Bilingual education in English and Finnish starts next autumn
In August 2026, a pilot for bilingual English-Finnish education will be launched at Peipon koulu in Gammelbacka, Porvoo. The pilot will start with a group in the first grade. An info event will be held for interested guardians on 19.11.2025.
The application period for the bilingual education group starts at the end of the year. All students starting in the first grade in the autumn of 2026 can apply.
– We are very happy to finally move from planning to implementation. We at Peipon koulu are well suited for bilingual education and we believe that there will be many interested students. In addition, the construction of a completely new school is about to be complete, and we will move to the new premises during 2028, says Principal Juha Juvonen.
Admission tests assess the required skills for bilingual learning
The aim of bilingual education is for the student to achieve good and diverse language skills in both the school’s teaching language (Finnish) and the target language (English). Both languages are used in parallel in different subjects, but about 50 to 75 % of the teaching is in English. However, Finnish language teaching is always carried out in Finnish. The content of teaching is the same as in Finnish-language teaching.
The bilingual education student admission area covers the entire Porvoo, and residents of the other municipalities can apply as well. The application will open at the end of the year and the decision to accept students will be made based on an admission test, in which all applicants will participate.
– The entrance examination assesses the child’s linguistic capacity to study in two languages – the most important thing is the actual ability to study in a bilingual environment. Applying for a bilingual class does not require previous English language mastery and on the other hand the test can also be taken in English. Decisions about admission will be announced in connection with other school venue decisions in February, says coordinating developer teacher Elina Myrttinen.
After grades 1-6, the bilingual teaching is set to continue at the lower secondary school Pääskytien koulu. In lower secondary school, about 25 to 50 % of teaching is in English.
Welcome to the info event in November
An info event will be held for all interested guardians at Peipon koulu on Wednesday 19.11.2025 at 18.00. Join the event to learn more about the application process, the entrance examination and the implementation of bilingual education. Teachers and teaching management are present to answer questions.
The launch of bilingual education in Porvoo has been researched and prepared for several years. The Finnish-language Education Section decided on the implementation of the matter earlier this year. The Education Section will receive an overview of the progress of the work at its forthcoming meeting on 16.9.2025.