https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Across Sweden, children are starting or returning to school after the summer holidays. Here are the crucial pieces of Swedish vocabulary that will help international families navigate the school year. https://www.thelocal.com/20190816/the-swedish-words-parents-need-to-know-for-back-to-school-season Fri, 16 Aug 2019 15:58:33 +0200 the-swedish-words-parents-need-to-know-for-back-to-school-season All but two German states rotate their summer holidays to prevent gridlock on the roads and railways and spread demand at holiday destinations. Irritation at Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg’s refusal to join in may finally be coming to a head. https://www.thelocal.com/20250716/explained-why-german-states-are-clashing-over-the-school-holiday-schedule Wed, 16 Jul 2025 12:33:15 +0200 explained-why-german-states-are-clashing-over-the-school-holiday-schedule For English-speaking parents in Germany, successfully raising bilingual children can require a surprising amount of forward planning – and vast reserves of patience, explains father of two Tom Pugh. https://www.thelocal.com/20250514/how-i-made-sure-my-german-born-children-were-bilingual-in-english Wed, 14 May 2025 17:00:35 +0200 how-i-made-sure-my-german-born-children-were-bilingual-in-english A Swedish government inquiry in March recommended that the government bring in a compulsory phone ban at all primary and upper secondary schools in the country. Here's what you need to know. https://www.thelocal.com/20250319/explained-how-will-swedens-school-smartphone-ban-work Wed, 19 Mar 2025 16:34:02 +0100 explained-how-will-swedens-school-smartphone-ban-work Denmark is planning to ban smartphones in schools, and health authorities across the Nordic countries have issued guidance on children's screen use. What rules and recommendations are now in place? https://www.thelocal.com/20250228/how-the-nordic-countries-are-tackling-the-scourge-of-screens Fri, 28 Feb 2025 17:29:44 +0100 how-the-nordic-countries-are-tackling-the-scourge-of-screens Robert Kindroth, chief of the Swedish Center for Preventing Violent Extremism (CVE), answers The Local's questions on whether the Örebro school attack could have been prevented and what can be done to lessen the risk of future attacks. https://www.thelocal.com/20250221/qa-could-the-orebro-school-attack-have-been-prevented Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:37:24 +0100 qa-could-the-orebro-school-attack-have-been-prevented Sweden may change its marking system in the future, if a new inquiry into school grades gets its way. https://www.thelocal.com/20250220/how-sweden-could-change-its-school-grades Thu, 20 Feb 2025 10:37:57 +0100 how-sweden-could-change-its-school-grades Sweden's government said it would boost security at schools after the country's worst mass shooting left 10 dead, giving teachers the right to search students' bags among other measures. https://www.thelocal.com/20250212/sweden-to-allow-schoolbag-searches-after-mass-shooting Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:28:38 +0100 sweden-to-allow-schoolbag-searches-after-mass-shooting Sweden’s right-wing government has announced plans to add an additional year of compulsory schooling, but what exactly does that entail? https://www.thelocal.com/20240918/whats-in-swedens-plans-to-extend-compulsory-schooling Wed, 18 Sep 2024 16:52:05 +0200 whats-in-swedens-plans-to-extend-compulsory-schooling Twelve years into bringing up his bilingual children in Sweden, Richard Orange wonders if they will ever feel or come across as wholly British. https://www.thelocal.com/20240314/will-they-pass-as-british-the-challenges-of-raising-bilingual-kids-in-sweden Thu, 14 Mar 2024 13:06:37 +0100 will-they-pass-as-british-the-challenges-of-raising-bilingual-kids-in-sweden New research has been published placing Copenhagen as one of the cheapest cities in the world for international school fees. The result is no surprise, by why are private international school costs so low in a relatively expensive country like Denmark? https://www.thelocal.com/20240612/why-copenhagen-is-one-of-the-cheapest-cities-in-the-world-to-attend-international-school Wed, 12 Jun 2024 19:06:36 +0200 why-copenhagen-is-one-of-the-cheapest-cities-in-the-world-to-attend-international-school Swedish education chiefs have reported a teacher to the police after they allegedly asked students to plot a theoretical terror attack. https://www.thelocal.com/20231213/teacher-in-sweden-suspended-after-asking-students-to-plan-hypothetical-terror-attack Wed, 13 Dec 2023 12:54:17 +0100 teacher-in-sweden-suspended-after-asking-students-to-plan-hypothetical-terror-attack The French education ministry has announced details of a pilot scheme to introduce uniforms in schools - an idea which has been the subject of controversy over the years. https://www.thelocal.com/20231211/france-unveils-pilot-scheme-for-uniforms-in-schools Mon, 11 Dec 2023 12:18:10 +0100 france-unveils-pilot-scheme-for-uniforms-in-schools Thousands of Spanish parents are rallying together to try and ban smartphones for kids under 16, as well as petitioning local governments and education centres to prohibit them in classrooms. https://www.thelocal.com/20231113/growing-calls-for-spain-to-ban-mobiles-for-under-16s Mon, 13 Nov 2023 12:08:07 +0100 growing-calls-for-spain-to-ban-mobiles-for-under-16s At some of Scandinavia's special outdoor preschools, children play outside and nap outside, even in freezing temperatures. https://www.thelocal.com/20230308/how-scandinavias-forest-preschools-boost-childrens-health-and-confidence Wed, 08 Mar 2023 11:27:45 +0100 how-scandinavias-forest-preschools-boost-childrens-health-and-confidence Sweden's Covid-19 strategy for schools is complex, but nonchalant attitudes and a lack of systematic protection for schoolchildren can only be described as irresponsible, argues Lisa Bjurwald in this opinion piece. https://www.thelocal.com/20210816/opinion-i-believe-sweden-will-regret-its-approach-to-covid-in-schools Mon, 16 Aug 2021 09:41:53 +0200 opinion-i-believe-sweden-will-regret-its-approach-to-covid-in-schools A school in Vienna is being investigated by Austrian authorities after a “disturbing” sex education class where students as young as six were taught how to touch a doll sexually.  https://www.thelocal.com/20210726/vienna-school-under-fire-for-sex-ed-class-using-puppets-for-children-as-young-as-six Mon, 26 Jul 2021 21:30:09 +0200 vienna-school-under-fire-for-sex-ed-class-using-puppets-for-children-as-young-as-six As Italy debates how to reopen schools after its strict Covid-19 lockdown, teaching outside is one of the solutions being suggested to help kids return safely to class. Jessica Phelan heard from teachers and parents already involved in outdoor education to find out what’s really involved and how it might work. https://www.thelocal.com/20200623/how-teaching-outdoors-could-help-italy-reopen-its-schools-safely Tue, 23 Jun 2020 14:50:27 +0200 how-teaching-outdoors-could-help-italy-reopen-its-schools-safely Denmark was the first country in Europe to reopen day care and primary schools after the strict coronavirus lockdown. Emma Firth takes a look at how Denmark did it and what lessons there are for other countries. https://www.thelocal.com/20200528/how-denmark-got-its-children-back-to-school Thu, 28 May 2020 11:05:40 +0200 how-denmark-got-its-children-back-to-school