Finnish and English language upper secondary school line to start in Tampere in 2025

The new line will be called the Finnish-English line. In English, the name of the line is Bilingual Study Programme (Finnish & English).

It is aimed especially at students whose Finnish or Swedish language skills are not sufficient for upper secondary school studies at the beginning of their upper secondary education. At the same time, it offers an equal opportunity to continue English-language studies in upper secondary education for students who have studied partly or entirely in English-language basic education.

The Board also decided on the selection criteria for the Finnish- and English-language upper secondary school tracks. The subjects to be emphasised in the joint examination are Finnish (as a second language or mother tongue) and English. In addition, the average grade point average in the reading subjects of the final certificate of basic education must be at least 7.0.

The Finnish- and English-language line is located at Pyynikki upper secondary school. The Pyynikin lukio will start operating in August 2025, when Hatanpää lukio will be renamed Pyynikin lukio.

National preparation work continues

From the point of view of an equal learning path for students, it is important to offer the opportunity to continue studies in English in upper secondary education also to students who have completed part or all of their basic education in English.

However, the current legislation does not allow for the launch of a full English-language course of study on 1 August 2025, as the related national preparatory work is ongoing. Any changes it may bring will come into force in 2026.

The Finnish and English upper secondary school line, which will start in Tampere in August, is based on the legislation and regulations currently in force, as well as on the curriculum. The language of instruction and the language of the matriculation examination is Finnish, and the line of study has a special Finnish as a second language (S2) focus.

English is used as a support language during the studies, especially in the early stages, and decreases as the studies progress. The language of the teaching materials is primarily Finnish. The aim of the Finnish- and English-language upper secondary school line is to enable students to complete the Finnish-language upper secondary school syllabus and the Finnish-language matriculation examination.

At present, English-language upper secondary education in Tampere only applies to the IB special educational task. The new Finnish-English line will not affect the IB line.

• Agendas and minutes, Committee for vitality and skills 21.8.2024 (in Finnish)