How to bring Finnish education to your school
If you lead a school and want the strengths of Finnish education in your classrooms, the practical question is simple: how? The short answer is that you do not buy a curriculum or copy Finland. You develop your own teachers, over time, in the Finnish way.
- You keep your existing board (CBSE, ICSE, IB, Cambridge or national).
- You focus first on the early and primary years, where Finnish practice is strongest.
- You commit to a multi-year, teacher-led transformation, not a one-off workshop.
- You do it through a credible partner backed by Education Finland.
Step 1: Decide what you are actually changing
You are not changing what you certify. You are changing how your youngest children are taught: more play and readiness, phenomenon-based learning, wellbeing, and supportive assessment instead of early high-stakes testing. Naming this clearly to your team and parents matters.
Step 2: Invest in your teachers
The engine of Finnish quality is the teacher. Bringing Finnish education in means a sustained programme of teacher development, so your own staff can teach in this way with confidence. This is why it takes years, not weeks.
Step 3: Partner with a credible programme
Do it with a partner that is genuinely Finnish. OPPI is a Finnish-pedagogy transformation programme backed by Education Finland, focused on the K-5 stage. Affiliation is selective, so the first step is to apply and tell us about your school.
Frequently asked questions
How do I bring Finnish education to my school?
By developing your own teachers over a multi-year, Finnish-pedagogy transformation focused on the early and primary years, while keeping your existing board. Schools do this through a partner such as OPPI, backed by Education Finland.
Do I have to change my curriculum?
No. Your board and its examinations stay. What changes is how the early and primary years are taught.
How long does it take?
It is a multi-year engagement, because lasting change happens at the level of teaching practice, not through a single workshop.
Related reading
Start the conversation with OPPI
Tell us about your school and our team will reach out about joining the K-5 affiliation cohort.
Backed by Education Finland. Over 20 schools have already affiliated, including DPS, Radcliffe and Sanctus. Places in each cohort are limited.
Apply to the affiliation cohort →