Education in Denmark
The Danish education system has a different structure from the Dutch education system. For children from birth to three years old, there is good and affordable childcare. After that, until the age of six, children attend a børnehave, with an average of one childcare worker for every six children. The Folkeskole is the next stage, where children attend from the age of six to sixteen. This is also the period during which children are required to attend school.
In terms of class composition, the Danish Folkeskole is highly comparable to the Dutch primary school. Students of the same age
are placed together in a class, regardless of intelligence. The average class size
is 19.6 students. In principle, the composition of classes at a Folkeskole does not change. Students cannot repeat a year, and skipping a grade is rare. The pressure to perform is much lower than in our system.
The focus is more on strengthening your talents. Classes are taught by a team of three to five teachers. Usually, one of these teachers is the class teacher. After turning sixteen, students can move directly on to the senior years of secondary education. Here, they can choose from various tracks, ranging from general to vocational education. If they are not yet ready for this or cannot (yet) make a choice, there is an orientation year during which they leave home and attend a themed school. There, they learn to stand on their own feet and choose the next stage of their education. After the senior years, they can progress to an institution comparable to a university of applied sciences or a university. The Ministry of Education is responsible for the broad outlines, educational frameworks, curricula and final attainment targets.