Espoo improves the emotional and friendship skills of pupils in primary school

Espoo pupils in grades 4–5 will receive support for improving their well-being and teamwork skills from the beginning of next year. A cooperation project between the City of Espoo and the Parish Union, Luokka loistamaan, aims to increase pupils’ well-being and prevent social exclusion. The Espoo Parish Union finances the three-year social empowerment project for children by EUR 1,070,000.

“Studies show that the children and young peoples’ perceived well-being has decreased. Increasing inequality is also reflected in their well-being: unwell children feel increasingly more unwell, and children who are well do well at school, in hobbies and at home,” says Project Manager, Doctor of Education Raili Keränen-Pantsu.

Teachers would like help from parishes with grouping and improving children’s social skills. This emerged in the 2023 school cooperation survey conducted by Espoo Parishes. A total of 25 primary and comprehensive schools applied to the project jointly planned by the city’s Growth and Learning Sector and the Parish Union.

The fourth grades of the Kalajärven koulu and Meritorin koulu schools have participated in a pilot since September. Activities with other participating schools will begin in January 2025.

“Pupils and class teachers have welcomed the project. When a separate project worker leads interaction and well-being lessons, it also gives the class teacher an opportunity to examine their class from a new perspective. It is a great gesture from the parishes to offer support to schools,” says Matti Jokela, Headmaster of the Meritorin koulu school.

Three project workers with teaching experience work in Espoo schools in the context of the Luokka loistamaan activities, and another worker will join the team in January. Project workers Heidi Hietikko, Annikka Kilpeläinen and Pia Saarelainen organise five to six lessons promoting well-being for pupils in grades 4 and 5. During these lessons, pupils practise emotional, friendship and self-knowledge skills as well as everyday skills and learning skills. The classes also get to spend one day at a camp centre. Headmaster Jokela is satisfied with how the activities have been integrated into everyday life at school.

“Interaction and emotional skills are part of basic education, but their implementation varies from school to school. The Luokka loistamaan project makes it possible to systematically advance well-being education and use the materials in the future as well.”

Espoo schools have also engaged in network cooperation to improve children’s well-being, grouping and classroom atmosphere in the past. School quarters and group formation for pupils in grade 7 have been organised together with the city and parishes. Through projects funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture, community instructors have been hired by schools, but with a few exceptions, they have been placed in lower secondary schools. Jokela and Keränen-Pantsu find it important that resources are now directed at primary school pupils.

“Our goal is to enhance the community of children and their attachment to their school in advance to prevent stronger experiences of exclusion and inequality. This way, children have interaction and well-being skills before lower secondary school, where young people often reposition themselves in relation to their family, friends and school,” says Keränen-Pantsu.

Project worker Heidi Hietikko is delighted how spontaneously children have welcomed new adults at the Meritorin koulu and Kalajärven koulu schools.

“After a long career as a teacher, I know that children have a lot to say. They need an adult to see and hear them. It is valuable to have several adults in schools encountering children together with school staff.”

We collect feedback from the pupils and teachers at the pilot schools to develop our activities. We also plan research cooperation with the University of Helsinki and Tampere University to assess the impact of the project.

• Luokka loistamaan is a social empowerment project for children. Its aim is to support the social skills of pupils in grades 4–5 in Espoo and to promote a sense of community and well-being.
• The cooperation project between the City of Espoo’s Growth and Learning Sector and the Parish Union for 2024–2027 will be implemented during the school days in cooperation between class teachers and project workers. All project workers are also experienced class teachers.
• Teaching is religiously, ideologically and politically non-binding, which means that it is suitable for all pupils. All teaching is in accordance with the regular curriculum for comprehensive education.
• The participants include pupils in grades 4–5 from 25 Espoo schools. you can find all schools participating in the project online at luokkaloistamaan.fi(external link, opens in a new window).
• The project is financed and implemented by the Espoo Evangelical Lutheran Parish Union.

www.luokkaloistamaan.fi(external link, opens in a new window)
Raili Keränen-Pantsu(external link, opens in a new window) (link in Finnish)
Project Manager
Espoo Parish Union
raili.keranen-pantsu@evl.fi(external link, opens in a new window), +358 40 8330158

Kari Kotiniemi
Growth and Learning Sector
Finnish Basic Education Unit
Superintendent of Schools (Leppävaara)
City of Espoo
kari.kotiniemi@espoo.fi, +358 50 5253687

Matti Jokela
Headmaster
Meritorin koulu school
matti.jokela@opetus.espoo.fi, +358 50 5410975