All children are entitled to free tuition at Danish municipal primary and lower secondary school. This tuition includes a one-year, pre-school class followed by nine years of primary and lower secondary school and a tenth class which is optional.
In addition to municipal primary and lower secondary school, there are also independent primary and lower secondary schools and private schools where tuition is paid for by the parents. The private independent primary and lower secondary schools may have a different conceptual framework than municipal primary and lower secondary schools, but from an academic and social point of view, children learn exactly the same. We refer to www.friskoler.dk for further details.
You must enrol the child at school
Children automatically attend a municipal primary and lower secondary school in the area where the family lives. When the child nears school age, the parents will receive a letter from the school stating when you should enrol the child at school and an offer to visit the school. You can also choose another municipal primary and lower secondary school or a private independent primary and lower secondary school. In that case, it is up to you to contact the school of your choice.
What to remember when starting school
Before the child begins in school, you will receive a letter listing the practical things your child will need in school, such as a school bag, writing implements and a lunchbox.
The aims of municipal primary and lower secondary school
Danish primary and lower secondary education is based on the Danish Education Act. In its introduction, it states the following about the aims of primary and lower secondary education:
§ 1, Section 1. Together with parents, primary and lower secondary school shall provide pupils with knowledge and skills that: prepare them for further study and give them the desire to learn more, make them familiar with Danish culture and history, provide them with an understanding of other countries and cultures, contribute towards their understanding for man's interaction with nature and promote the individual student's all-round development.
Section 2. Primary and lower secondary school must develop working methods and create a framework that promotes experience, absorption and enterprise so that students develop their imagination, sense of recognition and self-belief, thus enabling them to take a position and act.
Section 3. Primary and lower secondary school shall prepare the students towards participation, joint responsibility, rights and duties in a free and democratic society. School activities must thus be characterised by intellectual liberty, equality and democracy*.
Parents have influence
Regardless of whether a child attends a municipal primary and lower secondary school or a private independent school, parents can gain influence at school level and become jointly responsible for their child's education. Private independent schools are self-governing institutions which are run by a parent-elected board. Primary and lower secondary schools have a board that includes school representatives and representatives elected by the parents themselves. Municipal authorities also cooperate with the teachers and parent representatives. The municipal authorities have the overall responsibility for school matters.
School-home cooperation
Schools also stress positive contact with the parents of every student in order to give the child the best opportunities for doing well at school. Each year, you will be invited to attend school-home meetings which may focus on how the child is doing at school, how the child is managing academically, the child's homework and paying attention in class.
Parents can elect parent representatives or contact parents who work closely with teachers regarding parent-teacher meetings or other events, for example. School-parent collaboration may also take the form of theme evenings or workshops. This differs greatly from school to school. The purpose of collaboration is to give parents the opportunity of contributing towards the child's well-being and education.
From the book Citizen in Denmark, published by the Ministry for Refugees, Immigration & Integration Affairs.
