Basic education in English

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 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 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. Students can complete their schooling entirely 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.

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.

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 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.

For students applying for First Grade to the International School of Vantaa, the language test is on Wednesday 1.2.2023.

If the student is applying for the Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki Schools and the International School of Vantaa, they must first take language tests at the schools. The applicant will only be accepted into one school. If the applicant is not selected for the school of their primary choice, he or she will remain as an equal applicant for the secondary and third schools of his or her choice, in accordance with their order of choice.

For students applying for First Grade to Kaivoksela or Rekolanmäki Schools, the test for linguistic preparedness is on Thursday 2.2.2023.

Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools offer teaching in English on grades 1–6. The students for the English-speaking first grade are elected by testing their linguistic preparedness. The children do not have to know English before starting school. The test can be taken in Finnish or in English. The test for linguistic preparedness can be taken either at Kaivoksela or Rekolanmäki school. The testing place is determined based on the application order.

For students applying for First Grade to Kaivoksela or Rekolanmäki Schools, the test for linguistic preparedness is on Thursday 2.2.2023.

If the student is applying for the Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki Schools and the International School of Vantaa, they must first take language tests at the schools. The applicant will only be accepted into one school. If the applicant is not selected for the school of their primary choice, he or she will remain as an equal applicant for the secondary and third schools of his or her choice, in accordance with their order of choice.

1. Children from Vantaa have a priority in the student admissions. Children are considered Vantaa residents when their home address that is registered in the population information system is in Vantaa on the date they are applying for the school. 
2. When applying for 1st grades in Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools, the applicants will need to take either a linguistic preparedness test or an English language test, and the students will be elected among those who passed the test, in order of their performance, and the decision will remain valid until the end of the 6th grade. The students accepted in English-language teaching in Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools are entitled to continue in English-language teaching Vantaa International School in grades 7–9 without a separate application procedure if they wish. 
3. When applying for 1st and 7th grades in the Vantaa International School, the applicants will need to take an English language test, and the students will be elected among those who passed the test, in order of their performance, to the end of the 9th grade. 
4. If students receiving the same number of points do not all have a place in the teaching groups of grades 1 and 7, the students will be elected through a draw. 
5. The director of basic education makes the decisions concerning the qualifying limit of English-speaking first grades in Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools (linguistic preparedness or English language test) and the qualifying limit of the English language test for Vantaa International School’s first and seventh grades. 
6. The English-speaking 1st and 2nd grades of Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools can accept up to 24 students per grade and 3rd–6th grades can accept up to 28 students per grade. 
7. The English-speaking 1st and 2nd grades of Vantaa International School can accept up to 24 students per grade and 3rd–6th grades can accept up to 56 students per grade, and 7th–9th grades can accept 112 students per grade. 
8. Based on the language test held in winter, the Vantaa International School accepts up to 40 students for the 1st grade, and the Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools’ English-speaking classes accept up to 22 students. More 1st grade students will be accepted into the schools after the language test held in summer: the Vantaa International School will have at most 48 students, including the students elected in winter, and Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools will have at most 24 students. The places filled in the summer will be filled with students that exceeded the qualification limit of both the winter and summer language tests, in the order of the points received. Only the applicants who have not been able to take part in the language test held in spring due to their place of residents (applicants who have moved to the city later) can take part in the language test held in summer. 
9. If the 112 student places of the 7th grades in the Vantaa International School cannot be filled with the students from the Vantaa International School’s sixth grade and Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools, at most 106 student places will be filled based on the language test held in winter. More 7th grade students will be accepted into the school based on the language test held in summer so that the number of accepted students will be at most 112. 
10. Applying for the English-speaking classes in Vantaa International School and Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools is also possible in the middle of a term, if there are free places in the groups. Two application procedures are used for grades 2–6 and 8–9: continuous testing for students that move to Vantaa from elsewhere in Finland or abroad, and pre-scheduled testing days for students that have a school place in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen, Vantaa). 
11. The director of basic education will make the decisions regarding the language testing of grades 2–8 and their qualification limits. 
12. If a student cannot take part in the public testing days due to their health, the test will be arranged for the student as soon as possible after the public testing day at a time separately specified by the school. The doctor’s statement must be delivered to the school by the exam date, at the latest. 
13. The students will always take a test or examination intended for their own age level.