Basic education in English

Guardian evenings about Grade 1 Application Process for academic year 2027-2028 in Vantaa English Education (in the International School of Vantaa, Kaivoksela School, Rekolanmäki School and Vantaa IB School) will take place on Monday, January 11th at 5:00 pm at the International School of Vantaa (Hagelstamintie 1). This event is an important opportunity to learn about the steps involved in the application process considering:

• The application process. 
• The differences between the English Skills exam (in ISV) and Language Readiness exam (in Kaivoksela, Rekolanmäki and IB Schools). 
• The expectations and level of learning Finnish language in the English Education Stream. 

The application period for Grade 1 for the academic year 2027-2028 opens in December and ends on Friday, January 15th 2027.  

Kaivoksela school is for children in grades 1-6. Children do not need to know English when entering the 1st grade, but it is required in grades 2-6. Our aim is functional bilingualism by the end of grade 6.

Students applying for the 1st grade take a Language Readiness Test, which can be taken either in English or Finnish. Students  applying for grades 2-6 need to take a test on their English competence. 

The language of instruction is mainly English, but the subject of Finnish language and literature will be taught in Finnish and the optional subjects of grades 4-6 are mainly taught in Finnish.

The students have the possibility to continue their studies in English (grades 7-9) at the International School of Vantaa.

Rekolanmäki school is for children in grades 1-6. Children do not need to know English when entering the 1st grade, but it is required in grades 2-6. Our aim is functional bilingualism by the end of grade 6.

Students applying for the 1st grade take a Language Readiness Test, which can be taken either in English or Finnish. Students applying for grades 2-6 need to take a test on their English competence.

The language of instruction is mainly English, but the subject of Finnish language and literature will be taught in Finnish and the optional subjects of grades 4-6 are mainly taught in Finnish.

The students have the possibility to continue their studies in English (grades 7-9) at the International School of Vantaa.

International School of Vantaa is for children and youngsters in grades 1–9 whose level of English is sufficient to study in English. The school provides a 9-year basic education for students whose mother tongue is English and for students whose otherwise acquired English language skills are sufficient to cope with their studies. All the students need to take an entrance exam on their English competence.

The language of instruction in English-language basic education is English. The only exception is the subject of Finnish language and literature and Finnish as second language, which will be taught in Finnish.

We follow the Finnish curriculum and the language of instruction is English. The students also study Finnish starting from 1st grade and from 6th grade onwards they also study Swedish. We teach Finnish as a mother tongue as well as Finnish as a second language.

The classes are filled according to the results of the entrance exam, giving priority to applicants from Vantaa. Should there not be enough spaces, those who have the same amount of points are selected with an official draw.

There are no school fees: school books and other education materials as well as school meals are free of charge.

The guardians are responsible for the transportation to school.

More information

The Afternoon Club is for 1st and 2nd grade pupils. For further information, see the page After school activities in basic education

For further information regarding the preschool, please see the page Pre-primary Education

The same form is used to apply for the English classes in grades 1-9 in the International School of Vantaa and in grades 1-6 in Kaivoksela School and Rekolanmäki School

Applicants can be approved to study in one school only. Should a pupil not get their first choice school, they will be an equal applicant in the selection of their second and third school choice as per their school selection listing.

Steps in the application process:

1. Send an email to edu.english(at)vantaa.fi. We will send you a link to a Webropol survey form.
2. Fill in the form as soon as possible.
3. When you submit the Webropol survey, you will receive a confirmation that your application form has been accepted. Invitations to the tests will be sent one week before the exam date. 

In case your child has a language impairment and is applying for grades 2-9, make sure this information is in the application form in the additional information field. You need to provide a medical certificate about this.

If your child is ill during the assessment day, please remember to send a doctor’s certificate to the school. Please contact immediately the school which your child would take the entrance exam and send a doctor’s certificate via email.

The language test for grades 1–9 of the International School of Vantaa can only be taken in English, as all the teaching will be given in English.  The only exception is the subject of Finnish language and literature and Finnish as second language, which will be taught in Finnish.

Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools offer teaching in English on grades 1–6. The students for the English-speaking first grade are chosen by testing their language readiness. The children do not have to know English before starting school. The test can be taken in Finnish or in English. 

Information on applying to IB programme grade 1 will be updated shortly.

Students are admitted to the English-language classes of the International School of Vantaa, Kaivoksela school, Rekolanmäki school and the IB program in accordance with the following criteria:

1. Admission priority is given to children living in Vantaa. Children whose home address in the population information system is in Vantaa on the date of the entrance exam are defined as residents of Vantaa.

2. If a student is in English-language education at a basic school in Vantaa by secondary decision and moves away from Vantaa in the middle of the school year, the student is entitled to complete the school year at the school where they started. The guardian can apply for a new secondary place as an out-of-town resident from the beginning of the next school year. The student can be admitted to English-language education in accordance with the criteria for admitting students to the aforementioned school for the duration of the school’s grades, if there is room in the group. The student does not need to participate in the language test.

3. When choosing students for the English-language 1st grades of the Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools as well as the IB program, a language readiness test is applied. The test can be taken in Finnish or English. Students will be admitted until the end of the 6th grade in rank order from among those who passed the test. If they so wish, students admitted to Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools’ English-language education are entitled to continue without separate application in English-language education in grades 7–9 at the International School of Vantaa. Students admitted to the IB program’s English-language education are entitled to continue without separate application in English-language education in accordance with the IB program in grades 7–9.

4. When choosing students for the International School of Vantaa’s grades 1 and 7, an English language test will be applied, and the students will be admitted in rank order from among those who passed the test until the end of grade 9.

5. If there is not enough room in the grade 1 and 7 teaching groups for all the applicants with the same number of points, the selection will take place by drawing lots. When applying for the IB program, in the event of applicants receiving the same number of points, those applicants with prior experience of IB education in Finland or abroad are given priority. If the applicants still cannot be ranked after this, the selection is made by drawing lots.

6. The director of basic education decides on the language readiness test's qualification limit for all grades of the English-language classes of the Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools and IB program as well as the qualification limit of the International School of Vantaa’s English language test.

7. The Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools’ English-language grades 1–2 can admit up to 24 students/grade and grades 3–6 can admit up to 28 students/grade.

8. The International School of Vantaa’s grades 1–2 can admit up to 48 students/grade, grades 3–5 up to 56 students/grade, and grade 6 up to 64 students/grade. Grades 7–9 can admit up to 120 students/grade.

9. The IB program’s English-language classes can admit up to 25 students/grade.

10. Based on the language test held in late winter or early spring, the International School of Vantaa admits up to 40 students to grade 1, the IB program’s English-language grade 1 admits up to 23 students, and the English-language classes of the Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools admit up to 22 students. After the language test in late summer, more 1st grade students are admitted to the schools so that the total number of students, including those selected in late winter/early spring, is up to 48 students for the International School of Vantaa, up to 25 students for the IB program’s 1st grade, and up to 24 students for both the Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools. The places to be filled in late summer are filled with applicants who passed the qualification limit of the language test in both the late winter/early spring and late summer, in rank order according to points scored. Only those applicants from Vantaa who could not take the language test in the late winter/early spring due to their place of residence (applicants who moved to the municipality later) are allowed to take the language test in the late summer. Children from other municipalities can also take the language test in the late summer.

11. If the International School of Vantaa’s 7th grade does not reach a total of 120 students from the International School of Vantaa or the Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools, the remaining places will be filled on the basis of the language test held in late winter/early spring.

12. Students who move to Vantaa from elsewhere in Finland or abroad can apply to the English-language education of the International School of Vantaa, Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools and the IB program in the middle of the school year as long as there is room in the groups. Continuous testing is utilized for the application procedure. The applicants are selected in the rank order of the test results. If there are not enough available places for all applicants with the same number of points, the selection will take place by drawing lots. However, for English-language education in accordance with the IB program, in the event of applicants receiving the same number of points, those applicants with prior experience of IB education in Finland or abroad are given priority. If the applicants to the IB program still cannot be ranked after this, the selection is made by drawing lots.

13. If the student cannot participate in the joint exam days due to their health, the exam will be arranged for the student as soon as possible after the joint exam

day at a time specified separately by the school. A medical certificate must be delivered to the school by the exam day at the latest.

14. Students will always take an exam or test that is intended for the student's own age level.