2,140 pupils to start first grade in Tampere
A total of around 2,140 first-grade pupils will start school in Tampere this autumn. The school year begins at Tampere’s comprehensive schools on Thursday, 8 August 2019.

Approximately 17,800 pupils are starting their schoolwork in Tampere’s comprehensive schools. This is advance information that concerns the comprehensive schools maintained by the city.
Preschool education is also starting its activities as the school year begins. Approximately 2,060 children born in 2013 will take part in preschool education provided by the city of Tampere.
When schools start, every road user needs to pay special attention to the traffic because there are multiple large ongoing construction sites in the Tampere city area that affect traffic arrangements.
Language study will now begin in first grade
From now on, pupils will begin studying their first foreign language in first grade. First-grade pupils starting school in autumn 2019 choose the language they want to study before Christmas and start studying the language at the beginning of the 2020 spring term. The 2019–2020 school year is a transition year, and in the following school years, language study will always start in the autumn.
Young children’s awareness of other languages and cultures has already been supported in Tampere, for example through language showers in early childhood and preschool education. In basic education, grades 1–2 have had the chance to learn about the languages offered by their own school and their school path through various activities.
Further information
Text Johanna Toivanen
Photos Veli-Matti Lahdenniemi