Response to interpellation 2024/25:572 on the possibility for students in adapted primary school to study according to the primary school curricula
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns the possibility for students in adapted primary school to study subjects according to the primary school's curricula. S argues that this possibility often does not become a reality due to a lack of resources, competence, and time, which creates inequality between municipalities 1 2 3. S emphasizes that children's future dreams should not depend on municipal budgets and demands the government's concrete plans 1 2 3. L argues that the current regulatory framework provides opportunities for integration and that assessments must be made professionally from the student's perspective, not based on resources 4 5 6 7. L emphasizes that adapted primary school is generally more expensive per student than regular primary school 5 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Mr. Speaker! Mats Wiking has asked me if I and the government have any idea how many students enrolled in adapted primary school are actually studying according to the primary school curriculum in one or more subjects. Mats Wiking has also asked me what initiatives I and the government intend to take to ensure that students in adapted primary school who have the opportunity also get access to teaching according to the primary school curriculum.
Initially, I want to emphasize that education in the Swedish school system shall be equivalent within every school form and within the after-school center. This means that all children and students shall have access to an activity of high quality so that the established goals for the education are reached, regardless of where in the country they live and which preschool or school they attend.
Children who have an intellectual disability and therefore are not judged to have the prerequisites to meet such grade criteria or criteria for assessment of knowledge that must be met in primary school shall be received in adapted primary school. A student in adapted primary school can receive their education within primary school as a so-called integrated student. For a student to be allowed to study integrated, the relevant heads of school must agree to it, and the student's guardian must consent to it. For a student who in this way receives their education within another school form, the provisions concerning the original school form apply. The education in adapted primary school can also include subjects according to the primary school's curricula. The principal of the school unit where the student receives their instruction may further decide on the exceptions from these provisions that are required with regard to the instruction (Chapter 7, Sections 5 and 9 and Chapter 11, Section 5 of the Education Act (2010:800)). Students can therefore study one or more subjects according to the primary school's curricula if the school's principal judges that the student would pass it.
The school year 2023/24 was the first in which Skolverket collected information on forms of instruction in the adapted primary school. From Skolverket's report Students in adapted primary school – school year 2023/24, it appears, just as the interpellor has written, that just over 16,000 students were received in adapted primary school during this school year. Of the just over 14,500 students who are received in adapted primary school and who are not integrated into the primary school, 4.1 percent also study subjects according to the primary school curriculum. From Skolverket's statistics for adapted primary school for the school year 2024/25, it appears that 17,216 students are received in adapted primary school, of which 724 students are integrated into the primary school and study according to the primary school curriculum. More statistics are available on Skolverket's website, if Mats Wiking wishes to delve further into these interesting facts.
What I can state is that the current regulatory framework gives students in adapted primary school opportunities for integration, including access to instruction according to the primary school curriculum. Every student has the right to high-quality education that meets the student's needs so that he or she develops as far as possible.
Mats Wiking (S)
Mr. Speaker! We often say that the Swedish school should be characterized by equality and high expectations for all students. It is a fine formulation and a fundamental principle in our curricula. But it is not enough that it stands there if it is not noticeable in reality.
Mr. Speaker! Today I want to turn the spotlight on a group of children who are often made invisible, namely students in adapted primary school. It concerns children who have an intellectual disability or an acquired brain injury. But it also concerns children with capacity, motivation, and dreams for the future who, unfortunately, do not always receive the support they need to go as far as they could.
According to Skolverket's statistics for the school year 2024/25, which the Minister brought up, more than 17,200 students are enrolled in adapted primary school. Of these, approximately 9 percent are integrated into a primary school class. But unfortunately, there are many examples of students in adapted school who could have read more according to the primary school curriculum.
Mr. Speaker! I want to give an example here. I want to tell you about Kalle, a guy I met just recently when I was out on a school visit.
Kalle attended primary school until grade 3. Then he was enrolled in adapted primary school. He has a mild intellectual disability – but he also has a will to learn, a drive, and a goal. He wants to become a plumbing technician. He knows what he wants. He is eleven years old and already has a plan.
But it is not he who is failing – it is the school. The principal says that it is not possible to let him study more subjects according to the primary school curriculum. Resources, competence, and time are lacking. Kalle sits there in a class where he does not feel at home, where he is not challenged, and he begins to lose heart. His dream is being destroyed, not because of himself but because of the system.
I wonder, Mr. Speaker: How many children are there like Kalle? How many are there who could read but are not allowed to?
I have personally spoken with both teachers, parents, and principals. One thing quickly becomes clear: The possibilities of being enrolled in adapted school and receiving instruction according to the primary school curriculum are uneven, unequal, and sometimes non-existent. In some schools, there is a collaboration between adapted primary school and regular primary school, where one sees the children's strengths when challenging the students at the right level.
Mr. Speaker! In other places, principals openly state that they lack staff, competence, or resources to provide that type of education, despite the will being there among both students and parents.
I want to ask the Minister for Education: Should we really have it this way? Should children's dreams for the future depend on municipal budgets and access to special education teachers?
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Mr. Speaker! We know that equality is lacking in Swedish schools. This applies to both students who attend regular primary school and students who attend adapted school – what was previously called special school. It is of course incredibly important that we have a school that meets students where they are, regardless of which school form they attend. It is also a problem that we likely have masses of students in regular primary school who should be in adapted primary school; their parents have refused an investigation.
The important thing when making these types of assessments is to see this from the individual student's perspective. The common occurrence is that students attend primary school in the regular primary school and then transition to the adapted primary school when the requirements are raised in upper primary school and it no longer works.
I think it is important to have an equal school and that the assessments are made professionally and not through an assessment of whether one has resources or not. It is also important to remember that the resources for students who attend adapted primary school are generally much higher than the resources for the regular primary school.
Mats Wiking (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for Education for the answer. Equality is obviously extremely important, and we are talking about a lack of it in all forms of schooling. That is a matter of what responsibility we who deal with national politics can take – and especially the government.
I want to move forward with something that is, for me, completely fundamental. An equitable school system requires that we actually see every student and believe in the student's ability. As we discussed, the possibility exists on paper. Students in adapted primary school should be able to read according to the primary school curriculum. But this is an opportunity that often does not become a reality.
Why is that? Well, it is simply because it is too difficult to achieve. Out in the operations, people say it is because support is lacking, and parents and students say it varies depending on where you live. Today, there are municipalities that do not have any own adapted primary school. In those cases, students are forced to commute long distances or move. It is not a secure schooling. It is not equal.
At the same time, reports from municipalities such as Uppsala, which is located near Stockholm, show that it is actually possible. There, an increase has been seen in the number of students in adapted schools who study entire subject areas within the primary school curricula – and with good results. But this requires will, resources, and the right competence out in the operations.
When I speak with principals at schools where it works, they say the same thing, namely that it is about the school's culture and about cooperation. Schools where adapted and regular primary schools share premises, staff, and competence often achieve better results. There, one sees the students' capacity – not their limitations. Unfortunately, however, it is still the case that many children's schooling is determined by which municipality they live in, which principal they have, and how much their parents are able to fight. This is a system where local decisions are life-altering.
I do not quite understand why many students who should be in adapted school are in regular primary school. Here, instead, it is students and parents who fight so that the student receives a full education in order to be able to continue their studies at upper secondary school. That is the case, for example, for Kalle, whom I spoke about. There is definitely a group of students in our adapted schools who could study more subjects. At least that is what the schools I have visited express. The Minister for Education may have a different opinion.
What is the government doing concretely to ensure that students who attend adapted school and who could read according to the primary school curriculum are actually given the opportunity to do so? What does the minister intend to do about this?
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, the member, for continued questions regarding this!
The important thing is that there is a good regulatory framework regarding this today. There is no right to attend primary school if one is admitted to the adapted primary school. I think that is good. I believe it is incredibly good that this is done based on a professional assessment, but that naturally involves the question of resources. It is not just about sufficient money but also about whether one has the competence and possibility to do this at all.
I think that Mats Wiking points out an important part in this, namely that it is easier for students to be integrated into the regular primary school in schools that have both adapted primary school and regular primary school than if one has it separately. It is clear that it is also easier in larger municipalities. But what Mats Wiking points out is actually that there is a lack of equality.
A number of years ago, we saw reports where it could be seen that there were incredibly large differences in how the municipalities assessed the students' right to attend what was then called the special school. When the municipalities were compared, it was seen that there were enormous differences in how many students – or what proportion of the students – attended the then-current special school.
My view is that there has been a very large tightening in this after the alarm reports that came a decade or so ago. Now it is known that the students who attend adapted primary school also primarily belong to that part of the population.
Then, based on that, an assessment shall be made as to whether the student can still attend primary school – for example, if they can attend individual subjects. It is important that that assessment is not made politically or based on what resources one has, but based on a professional assessment.
Mats Wiking (S)
Mr. Speaker! I must say that I am still concerned about this group, because they are students who are quite weak when it comes to being able to express themselves. The students I have met in different municipalities are in upper secondary school. They study a number of subjects, but they would need to study more subjects and be able to have more options when they are to enter upper secondary school. They are now very limited.
We talked about how everyone is needed in the working life and that one should be able to participate in a normal "Svensson" life, so to speak. The students and the parents express that there is a danger that the students will get caught in a squeeze and not make it out into professional life. When it comes to how one is to proceed to upper secondary school, I think the government has a great responsibility so that we do not lose the students who could have the prerequisites to complete primary school.
Since then, it is certainly as the Minister for Education said, that the competence among staff in schools has improved when it comes to deciding who should go to adapted school and who should not. But many teachers still express that one could teach more according to the primary school curriculum if one had resources. It is not just about technical resources such as special education teachers but above all about financial resources. We also clearly see that there are good results in the schools where there are integrated premises, as we talked about, and where the competence exists.
I still think it is a great responsibility for the government to take when it comes to how the development should take place within adapted school in the near future.
What visions does the Minister for Education have for the adapted school moving forward?
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Mr. Speaker! I think these questions are very important, and I really want to thank Mats Wiking for raising them!
I believe it is important to look at each individual student and that student's circumstances. This applies to both students who are enrolled in adapted primary school and students who attend primary school – and who perhaps should attend adapted primary school – but whose parents refuse an investigation. Both parts involve major problems.
I think it is important that it is the profession that decides what is best from the student's perspective, not with regard to whether one has resources or not. I can only state that the adapted primary school in most municipalities is more expensive per student than the regular primary school. Most often, it is therefore probably not economics that decides this, but for example whether one has capacity in the form of well-educated special education teachers, for example.
I think that the report which has now been published is an important step in obtaining a proper picture of how things actually look and seeing if one can act based on that. My view is nevertheless that a professional assessment of this must be made.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.