The English School () is a private

international school International schools are private schools that promote education in an international environment or framework. Although there is no uniform definition or criteria, international schools are usually characterised by a multinational student body an ...

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Being a bilingual school, most of its students can graduate according to Finnish and English school systems in the time students in either country would normally study according to their own system only. The school offers instruction in the form of a two year preschool/

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

(ages 5–6), comprehensive school (grades 1–9) and high school (grades 10–12). The curriculum follows the national framework, but places a special emphasis on both the English and Finnish languages, allowing for students to be immersed in the use of both languages. The school was founded by

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

nuns in 1945.

Accreditation and authorization

Accreditation

The English School primarily follows Finnish school system, but students can get international accretion through: * Grade 9 –

International General Certificate of Secondary Education The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based secondary qualification similar to the GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the GCSE for the purposes of recognisin ...

(IGCSE) * Grade 12 – Finnish Matriculation Examination. In other words, the normal high school ending test in Finland. * Grade 12 –

Scholastic Assessment Test The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and Test score, scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test ...

(SAT). This is perhaps the most internationally accepted qualification on this level. In Finland, the Helsinki School of Economics accepts students also on the basis of high SAT scores. * Grade 12 –

Cambridge International Examinations Cambridge International Education (abbreviated CIE, informally known as Cambridge International or simply Cambridge and formerly known as CAIE, Cambridge Assessment International Education and CIE, Cambridge International Examinations) is a pro ...

(CIE). CIE qualifications are recognized for admission by UK universities (including Cambridge) as well as universities in the United States, Canada, European Union, Middle East, West Asia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and around the world.

Structure

The school is divided into following sections:

Preschool

* 5–6 years old Most of the students know only their mother tongue: Finnish and do not know any English. There are tests which measure how ready the child is to enter preschool and about 20% are accepted. Special emphasis is in teaching English.

Classes 1–6

* 7–12 years old Preschool and classes 1–6 are located in same premises in Mäntytie 14, Helsinki. A bit over half of the studies are held in English and the rest in Finnish.

Classes 7–9

* 13–15 years old A bit over half of the studies are held in English and the rest in Finnish.

High school

The middle school (grades 7–9), and the high school (grades 10–12) are located in the same premises, which are currently in the

Pitäjänmäki Pitäjänmäki (, ) is a district located on the westernmost district of Helsinki, Finland, near the border with Espoo. There are many IT and machine manufacturing companies in the area, especially around the Valimo railway station. Such comp ...

district of Helsinki.

Extracurricular activities

In grade 6 students have a field trip to England. One of the more notable activities is the chess club: in chess the school has been the most successful school in Finland on grades 1–9 during 2010–2013. In 2013, the High School won an English debating tournament.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1945 establishments in Finland British international schools in Finland Cambridge schools in Finland Educational institutions established in 1945 English language in Finland Schools in Helsinki