Private Independent Schools

1
Private Independent Schools

• The Danish Tradition

2
Plan

• Short historic introduction
• Prevalence of independent schools in Denmark
• Economic aspects
• Legal aspects
• Supervision of the schools
• Present debate on independent schools in Denmark

3
History of compulsory education in Denmark

• Compulsory school attendance from 1814
• The parents right to choose
• The Danish Constitution of 1915
• Parents or guardians who themselves ensure that
  their children get an education that measures up
  to the education generally achieved in the
  folkeskole, are not under the obligation to let
  their children attend the folkeskole.

4
The freedom of choice of school

• The foundation of an independent school is
  reported to the authorities
• An independent school does not have to be
  approved by the authorities
• An independent school must fulfil a number of
  requirements if the school wishes state funding

5
The independent schools today

• In total about 470 schools (c. 1500
  folkeskoler)
• About 12 pct. of the pupils (c. 88.000)
• Spreading from c. 25 pct. in Copenhagen to less
  than 5 pct. in a number of small communities
• Average size of schools 175 pupils (in the
  folkeskole 350 pupils)
• Spreading from c. 15 to 900 pupils

6
FRIE GRUND-SKOLERS FÆLLESRÅD INDEPENDENT
SCHOOLS JOINT COUNCIL
ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN DENMARK 97
schools 31.000 pupils
FORDELINGS SEKRETARIATET SECRETARIAT FOR
DISTRIBUTION OF PART OF THE STATE GRANTS
ASSOCIATION OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS 21 schools
7.000 pupils
ASSOCIATION OF FREE SCHOOLS 48 schools 6.000
pupils
ASSOCIATION OF CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS 35 schools
5.000 pupils
ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE UPPER SECONDARY
SCHOOLS 22 schools 7.000 pupils
DEUTSCHER SCHUL-UND SPRACHVEREIN 22 schools
1.000 pupils
ASSOCIATION OF DANISH FREE SCHOOLS 225 schools
26.000 pupils
7
Distribution oftotal revenue in the financial
year 2003
8
Distribution of expenses in the financial year
2003
9
State Funding

• The state has funded private schools since 1855
• The present regulations dates back to 1991
• The Taxi-meter System
• 75 of the average cots per pupil in the
  folkeskole
• Building subsidy
• Subsidy pr. pupil attending recreation centres
  run by the school
• Special subsidies

10
Requirements in order to obtain state funding

• The school must be a non-profit institution
• The statutes must be approved by the ministry
• The school must be genuinely independent
• Economic resources may only be spent for the
  benefit of the school itself
• Buildings and acreage must be an entity
• The school must be governed by a board where at
  least two parents must be represented
• A head teacher is in charge of pedagogical
  affairs
• All teachers must follow general rules on wages
  and working conditions
• The school must report to the ministry on the
  annual accounts checked by a certified auditor

11
Distribution of subsidies among the schools

• A system of solidarity between the schools
• The number of pupils per year in each school
  approved by the local municipal authorities
• A factor of regionalisation
• A factor of the size of the school (according to
  number of pupils)
• The distribution of the children over and under
  13 years of age

12
Educational demands

• Independent schools provide an education which
  measures up to the education generally achieved
  in the folkeskole. The schools must prepare the
  pupil for living in a society based on freedom
  and democracy
• The education in 8th. and 9th. grade can prepare
  the pupils for the final tests of the
  folkeskole. The ministry can authorize the
  headmaster to carry out the final tests at the
  school according to the rules being in force for
  the folkeskole
• The pupils of the voluntary 10th. grade can be
  prepared for the final test of the folkeskole
  correspondingly

13
The independent schools and the authorities

• All relations with authorities are exclusively
  between the school and the state
• The local authorities are obliged to
• To approve the school-buildings
• The local authorities must support the school
  with free pedagogical-psychological assistance
• Health service

14
The education must measure up to the folkeskole

• This demand is not regulated in details
• The interpretation is a matter of judgement
• The independent school must give an education,
  which based on an overall evaluation of the
  totality, must give the pupil the same
  possibilities for an all-round personal
  development, as if pupil had attended the
  folkeskole

15
The curriculum

• There is no compulsory curriculum
• The school chooses the content and the way of
  teaching, but the compulsory subjects of the
  folkeskole must be recognizable in the
  self-chosen curriculum of the school

16
The curriculum (2)

• The school is free to chose when and how the
  subjects are introduced to the pupils
• The school is free to organize the pupils in
  classes and grades according to its pedagogical
  views
• The subjects Danish, Math, and English must
  be clearly identified

17
The supervision

• The three parts of the supervision
• The parents in common
• The elected external supervisor(s)
• The additional supervision (in particular cases)

18
The management of the schools

• The schools are organized as self-gorverning
  institutions
• The school board has the total responsibility in
  all questions related to the legislation
• The school board delegates daily management to
  the headmaster (can be compared to a director of
  a private firm).
• Normally there is five to seven persons (parents)
  in the school board.

19
Summing up

• Independent schools which fulfil a number of
  objective criteria have a right to exist and to
  obtain state funding
• There are a number of essential freedoms
• To decide the curricula and the organisation of
  the school
• To decide the basic ideas on which the school is
  established
• To appoint the head master and teachers with no
  requirements of professional teacher training.
• To decide whom to appoint to the board of the
  school

20
Present debate on independent schools in Denmark

• Increased supervision from the state
• More detailed interpretation of the term measure
  up to.
• Political debate on amendment of the 10th grade
  earlier transfer to upper-secondary/vocational
  education.
• Demand to the independent sector of its
  documented contribution to societal
  responsibility correspondent to that of the
  folkeskole (e.g.. integration of minorities)
• The consequences of the municipality-reform