Swedish Association of Independent Schools

Swedish Association of Independent Schools

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS IN SWEDEN Magnus Johansson Gudrun Rendling

Swedish education system

Intro  Since 1992  Compulsory and upper secondary schools

 School choice for all  Increased diversity  Competition for quality

 Steady increase in schools and pupils in ind. schools

Schools - Compulsory school  709 schools  15% of all  small schools

Schools - Upper secondary school  458 schools  47 % of all  Small schools

School types – Comp. Types  5% Waldorf  9% Religious  86% ”Regular” 50 % profiled towards subject, language or teaching method

Pupils - Compulsory school  96 000 pupils  11% of all  + 25% in 5 years

Students - Upper secondary school  86 000 students  22% of all  + 100% in 5 years

Type of organisation

Swedish Association of Independent Schools  Voluntarily

 800 schools / 500 operators  350 preschool  500 compulsory schools

 250 upper secondary school  Small units and large chains

Swedish Association of Independent Schools  Guidence & Advice

 Information & Education  Influence politics and public opinion

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS – LEGISLATION AND FINANCING

Legislation  Parliamentary bill on a new Act of

Education  Common regulatory framework/same

rules for both public and independent schools  Decision of the Riksdag (parliament) in June 2010, come into force July 2011

Legislation  Today: independent schools have a

regulatory system of their own with only a few paragraphs, but are compared to the public school system and rules for public schools.  Independent schools must be on the same level (quality) as and correspond to the public school and give the pupils equal conditions (This actually means the same framework and legislation)

Legislation  Act of Education – a special chapter for

independent schools (in other respects the comparison to public schools)  Ordinance for Independent schools  National curriculum for the compulsory school system (and non-compulsory)  National syllabi

Legislation  National legislation rules the schools, both public

and independent. Decisions about curriculum and syllabi are made by the Riksdag (parliament) and the Regering (government)  Municipalities in Sweden are responsible for the

public schools and have to see to that there are schooling possibilities for every pupil in the municipality. This includes all school forms, from pre-school to upper secondary schools

Requirements for independent schools  Independent schools must apply for

license, approval from the Swedish Schools Inspectorate  Must be open to everyone (no possibility of choosing pupils)  Are not allowed to charge fees  The same basic objectives as a municipal (public) school

Requirements  May have a special profile, as a teaching

approach or method, or a specific religious character, but must teach according to national syllabi  Must provide for pupils who need extra resources (children with physical or mental handicaps and children with learning and behavioural difficulties)  Must give grades according to national syllabi and guidelines (exceptions for some schools, as Waldorf)

Approval of Independent schools  Application to the Swedish Schools

Inspectorate  Examination of the organiser’s ability to run the school from a long-term perspective  No causing of considerable negative consequenses for the municipal schools  Examination of the correspondancy to municipal schools in objectives and the pupils right to equal learning conditions

Approval of Independent Schools  The Swedish Schools Inspectorate’s

decision of approval includes two parts: - an approval of the ability to run an independent school - a right to be financed by the municipality – a voucher

Supervision and inspection  Independent schools, as public schools,

are under the supervision of the Swedish Schools Inspectorate  Regular supervision with visits and inspections of the actual school.  An inspection always results in a decision, such as which measures to take or action required by the authority/party responsible for the school.

Supervision and inspection  The Inspectorate also investigate

complaints filed by pupils, parents or others. The Inspectorate may criticize the authority/party in charge of the school and demand measures to remedy the situation  For independent schools, inspection or investigation of complaints could also result in a decision to withdraw the school’s license to operate or it’s right to receive subsidies.

Financing  The voucher system:  A compulsory transfer payment according

to the Act of Education  The municipality where the pupil lives is responsible for financing the voucher  Equal terms for public and independent schools

Financing  The municipality must provide resources

to the independent school equivalent to those provided to its own schools  On a per-pupil basis  Extra resources for pupils with extra needs  The independent school have the right to file complaints on the voucher sum, if it’s not calculated on basis of equal terms

Financing  Fees are generally not allowed  Sponsoring is allowed, as long as it’s not

directed to an individual pupil