Espoo will continue to ensure that pupils receive the learning support they need
The Basic Education Act has been reformed by the Ministry of Education and Culture, and as a result, learning support in pre-primary and basic education will undergo changes that will take effect on 1 August 2025. The aim of the reform is to address pupils’ support needs at an early stage, provide flexible support measures, and strengthen inclusive practices in education.
With the law reform, Espoo’s comprehensive schools will strengthen pupils’ right to receive support in their local school in accordance with the principles of inclusivity. The aim is to bring the support to the child, not the other way around. The primary form of support in the learning support reform will be group-based support measures. Pupils will also have the right to receive individual support and instruction in a special education class, if they need it.
In Espoo’s Finnish-language basic education, the focus will shift from area-specific special education classes to support provided at local schools. Starting from autumn 2025, area-specific special education classes will no longer be established for 1st- and 7th-graders. Instead, pupils will receive support at their local school. Local schools will establish school-specific special education classes based on their pupils’ needs. Therefore, Espoo is not reducing the number of special education classes as a result of the reform. More likely, their number will increase as school-specific special education classes are established. In Swedish-language education, special education classes will remain unchanged next autumn, and new structural solutions will be developed during the coming school year.
Espoo will continue to ensure that pupils receive the learning support they need in a flexible and timely manner.