10 facts about school system in Norway.

Do you have kids at school age? Life is not easy for first graders who have just started to attend school. Neither is it easy for parents to see their kids struggling to make new friends and understand the new system. As a mother and a school worker, I’ve decided to write this post as a guide for you. Here it is.

1. START. Children start at school the year they fill six years old. In the past, the start age was seven years old. It changed after the school reform in 1997-98. It’s a big change in their lives, maybe the biggest for children. At kindergarten where they play and receive care and limits, to school, where they have fixed framework, new routine and homework. Read my post about kindergartens here. And first school day on Instagram here.

2. DURATION. Primary and secondary education in Norway normally take 13 years. This includes barneskole = primary school (1st-7th grade) ungdomskole = lower secondary education (8th-10th grade) , and videregående = upper secondary school, like a highschool (11th til 13th).

3. WHERE. Primary school is at one building while secondary and highschool are in other schools and buildings. Since the system is the same, children attend the nearest school. It’s an advantage as they can walk or cycle to school.

4. HOW MUCH. School is free of charge for all children who are residents in Norway. There are some private schools like Montessori. The public ones are majority and more or less even in quality.

5. WHICH. The closest school to your house is the one your child will have guaranteed place. Unless you wish him or her to attend someplace else and you need to state that and apply. In Stavanger, there are private schools like the British International School and the Montessori school. Some really small towns don’t have high school, so teenagers must spend the week at a near city.

6. FOOD. There’s no food provided by school. You can order (and pay) milk to be delivered to your child daily or according to your preference. In the past, when Jens Stoltenberg (NATO’s president) was prime minister of Norway, children used to get free fruit at school. That was cancelled when Erna Solberg’s government came, in 2013. Children bring their own lunch box.

7. DIGITAL SKILLS. Already at first grade, kids are given a Chrome-book to use in classroom. From 2nd grade on, they take the Chrome-book home. They must return it before Summer holidays. Digital development is part of the teaching plan.

8. GRADES. From 1st to 7th grade, children aren’t given formal grades. They do get comments from the teachers on their homework and essays. From 8th grade on, they must keep good grades to enter a the videregående of choice.

9. SFO. After-school program. It’s a paid program with activities for the children right after school, while parents are still at work. They are open half an hour before school time and around four hours after. From 7:30 to 8:15 and after school until 16:30. It’s an important arena for making friends and developing social skills through play. The new national framework plan for SFO has just been launched. A complete plan including children’s security, care and well-being. Diversity and inclusion, among others. It’s quite expensive, specially if you have more than one kid from 1st to 4th grade at SFO. In Norway, most families have their children close in age. Stavanger mayor Kari Nessa Nordtun has implemented free SFO for all first graders in town. Parents pay also for food at SFO. Meals are served.

10. CLOTHES. There’s no uniform is Norwegian schools. There’s been discussion about social differences and pressure to wear some brands, but kids are still free to wear what they want.

Are you moving to Norway with kids? My advice for you is: If you are going to stay here longer, let you kid attend regular Norwegian school. They have a system to help your child learn the language and adapt, with special teachers for a period of time. Check my tips for you to learn to speak Norwegian here.

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