2022
More time for learning - extra study time and extended holiday school
In a government bill, the Swedish government makes proposals for more teaching time for students who need it. The proposals aim to strengthen the school's compensatory mission and get more students to become eligible for the upper secondary school.
The government proposes that pupils in compulsory school grades 4-9 should be offered extra study time. During this study time, students can get help with homework and other school work. The offer must include at least two hours per week and participation must be voluntary.
The government also proposes that holiday school be extended by 25 hours. The extended holiday school shall be offered to students in compulsory school year 9 who risk not meeting the criteria for being eligible for upper secondary school.
The government bill (in Swedish)
Stricter rules for denominational elements in the school
The Swedish government is proposing to the Council on Legislation clearer requirements and stricter rules for denominational preschools, schools and after-school centers.
The government is now moving forward to increase control over denominational elements in the school system. The changes are part of the government's ongoing work to stop rogue and inappropriate actors from starting activities with a denominational focus.
The amendments to the law are proposed to enter into force on 1 January 2023.
2021
A ten-year compulsory school - The introduction of a new year 1 in compulsory school, compulsory special school, special school and Sami school
In a report, the Government Inquiry into a ten-year compulsory school proposes how a ten-year compulsory school can be introduced by converting the preschool class into year 1.
The inquiry proposes, among other things, that:
- The preschool class ceases to be a separate form of school and that compulsory school and corresponding school forms are extended by one year through a new first year. Thus, compulsory school will be ten years, compulsory special school ten years, special school eleven years and Sami school seven years.
- The guaranteed teaching time shall be increased by 534 hours in compulsory school and corresponding school forms, which corresponds to three hours of teaching per school day in new year 1.
For more information (in Swedish)
National plan for security and studying in peace at school
Security and peace of mind in school are a prerequisite for the knowledge results to continue upwards. The Ministry of Education is now sending the national plan for security and studying in peace for consultation.
If more students are to learn more, a focus is required on knowledge and education in all schools and that all students can study in peace and can be safe in school. That is not always the case today. Too many students state shortcomings in both study peace and security, and school staff do not always feel that they have a sufficiently clear mandate to ensure order.
In February 2020, the Government Offices decided that an investigator would assist the Ministry of Education in preparing a proposal for a national plan for the school's work with security and peace of mind and submit proposals that ensure a functioning regulatory framework in the area.
The national plan contains proposals aimed at improving the work with security and studying in peace in the school through clearer management and increased systematics, a strengthening of the preventive work and an increased readiness to act in difficult situations.
For more information (in Swedish)
Lower secondary schools to receive the opportunity for remote or distance education to avoid crowding and reduce the spread of the corona virus infection
The government has decided on an amendment to the ordinance that makes it possible for compulsory schools to use remote or distance education in their lower secondary schools to avoid crowding on school premises or in public transportation.
For more information in Swedish
The teaching about sexuality, consent and relationships to be improved
In order to improve the quality and strengthen the equality in the teaching of sexuality, consent and relationships, the government has decided on curriculum changes in the area of knowledge that is today called Sex and cohabitation.
The changes also include new writings on honor-related violence and oppression. With these curriculum changes, and a new assignment to the National Agency for Education to strengthen the systematic work against honor-related violence and oppression, the government wants to strengthen the school's work to combat honor-related violence and oppression.
In addition, the changes contain writings that strengthen the gender equality mission for upper secondary school, upper secondary special school and adult education. School and adult education have an important task in helping to counteract restrictive gender patterns and actively promote gender equality.
The changes in the curricula will be applied from the autumn term 2022, when the revised curricula for compulsory school will also take effect.
For more information in Swedish
Student health to become more accessible
Today, access to student health is too low in many schools. The OECD has repeatedly pointed out shortcomings in student health work at Swedish schools with low access to staff. It affects the students' well-being and learning. The Government has therefore decided that the Government inquiry into students' ability to reach the knowledge requirements shall analyze the provisions on access to student health and propose how it can be clarified what an acceptable minimum level is. The report has now been published and proposes among other things the following.
- Students who need it should receive better support in school.
- Student health should have more resources.
- Set clearer requirements for how schools should work with student health.
- Pupils in compulsory special school should receive better help to learn to read, write and count in elementary school.
- Increase the knowledge of everyone who works in the special primary school and secondary school.
- Pupils in compulsory special school will receive more instruction in English.
- Change the name of the special primary school. It should be called adapted primary school instead.
- Change the word developmental disorder to intellectual disability.
- It should be possible to appeal a decision that a student should repeat a school year.
2020
The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the school system
The Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket) has published a progress report on their task to evaluate the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on the school system. The report includes preliminary statistics of the results of the compulsory schools and upper secondary schools for the school year 2019/2020. The results show that in general the results have not been affected by the pandemic but that there are certain groups of pupils whose results have been affected in a negative way. However, these results are only preliminary.
For more information in Swedish and a link to the progress report:
Revision of syllabi for the compulsory school and of some subject plans for upper secondary school and municipal adult education
In order to continue to get better results and for all pupils to learn more the Government has decided to revise the syllabi for the compulsory school and some of the subject plans for upper secondary school and municipal adult education. There is now more focus on education and culture. There are now more detailed requirements on e.g. antiquity, national minorities, the Bible and the national anthem. This had been earlier widely debated in media. The new syllabi will be published during autumn 2020 and be valid from 1 July 2021.
For more information in Swedish.
A more equal school – reduced school segregation and better distribution of resources
The Government appointed an investigator in July 2018 to analyse and propose how to reduce school segregation and how to improve distribution of resources to pre-school class and compulsory school.
The investigation under the name "A more equal school – reduced school segregation and better distribution of resources" is now published and proposes the following:
- A centralised system for choosing the school is introduced and will be administered by the National Agency for Education. The free choice of schools, where the caregivers can wish for a certain school, is kept.
- The possible selection criteria for schools will be changed and regulated.
- There will be changes in how the funding for each pupil within the private school sector will be calculated. The general funding will be divided between public and privare schools in a new way that takes into consoderation the higher costs of the public schools.
- A number of different government subsidies for schools will be merged into one school sector subsidy.
- The National Agency for Education is to establish a regional organisation to ensure an active and close cooperation between heads of school within each region.
For more information in Swedish.
New rules for denominational schools
A newly published report accounts for the commission of inquiry to analyse the legal framework for denominational schools. The inquiry proposes the following:
- Definitions referring to denomination are to be included in the Education Act (Skollagen).
- Denominational orientation is to be declared.
- Requirement that participation in educational elements including ingredients of denominational character are to be voluntary must be stricter.
- A stop to setting up new denominational schools meaning that after a certain date no more applications for denominational schools will be approved.
For more information in Swedish
The way for more pupils to gain eligiblility for upper secondary school
To get through school is one of the most important factors to get a job and to become an active citizen. The Government has therefore given a special investigator the task to propose how pupils who risk of not becoming eligible for upper secondary school will get through school. This could be done through help with homework, summer school and prolonged compulsory schooling for recent immigrants.
During the last decade the socio-economic background of pupils has become more important for how pupils perform at school. It has become more demanding for schools to compensate for that and to give each pupil the support they need to develop as far as they can.
The task will be reported at latest on 12 April 2021.
For more information in Swedish
More emphasis on factual knowledge in the proposal for updated curricula. Time schedule to be adjusted.
Facts are emphasized more clearly, differences between school years are made clearer and knowledge requirements are improved. These are the main points of the proposal for updated curricula that the Swedish National Agency for Education has now presented to the Government.
In some parts the curricula have been made more detailed and in other parts less detailed than before. Some of the details that are now included are the Bible, the National anthem, the most common psalms, lyricism and drama.
In addition the Government has given the National Agency for Education an assignment to adjust the time schedules due to the new curricula.