School and education
Primary school
The parents decide whether the education will take place at a public school, where the education is free, or at a private school, where the parents pay a fee for the education. The parents can also teach the child at home, as long as certain requirements are satisfied. It is the education and not the actual school attendance that is mandatory.
Read more about Danish compulsory education
School enrolment
You must enrol your child in the month of January in the year in which he/she is to begin school. You will be contacted by the local primary school and receive information about how to enrol your child. If you need to enrol your child during the course of a school year, you must contact the Board of Education.
All children in Aalborg Municipality are affiliated with a particular school, called the district school. In principle, a child is entitled to enrol at the district school. However, if your child requires support in his/her native language, the child may be referred to a different school.
It is the child's registered address that determines the district school for your child. Contact the Board of Education to find out which school is your child's district school.
Open enrolment
In principle, there is free choice of schools. You may choose another school if it has an opening for your child and can provide the necessary support in your child's native language. To do so, you must contact the school, which will decide whether it is possible.
Earlier or later school debut
Most children start school when they turn six. A child may begin earlier, however, if he/she turns five before 1 October, and it is believed that the child will be able to follow along in the instruction. A child can also wait a year before starting in school if he or she is not ready. You must contact the Board of Education if you would like your child to start either earlier or later in school.
School procedure for international children
The municipal schools do not provide an international curriculum taught in English. However, international families can expect ten principles to be carried out in the school located in the district area in which they live. Find the school in your district by entering your address in this link:
Find the school in your district area (Unfortunately the link only exists in Danish)
Public schools in the municipality of Aalborg (Unfortunately the link only exists in Danish)
Every international child with a CPR-number will be taken care of. Each school seeks to include these international children in the everyday life of the school. Teachers with the competence of teaching Danish as a second language will guide and support the start in the new Danish school for both children and parents.
International parents can contact the school in the district area they live. Parents are also free to choose a school outside the district, but here they are not guaranteed acceptance.
If the child still doesn’t have a CPR-number yet, the family can still contact the school and the school will most likely be helpful. However, international families without CPR-numbers cannot expect all ten principles to be carried out.
1. All children are enrolled as a starting point at the district school
2. All young people aged 14 and over are enrolled either at the district school or at UngAUC
3. District School is responsible for providing reception facilities for students in need of basic education and Danish as a second language (DSL/DSA).
4. Attempts are made for bilingual students enrolled at the district school to receive maximum offer for 12 months
5. All employees have the opportunity to receive professional guidance, coaching and competence development as required
6. At selected schools, special skills are built and maintained within the academic field
7. Resources follow the bilingual students who need DSL/DSA and are distributed according to their objective criteria
8. The funds will be allocated to work with children and young people whose emotional challenges require special interventions
9. A special focus is placed on parents involvement and integration of families in the school life
10. The district school works with partner programs for bilingual students
Background
The new model includes the entire bilingual area and not just the reception
of newcomer refugees. Bilingual students are defined as children and young people who are having different mother tongue than Danish and when they first meet the surrounding society they will learn Danish. For instance, through the school teaching.
The definition is from the notice of public-school teaching in Danish as a second language
Political objectives
The school's efforts in relation to bilingual students should be seen as part of a joint municipal effort to ensure that foreign children, young people and their families receive a good reception and integration and thus have good opportunities to become well-integrated in society.
Efforts in the school system must play along with efforts in other administration areas such as leisure, employment and housing. It is therefore important that the municipality of Aalborg provides interdisciplinary and holistic action and that schools and administrations cooperate with relevant municipal and other players regarding the reception and integration of bilingual children and young people - including, for example, youth education institutions.
Aalborg Municipality's general visions and strategies in the school area apply to all students, thus forming the broad starting point for teaching and learning among bilingual students.
The vision for bilingual students is therefore in line with all other students for the five points:
1. Every student in the school can see that they are getting better every day
2. Every student has the courage to participate in the world
3. Every student has a friend in school
4. Learning takes place mainly via experiments and problem solving
5. All employees work systematically with knowledge production. The five points from the vision support the goal of integration efforts from Aalborg
Municipality that all children and young people should be able to develop into active, independent and equal participants in schools and communities.
Therefore it is important to strive to create equal opportunities as an outcome of schooling.
10 principles as the basis for the model:
1. All children are enrolled as a starting point at the district school
2. All young people aged 14 and over are enrolled either at the district school or at UngAUC
3. District School is responsible for providing reception facilities for students in need of basic education and Danish as second language (DSA)
4. Attempts are made for bilingual students enrolled at the district school to receive maximum offer for 12 months
5. All employees have the opportunity to receive professional guidance, coaching and competence development as required
6. At selected schools, special skills are built and maintained within the academic field
7. Resources follow the bilingual students who need DSA and are distributed according to their objective criteria
8. The funds will be allocated to work with children and young people whose emotional challenges require special interventions
9. A special focus is placed on parents involvement and integration of families in the school life
10. The district school works with partner programs for bilingual students
Structure: School enrollment at district school or UngAUC
All bilingual children and young people are enrolled in the district school unless the parents choose to use the right to 'free school choice' and apply for the student to enroll at another school in the municipality of Aalborg. Exceptions are late arrivals 14+ year old refugees who are enrolled at UngAUC where targeted offers to this group are collected. School enrollment is done by the school principal as soon as possible and within 14 days of arrival. The parent and child are called to an enrollment meeting at the school.
The purpose of enrollment meeting is to make an initial identification of the child's academic and language skills and clarify what educational and recreational facilities that the child needs. Participants in the enrollment meeting are as follows: - School management - School DSA Supervisor and / or DSA Supervisor from DSA Competences School - Family Consultant / Social worker v. Refugees - Parents and child - Interpreter in cases where this is needed. At the enrollment meeting, a status chart is used that collects facts and forms the basis for registering the student in the student system. In addition, the child's academical, linguistic competencies and potentials are identified by using an assessment tool used across all schools.
On the basis of the enrollment meeting, the school principal decides what kind of education the child will have. The parents for younger students are also informed about the purposes and benefits of the student’s participation in leisure activities, with the aim to encourage parents to enroll the student in DUS.
For bilingual students coming from kindergarten to school, the kindergarten prepares a status description of the child in April / May. The status description forms part of the basis for the enrollment meeting.
During the enrollment interview for newly arrived bilingual 14-year-olds and older students (non-refugees), it is assessed whether there is a basis for the young person to be ready for the 9th grade test through a course at the district school or if there is a need for a long-term school offer on UngAUC with the same goal of being ready for the 9th grade test. It is essential to avoid unnecessary switching of schooling for this group of students, which should be the basis for the decision on the student's education offer. Late arrived bilingual young people over 14 years who are deemed to need a longer-term school offer than that which can be accommodated within the framework of the general public school are not covered by the right to’ free school choice’. This is because a suitable offer for this group in Aalborg Municipality is offered only at UngAUC.
Individual Educational Plan
The school on which a bilingual student is enrolled is responsible for preparing an individual education plan based on the child's / young person's prerequisites and needs.
The teaching plan is based on the learning platform. The plan will be prepared no later than 2 months after the enrolment.
The plan will contain information about the following:
• Class placement - level and grade
• The student's learning goals
• The student’s learning needs - including the extent of DSA teaching and mother tongue support
• The need for mother-tongue instruction (for students from EU and EEA countries)
• The student's learning in DUS / leisure
• The need for an educational process that supports the child's overall development, including for example a student mentor (recommended)
• Parental involvement, efforts described, including, for example, parent mentor (recommended) The educational plan is the basis for the student's education and teachers continually evaluates the student's performance in relation to individual learning goals. The educational plan is continuously adjusted based on this background.
Organization of teaching - Reception offer and integration in general class
The teaching of bilingual children and young people organized by the rules of public school education in DSA which gives the following possibilities:
- Integrated part of general education for bilingual students who are able to participate in the general class: organized teaching DSA as an integral part of general education in class, possibly supplemented by teaching based team or as a one to one teaching.
- Basic Education in dsa bilingual students who are unable to participate in the general class because of their need for language support, given basic training in dsa. Basic education is given in the form of reception classes, on basic teaching, as one to one education or as extended reception classes of 8-10. grade level for bilingual students who have moved to Denmark after reaching the age of 14 years. When creating reception classes, it is important to pay attention to the possibilities of organizing teaching between classes, thus ensuring the best possible integration of bilingual students in the general classes from the start of the course 3.
-Two cultural classes: The last option is to organize the teaching of bilingual students in bicultural classes.
A bicultural class is a regular class, which is integrated a small group of students with the same mother tongue and in need of basic education in DSA. The class takes place in the classroom, which is taught by a regular teacher during the year who is responsible for incorporating the DSA as a dimension in teaching. In addition, the class has a bilingual teacher or kindergarten class leader who, when using the mother tongue, completes teaching for the group of children of the same mother tongue. In addition, all bilingual students are taught in class for a few hours a week by a teacher with DSA skills.
After the end of the educational initiative, the class continues as a general class, where the teacher team remains responsible for incorporating the DSA as a dimension in teaching. Basic education ends when students can participate fully in general education - however, students aim for full integration into the general classes after a maximum of 1 year. The limitation does not apply to students who are admitted to an extended class of reception or students who have not previously received instruction in reading and writing. After completion of basic education, the students receive all teaching in the general class with supplementary instruction in DSA as needed and with a continued focus on dsa as a dimension of all teaching. 4 Teaching in the DSA is carried out by teachers or other teaching staff who have been through special education or otherwise, have qualified for the task.
DUS
The efforts in DUS should overall support all students' versatile personal development. The DUS should provide the student with challenges that stimulate the student's curiosity and desire to learn. At the same time, the challenges must address the self-esteem, confidence and empathy for the students.
The content plan for DUS in Aalborg municipality states the following core areas, which are particularly relevant in the educational work of DUS.
For bilingual students, there is also a focus on the integration of students and families to Danish society. This is done, for example, through language support, development of parenting and by working together with the school on how DUS staff can best support the student's integration process and development within the mentioned core areas.
DUS play an important role in supporting students' and parents’ formation process in a concrete bicultural context. This happens working with friendship formation and mutual cultural and social understanding between students / parents and schools. The intercultural integration effort in DUS also takes into account the individual student's prerequisites and the children's group's linguistic and cultural skills.
Mother tongue education
Mother-tongue education is given to children from EU and EEA countries. The purpose of mother tongue education is that the students develop skills so that they can understand the spoken and written language and can express themselves orally and in writing.
Teaching should at the same time develop students' linguistic awareness based on the fact that they use two languages in their daily lives. In order to create a class, there must be at least 12 students with the same mother tongue who want to be taught. teaching is 3 hours a week and takes place at a centrally located school after regular school hours. Teaching is free.
Creating classes with mother tongue education takes place on the basis of the parents' contact with the school administration. Mother tongue is taught in the following place:
- Polish at Sønderbroskolen
Parents cooperation
The school has an important task in creating an equal and constructive framework for parents, where the parents and the school work together to strengthen the student's learning, well-being and personal development.
Constructive and equal cooperation between parents, teachers and educators presupposes that parents feel treated as equal partners.It is therefore important that teachers and educators invite parents to a dialogue where both parties inform each other about the student's well-being, learning and development, and that the parents are involved in decisions that concern the student.
Some bilingual parents have no experience with everyday life in a Danish school. It is therefore important to invite parents to school start meetings where teachers and educators tell about the school and the DUS offer and what expectations the school has for the cooperation with the parents. Similarly, parents can tell what expectations they have for the school and the DUS offer.
In order to strengthen equal dialogue with parents, it can be an advantage to use an interpreter for interviews, where necessary. Likewise, written material from school can be translated into relevant languages if needed in the parent group.
After-school care
The school's after-school care is an educational service for children from kindergarten through 3rd grade.
Children can come here both before and after school. The staff makes sure that they get to class on time and that they make it back after school and are present. You arrange with the staff when your child may come and go.
Hours
Weekdays from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. In some locations, however, these hours are adapted to local needs. Therefore, you should check the opening hours on the school's website.
After-school care is also open on weekdays when the schools are closed. It does close, however, for two weeks during summer holiday.
Prices
DKK 1,692 per month (2021)
DKK 1,726 per month (2022)
The month of July is free of charge.
Discount for siblings
You automatically get a sibling discount if you have more than 1 child in the municipal childcare, kindergarten or after-school care (DUS). This means that you pay the full price for the most expensive enrolment and half price for subsequent enrolments.
Free enrolment
You are entitled to free enrolment if your annual household income (gross income minus labour market contribution) is less than DKK 187.901. You are entitled to partial free enrolment (reduced price) if your household income is less than DKK 583.700.
Contact the Board of Education if you wish to apply for free enrolment.
Enrolment and withdrawal
You must contact the Board of Education when you wish to enrol or withdraw your child.
Note that one month's advance notice of withdrawal given at the end of the month is required. This means that if you give notice of withdrawal on 15 February, for instance, it will become effective on 1 April.