https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Sweden in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Sweden is often cited as one of the best countries in the world for raising children, but what do international parents need to know when planning a move here with their family? And can your children access schooling without a Swedish personal number? https://www.thelocal.se/20211206/schooling-what-you-need-to-know-when-moving-to-sweden-with-children Mon, 06 Dec 2021 14:35:09 +0100 schooling-what-you-need-to-know-when-moving-to-sweden-with-children Is your child set to turn six this year? Then it’s time to start thinking about which school they’re going to attend. https://www.thelocal.se/20260113/how-to-enrol-your-child-in-a-swedish-school Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:14:27 +0100 how-to-enrol-your-child-in-a-swedish-school Free school leaders who have mismanaged their schools will be temporarily banned from expanding or starting new schools, a new inquiry has proposed. https://www.thelocal.se/20260109/sweden-proposes-new-plan-for-stopping-mismanaged-free-schools Fri, 09 Jan 2026 16:38:16 +0100 sweden-proposes-new-plan-for-stopping-mismanaged-free-schools Are you planning a trip abroad later in the year with school-age kids? It's good to be aware of the rules for taking them out of classes so you're not hit with a painful fine once you get home. https://www.thelocal.se/20240823/can-i-take-my-child-out-of-their-swedish-school-during-term-time Fri, 23 Aug 2024 15:19:24 +0200 can-i-take-my-child-out-of-their-swedish-school-during-term-time In Sweden, teaching requires an official certification. If you were trained abroad as a teacher or preschool teacher, you can apply for the recognition of your degrees through Skolverket.. In this guide, you will find an overview of the different steps, the expected timeline, and your options if the application is not approved. https://www.thelocal.se/20251110/guide-how-easy-is-it-to-get-a-swedish-teacher-qualification Mon, 10 Nov 2025 12:51:45 +0100 guide-how-easy-is-it-to-get-a-swedish-teacher-qualification The Swedish Public Health Agency wants a total ban on snus in schools – not only for students but for teachers as well. The question now is whether the government will act on the proposal. https://www.thelocal.se/20250922/health-agency-calls-for-ban-on-teachers-snussing Tue, 23 Sep 2025 00:22:54 +0200 health-agency-calls-for-ban-on-teachers-snussing When The Local recently asked its readers about Swedish schools, I couldn’t help but smile. Because as a teacher I can tell you many of the points raised were spot on. Here are five of the things I've learned from being an insider. https://www.thelocal.se/20250919/5-things-i-learned-about-swedens-schools-by-working-as-a-teacher Fri, 19 Sep 2025 12:44:07 +0200 5-things-i-learned-about-swedens-schools-by-working-as-a-teacher Sweden's education system is built on a very different philosophy from those of many other countries, with less focus on who is top of the class, and more focus on group cooperation and life skills. We asked readers of The Local what they made of it. https://www.thelocal.se/20250917/students-have-it-so-soft-what-foreign-parents-think-of-schools-in-sweden Wed, 17 Sep 2025 17:03:02 +0200 students-have-it-so-soft-what-foreign-parents-think-of-schools-in-sweden Sweden's government has announced plans to spend 4 billion kronor on the country's schools next year, with almost half of that aimed at improving the quality of teaching, particularly in vulnerable areas. https://www.thelocal.se/20250916/swedish-government-promises-to-spend-4-billion-kronor-on-schools Tue, 16 Sep 2025 16:17:32 +0200 swedish-government-promises-to-spend-4-billion-kronor-on-schools One of the benefits of having children in Swedish schools is that foreign parents learn a lot along the way about how the Swedish education system works. https://www.thelocal.se/20250818/why-back-to-school-week-is-educational-for-immigrant-parents Mon, 18 Aug 2025 18:41:45 +0200 why-back-to-school-week-is-educational-for-immigrant-parents 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.se/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 It's the big day! Your baby's all grown up and ready to start at your local Swedish school. What do you need to do to prepare? https://www.thelocal.se/20230803/ten-things-you-need-to-know-if-your-child-is-starting-school-in-sweden Thu, 03 Aug 2023 17:30:43 +0200 ten-things-you-need-to-know-if-your-child-is-starting-school-in-sweden Sweden's streets are filled with jubilant high school students. Why are they there, and what are they doing? The Local looks at the background behind this tradition. https://www.thelocal.se/20070607/7532 Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:17:00 +0200 7532 More than 30 language teachers at the IES school chain have lost their permanent contracts and either been made redundant or moved into other roles after Sweden's Schools Inspectorate criticised the group for its use of teachers without a Swedish certification. https://www.thelocal.se/20250609/ies-language-teachers-lose-contracts-after-watchdog-crackdown Mon, 09 Jun 2025 14:21:06 +0200 ies-language-teachers-lose-contracts-after-watchdog-crackdown Parents of some of the 159 pupils left stranded by the IES school chain's decision to close its only upper secondary school mounted a protest on Thursday, calling for Stockholm City's education department to intervene to save the school. https://www.thelocal.se/20250424/stranded-pupils-mount-stockholm-protest-against-ies-school-closure Thu, 24 Apr 2025 16:44:45 +0200 stranded-pupils-mount-stockholm-protest-against-ies-school-closure Given the prospective new Centre Party leader Anna-Karin Hatt's background as leader of a free school company, she seems unlikely to let her party join a future push to stop private companies profiting from education, argues The Local's Nordic editor Richard Orange. https://www.thelocal.se/20250422/politics-in-sweden-will-the-next-centre-leader-mean-the-end-for-free-school-reform Tue, 22 Apr 2025 18:31:44 +0200 politics-in-sweden-will-the-next-centre-leader-mean-the-end-for-free-school-reform Sweden's education minister Johan Pehrson has promised that the reforms to the free school system announced this week will see "stock market wheeler-dealers" being "thrown head first" out of the education sector. How far-reaching are the reforms really? https://www.thelocal.se/20250410/how-far-reaching-are-the-governments-proposals-to-reform-free-schools Thu, 10 Apr 2025 18:12:10 +0200 how-far-reaching-are-the-governments-proposals-to-reform-free-schools A government inquiry into "stricter conditions for free schools" has recommended banning companies who launch a new school or buy an existing one from extracting profits for the first five years. Will this be enough to defuse the issue ahead of the coming election? https://www.thelocal.se/20250408/will-swedens-new-free-school-inquiry-disarm-the-issue-before-the-election Tue, 08 Apr 2025 18:38:45 +0200 will-swedens-new-free-school-inquiry-disarm-the-issue-before-the-election Sweden's government said on Thursday that it would be putting aside 300 million kronor for school security measures, following the country's worst mass shooting at an education centre last month. https://www.thelocal.se/20250320/sweden-to-invest-300-million-kronor-in-school-security-after-mass-shooting Thu, 20 Mar 2025 13:45:41 +0100 sweden-to-invest-300-million-kronor-in-school-security-after-mass-shooting 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.se/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