Demand for English-medium schools in Helsinki increases

The demand for English-medium school in Helsinki has recently increased with an increase in the number of students.

There are four English-medium schools in the capital and the schools have students higher in number this year than they had in the past year.

“The department of basic education of Helsinki has increased the number of places for the admission of students in English-medium schools this year,” said Outi Salo, the head of the Basic Education of the City of Helsinki.

The schools — Ressu, Kulosaari and Maunula — offer English-language basic education for certain groups from Grade 7 to Grade 9 while the International School of Helsinki (ISH) offers instruction in English for all grades from early years to Grade 12, Salo said.

Kathleen Naglee, the head of the International School of Helsinki, said that last year, the school had 500 students of 54 nationalities.

“Many of them come from families of diplomats, global expats and multinational households”, Naglee told the Daily Finland.

Pointing out the importance of English-medium schools, Naglee said that some families often stayed only for three to four years in Finland because of their work and their children needed a great deal of support as this may be the third or fourth school in a short period.

He said that to make an easy transition from one English school to other, the school offers the International Baccalaureate curriculum.

The school was founded 60 years ago with the view to supporting students and families who come to Finland for a short time, Naglee said.

The annual tuition fees for the 2023–2024 session in the school range from 12.250 euros to 16.400 euros for Grade 11 and 12.

“If some families cannot pay the full annual fees, we support them. For an example, last year, we supported the Ukrainian community,” Naglee said. “Other refugee children would benefit from this type of education.”

She also said that the school welcomes all the students without any disparity.

“All students are welcome to our school and are celebrated for their intersectional identities — marginalized people, neurodiverse people, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, refugees, etc,” Naglee said.