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 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, 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.

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 linguistic preparedness. The children do not have to know English before starting school. The test can be taken in Finnish or in English. 

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 at the International School of Vantaa in grades 7–9 without a separate application procedure if they wish.
3. When applying for 1st and 7th grades at the International School of Vantaa, 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 the International School of Vantaa’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 the International School of Vantaa can accept up to 24 students per grade, 3rd–5th grades can accept up to 56 students per grade, 6th grade can accept up to 64 students per grade, In the academic year 2025-2026 7th and 8th grade can accept up to 120 students per grade, and 9th grade can accept 112 students per grade. Starting from the academic year 2026-2027 and there forth, 7th-9th grades can each accept 120 students per grade.
8. Based on the language test held in winter, the International School of Vantaa accepts up to 40 students for the 1st grade, and the Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools’ English-speaking classes can each accept up to 22 students. More 1st grade students will be accepted into the schools after the language test held in summer: the International School of Vantaa will have at most 48 students, including the students elected in winter, and Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools will each 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 from Vantaa who have not been able to take part in the language test held in winter due to their place of residency (applicants who have moved to the city later) can take part in the language test held in summer. Also applicants from cities other than Vantaa can participate in the test held in the summer.
9. If the 120 student places of the 7th grades in the International School of Vantaa cannot be filled with the students from the International School of Vantaa’s sixth grade and Kaivoksela and Rekolanmäki schools, the rest of the student places will be filled based on the language test held in winter.
10. Applying for the English-speaking classes in the International School of Vantaa 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.