1. Magnus Johansson Gudrun Rendling Swedish Association of Independent Schools

2. Swedish education system

3. Intro  Since 1992  Compulsory and upper secondary schools  School choice for all  Increased diversity  Competition for quality  Steady increase in schools and pupils in ind. schools

4. Schools - Compulsory school  709 schools  15% of all  small schools

5. Schools - Upper secondary school  458 schools  47 % of all  Small schools

6. School types – Comp. Types  5% Waldorf  9% Religious  86% ”Regular” 50 % profiled towards subject, language or teaching method

7. Pupils - Compulsory school  96 000 pupils  11% of all  + 25% in 5 years

8. Students - Upper secondary school  86 000 students  22% of all  + 100% in 5 years

9. Type of organisation

10. Swedish Association of Independent Schools  Voluntarily  800 schools / 500 operators  350 preschool  500 compulsory schools  250 upper secondary school  Small units and large chains

11. Swedish Association of Independent Schools  Guidence & Advice  Information & Education  Influence politics and public opinion

13. Legislation  Parliamentary bill on a new Act of Education  Common regulatory framework/same rules for both public and independent schools  Decision of the Riksdag (parliament) in June 2010, come into force July 2011

14. Legislation  Today: independent schools have a regulatory system of their own with only a few paragraphs, but are compared to the public school system and rules for public schools.  Independent schools must be on the same level (quality) as and correspond to the public school and give the pupils equal conditions (This actually means the same framework and legislation)

15. Legislation  Act of Education – a special chapter for independent schools (in other respects the comparison to public schools)  Ordinance for Independent schools  National curriculum for the compulsory school system (and non-compulsory)  National syllabi

16. Legislation  National legislation rules the schools, both public and independent. Decisions about curriculum and syllabi are made by the Riksdag (parliament) and the Regering (government)  Municipalities in Sweden are responsible for the public schools and have to see to that there are schooling possibilities for every pupil in the municipality. This includes all school forms, from pre-school to upper secondary schools

17. Requirements for independent schools  Independent schools must apply for license, approval from the Swedish Schools Inspectorate  Must be open to everyone (no possibility of choosing pupils)  Are not allowed to charge fees  The same basic objectives as a municipal (public) school

18. Requirements  May have a special profile, as a teaching approach or method, or a specific religious character, but must teach according to national syllabi  Must provide for pupils who need extra resources (children with physical or mental handicaps and children with learning and behavioural difficulties)  Must give grades according to national syllabi and guidelines (exceptions for some schools, as Waldorf)

19. Approval of Independent schools  Application to the Swedish Schools Inspectorate  Examination of the organiser’s ability to run the school from a long-term perspective  No causing of considerable negative consequenses for the municipal schools  Examination of the correspondancy to municipal schools in objectives and the pupils right to equal learning conditions

20. Approval of Independent Schools  The Swedish Schools Inspectorate’s decision of approval includes two parts: - an approval of the ability to run an independent school - a right to be financed by the municipality – a voucher

21. Supervision and inspection  Independent schools, as public schools, are under the supervision of the Swedish Schools Inspectorate  Regular supervision with visits and inspections of the actual school.  An inspection always results in a decision, such as which measures to take or action required by the authority/party responsible for the school.

22. Supervision and inspection  The Inspectorate also investigate complaints filed by pupils, parents or others. The Inspectorate may criticize the authority/party in charge of the school and demand measures to remedy the situation  For independent schools, inspection or investigation of complaints could also result in a decision to withdraw the school’s license to operate or it’s right to receive subsidies.

23. Financing  The voucher system:  A compulsory transfer payment according to the Act of Education  The municipality where the pupil lives is responsible for financing the voucher  Equal terms for public and independent schools

24. Financing  The municipality must provide resources to the independent school equivalent to those provided to its own schools  On a per-pupil basis  Extra resources for pupils with extra needs  The independent school have the right to file complaints on the voucher sum, if it’s not calculated on basis of equal terms

25. Financing  Fees are generally not allowed  Sponsoring is allowed, as long as it’s not directed to an individual pupil