New school year starts across Finland with education reforms

Schools across much of Finland began the 2026–27 academic year on Wednesday, with pupils returning under new rules covering physical activity, learning support and language teaching. Helsinki, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Joensuu, Lahti and Rovaniemi are among the cities starting classes on 12 August. Espoo and Vantaa start on Thursday, while pupils in Kokkola, Turku and Pori returned on Tuesday. Tampere started its term on 6 August, according to the Finnish National Agency for Education.