need for support. The project also continues Lukiopaja activities. The aim of Lukiopaja is to promote studies, prevent students from dropping out, and strengthen their functional capacity.

The schools involved in the project are Espoon yhteislyseo, Espoonlahden lukio, Kuninkaantien lukio, Mattlidens gymnasium, Otaniemen lukio and Tapiolan lukio. The project is being carried out during the school year 2024–2025, and it has received a government grant of EUR 190,000.

The aim of the project is to develop and improve the quality of Swedish language immersion education and bilingual (Finnish-English) education and learning in Espoo. The development of teachers’ competence will be supported. In addition, the pupil selection process for Swedish language immersion education and bilingual (Finnish-English) education will be developed. The project will improve the provision of information on these forms of education and the application process to guardians and pupils.

The project has launched youth work at schools in Espoo. The project will develop the content of the activities and define what school youth work will be like in the future. One of the aims is to promote collaboration between youth workers and schools and strengthen the connection between school days and leisure activities. This will strengthen the schools’ practices in supporting a sense of community, peer relationships and inclusion by means of youth work. Another aim is to establish school youth workers as part of both the school communities and local youth work communities.

The main aim of the project is to create a quality manual for general upper secondary education in Espoo, compiling the preconditions for high-quality learning, including students’ participation and wellbeing, equality, strengthening students’ ability to study, and the opportunities of school staff to promote learning.

Another aim is to test measures that can be taken to prevent students’ mental stress, the prolongation and interruption of studies, and a sense of not belonging.

The third aim is to consolidate the practices created during the ‘Ohjauksella onnistumisiin’ project in order to effectively support the learning, graduation and integration of students with an immigrant background.

In cooperation with lower secondary schools, the project will create operating models to promote teaching. At the same time, it will strengthen pupils’ participation, proficiency in the language of instruction, and basic skills. The project supports the transition from preparatory education to mainstream education and from lower secondary school to upper secondary education. The project will also provide training for school staff and develop and expand cultural instruction activities to include different languages.

The second phase of the project continues city-level cooperation to prevent school segregation. The project will produce new information on practices to prevent school segregation and strengthen the knowledge base. Ways to prevent segregation will also be examined in early childhood education and pre-primary education units to form an overall picture of the situation and to build a knowledge base.

This project is being carried out together with the Innokas network, eNorssi and the City of Kuopio. The aim is to develop learning environments in general upper secondary education by making use of gamified elements, to strengthen students’ future skills and to enrich study methods through gamification, game literacy and game development. The project also aims to produce materials and study modules that support gamification, game literacy and game development as part of the digital skills learning path in general upper secondary schools.

During the third period of the project (‘Varhaiskasvatuksen aktiivinen arki’ in Finnish), the aim is to continue maintaining an active culture in early childhood education. Development activities will focus on inclusive opportunities for physical activity, equality and non-discrimination, and physical activity as a means of addressing differences in the level of learning.

The project continues to implement the national Joy in Motion programme in Finnish-speaking early childhood education units. In particular, private day care centres are encouraged to join the programme. The activities of Espoo’s own Joy in Motion network will be developed further, and the implementation of tools developed during the previous project periods will continue.

The project will strengthen collective student welfare services in pre-primary education, basic education and general upper secondary education, for example by recruiting community instructors. A total of 34 instructors have been recruited in Espoo with this project funding. The project will further develop collective student welfare services, the operating culture and measures that promote learning, health, wellbeing, interaction and inclusion. During the project, existing good practices related to collective student welfare services will be implemented, activities that increase the involvement of children and guardians will be further developed, and cooperation with the wellbeing services county will be systematised to ensure multiprofessional collective student welfare services.