Language of Instruction in Finnish Curriculum Schools Outside Finland
A common assumption is that a Finnish curriculum school teaches in Finnish. In practice, it is the teaching method that travels abroad, and the language of instruction almost always stays local or English.
- Inside Finland itself, most schooling runs in Finnish or Swedish, but a growing number of schools teach in English, and Finland is expanding English-language upper secondary education to five cities from 2026.
- Norden International School, which follows a Finnish curriculum across campuses in Helsinki and Brussels, uses English as its language of instruction rather than Finnish.
- Outside Finland, Finnish-pedagogy schools and affiliated programmes typically teach in the local language or English, since it is the teaching method, not the Finnish language, that is exported.
- When a school affiliates with a Finnish-pedagogy provider such as OPPI, its existing language of instruction and exam board are kept in place; what changes is how lessons are taught and assessed.
Language inside Finland is not one size fits all
Even within Finland, schooling is not delivered in a single language. Finnish and Swedish are the two national languages of instruction, but English-medium schooling has been growing, and Finland is extending English-language upper secondary education to five cities from 2026, a sign of increasing accommodation for internationally mobile families even inside the country that invented the pedagogy.
What travels abroad: the method, not the language
Schools built on Finnish pedagogy outside Finland, such as Norden International School with campuses in Helsinki and Brussels, teach in English rather than Finnish. This reflects a broader pattern: Finnish curriculum is localised for schools outside Finland by adapting language, grade structure and exam requirements to the local context, while keeping the underlying teaching approach, phenomenon based learning, formative assessment and play based early years, intact.
What this means for a school considering Finnish pedagogy
A school does not need Finnish speaking teachers or Finnish language materials to adopt this approach. Affiliation with a provider such as OPPI keeps a school's existing language of instruction, whether that is English, a local language, or a bilingual model, and focuses instead on retraining how lessons are planned, delivered and assessed within that language.
Frequently asked questions
Do Finnish curriculum schools abroad teach in Finnish?
Almost never. They typically teach in English or the local language; it is the teaching method that is exported, not the Finnish language itself.
Does Finland teach entirely in Finnish and Swedish?
Mostly, but not exclusively. English-medium schooling exists within Finland too, and Finland is expanding English-language upper secondary education to five cities starting in 2026.
Would a school lose its current exam board or language of instruction by adopting Finnish pedagogy?
No. Affiliation with a provider such as OPPI keeps a school's existing language of instruction and exam board in place, changing how lessons are taught and assessed rather than what language they are delivered in.
Related reading
Bring Finnish pedagogy to your school
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Backed by Education Finland. Over 20 schools have already affiliated, including DPS, Radcliffe and Sanctus. Places in each cohort are limited.
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