Our school is part of a global network of part-time Finnish schools. The School promotes bilingualism within Finnish and British-Finnish families and learning Finnish among wider community. In addition to the Finnish language, children will also have a chance to learn about Finnish culture, traditions and history and develop their sense of Finnish identity. Children of all abilities are welcome to join our classes. We have also a group for adult beginners, started in January 2010. New students are welcome all year round. Feel free to turn up and see us in action on any school day.

If you would like to take part in our classes, fill in our online registration form in advance or register whilst visiting. Please, do note that the School moved premises in 2010 and is now located in the Robjohn Hall.

We run four groups for children:

Play Group for 3 to 5 year olds - Smaller children learn Finnish through social interaction during play, listening music and doing art. They will also listen to stories in Finnish. The children learn about the familiar events and characters of Finnish childhood, such as the Moomins.

Music group for under 6's - Half an hour of singing and dancing in Finnish.

Pre-School Group for 6 and 7 years olds - In this group teaching Finnish is slightly more formal although still playful. Social interaction with other Finnish speakers is important. The topics covered are close to the children's own world of experience, such as home, family, hobbies and food, and they reflect the annual cycle. Finnish culture and traditions are also explored.

Junior Group for 8 to 16 year olds - School aged children primarily practise reading, writing and discussing in Finnish. The main emphasis is on learning the vocabulary and expressing oneself in Finnish. The following topics are explored amongst others: Finnish culture, traditions, numbers, weekdays, months, public holidays, weather, clothes, food and travelling.

Lessons for adult beginners

The lessons for adult beginners follow the same time table as the children's groups. The teacher is Ulla Rajala.