School in Norway
There are ten years of compulsory education in Norway, which means that parents must send their children to school and make sure that they do their homework. Primary and lower secondary education is free of charge, and the local authority pays for the children's school books. Children start school in August of the year in which they turn six.
Children must attend classes in every subject. Children may be exempted from part of the Christian Knowledge and Religious and Ethical Education (CKREE) curriculum, if the parents so request. Children in the first and second years normally attend school for 4 – 5 hours a day. The school day is longer for older children. Children in Norway must bring a packed lunch to eat in school. School meals are not provided.
Children are given homework from their first year at school. Parents are responsible for making sure that their children do their homework and for helping them with it. Primary and lower secondary school children are not given grades for their work, but their teachers provide parents with written feedback on how they are getting on.
Boys and girls attend the same classes, and study all subjects together, including physical education, as is stipulated in the Education Act. During their first years in school many children spend one day a week receiving tuition outdoors. This is called outdoor school. For much of the year in Norway it is very cold, with rain, ice and snow. It is therefore important for the children to have warm clothes, boots and rainwear. They must also keep a change of clothes at school in case they get wet.
Enrolment
Every child must be enrolled in their local school before they start. Most people receive a letter notifying them when enrolment is to take place, but an announcement is also published in the local newspaper. In the year in which the child turns five – often in September – the parents must go to the school and complete an enrolment form. Children who are going to stay in Norway for more than three months must start school shortly after their arrival in the country.
After-school care (SFO)
All schools offer an after-school care scheme (SFO) for the youngest children, where they can play under adult supervision. Parents who wish their children to attend SFO pay a monthly fee. A light meal is provided for children attending SFO.
Parents and the school
Parents and the school work together to help raise the children. Twice a year all the parents in the class are invited to a meeting with the teachers. These are called parents' meetings. Once a year the teacher invites each child's parents to a meeting at which the teacher says how the child is developing at school and the parents are asked for their views. Before these meetings older children write down what they like and dislike about school. Parents can at any time ask for a meeting with the child's teachers if they need advice or would like to discuss other matters with them.
Language help
Primary and lower secondary school children may receive extra lessons in Norwegian, in addition to the normal curriculum. Pupils shall learn to understand, speak, read and write Norwegian. Norwegian is important for learning other subjects.
Some schools have separate classes for pupils who do not speak Norwegian. Pupils attend such classes for a period of six months to two years. Here the focus is on learning basic Norwegian. Other schools put pupils into mainstream classes straight away. In that case they are given a lot of extra language help.
Pupils are moved to a class corresponding to their actual age when the teacher believes their Norwegian is good enough to allow them to follow the normal curriculum.
In consultation with the child's teacher, parents decide if the child is to have Norwegian as his/her main language or as a second language. The pupil may switch from Norwegian as a second language to normal Norwegian classes during his/her school career.
The need for mother-tongue teaching is greatest when the child is learning to read and write at primary school. However, mother-tongue teaching may be extended if there is a need for it. Pupils may sometimes be taught other subjects in their mother tongue. In that case the pupil attends a class with the subject teacher and the mother-tongue teacher, with the subject matter being translated into his/her own language.
Pupils who have difficulty speaking, reading and writing Norwegian may receive mother-tongue tuition at lower secondary school too. Mother-tongue teaching may come in addition to the normal school day and may take place at another school than the one the pupil normally attends.
Asylum seekers
Asylum seekers aged 16–18 are entitled to enrol at an upper secondary school if they have completed 10 years of compulsory education or the equivalent in their home countries. Completing upper secondary education is necessary in order to qualify for university or other higher education.
Parents usually pay for their children's textbooks while they are at upper secondary school. Residents of asylum reception centres can apply to the UDI, through the reception centre, for financial assistance to pay for such textbooks.
Some students may need additional language tuition at upper secondary school. Some schools have therefore introduced a two-year foundation course during which students receive additional tuition in Norwegian and English. This also allows them more time to study other subjects. Ask the school counsellor for more information.
