The document provides a comprehensive comparison of the education systems in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Spain, detailing school start times, curriculum subjects, lesson durations, break times, and holiday schedules. It also discusses the funding for public and private schools, special education support, and the role of parents in education. Additionally, the document highlights extracurricular activities, sports, use of technology in classrooms, and religion education across the different countries.

2. Denmark Finland Iceland Spain
6
When do students start at school? 7
6
3
7
When do they start Primary? 7
6
6
6
How many years do pupils stay in 7
Primary? 10
6
16
When do they finish Primary? 16
16
12

3. 30
25
20
15
Maximum
10 Minimum
5
0
Denmark
Finland
Iceland
Spain

4. 1st class Danish Mathematics PE Art RE Music
2nd class + Science
3rd class + History and English
4th class + Swimming and Needlecraft
5th class + Woodwork
6th class + Housecraft
7th class + German (or French), Biology, Geography and Physics/chemistry
8th & 9th class + Social Studies

5. 1st class Sport, Finnish language (writing and reading),
2nd class Handcrafts, Art, Mathematics, Science, Music.
3rd class
+ Handcrafts, Art, Mathematics, Science, Music and English.
4th class
5th class + History and some voluntary language (but not for everyone),
6th class Science separates to Biology/Geography and Physics/Chemistry.
7th class + Science separates to Biology/Geography and Physics/Chemistry and household.
Pupils can choose for the several subjects:
8th class Household, Handcrafts, Art, Language, Information Technology etc.

6. Icelandic studies, mathematics, social studies,
home economics, carpentry, science studies,
All grades sports and swimming, information technology/computers,
civic ed., arts (10th grade excluded)
1st through 7th grade Christian studies, music
3rd through 10th grade English
5th through 10th: grade Textiles
7th through 10th grade Danish
8th through 10th grade Metal shop

7. Spanish Language, Maths, Science, English Language,
All grades Religion, Physical Education,
Music and Art (Drawing and Handcraft)
Pupils from
Information Technology applied to English Language and a Sport
6 to 8
Pupils from
Information Technology and French Language
8 to 12
Pupils from
One lesson per week of sailing
8 to 10

8. •School outings for three days ( 2nd year), five days (6th year), three days (8th year)
•Traffic- how to behave in traffic on foot and by bike
•International contacts and activities
•School plays
•School concerts with professional bands and classical groups and orchestras
•School concerts where the pupils play and sing
•Morning assembly
•School competitions in football
•Sports and ballgames.

9. Music
Video
Playing in a band
Sport activities
Russian cooking
Environmental issues
English conversation
Literature course

10. Sports and courses.
Dances, trips and other activities.
Music.
School trips.
School plays.
Concerts with visiting bands and more.

11. Basketball
Football
Handball
Volleyball
School of Music
Rhythm and movement
Theatre
Spanish dancing (Flamenco)
English Academy
Scouts
Sailing
Traffic behavior

12. 8 – 1250 (o-3)
(o-
8 – 1250 or 215 p.m. or 255 p.m. (4-9)
(4-
The school starts at 8 or 9 o´clock
o´
and ends at 12, 13, 14, 15 o´clock
o´
The school starts at 8:30
and ends at 14:00, 14:50, 15:30, 13:20
Monday and Tuesday: 9:00 - 13:00
and 15:00 - 17:00
Wednesday to Friday: From 9:00 to 14:00

13. DENMARK:
Two long breaks and two shorter breaks during a
school day
FINLAND:
45 minutes and then 15 minutes break, lunch is 45
minutes.
But in our school our lessons last 75 minutes.
ICELAND:
There are three to four breaks per day (four on the two
longest days), including breakfast and lunch breaks.
SPAIN:
Our students only have one break from 11:30 to 12:00

15. DENMARK:
Lessons and teachers
FINLAND:
Special education teacher.
ICELAND:
Teacher´
Teacher´s aid
Special needs teacher.
Group of people: parents, teacher, teacher´s aid, and other specialists.
teacher´
SPAIN:
Teachers specialized in special needs and one psychologist.
Special classroom for lessons.

16. DENMARK: FINLAND:
75 minutes 75 minutes
(some subjects
37 minutes)
SPAIN:
1 hour
ICELAND:
ICELAND: (some subjects
40 minutes 30 minutes)

17. Autumn : one week in October
Christmas: 10-14 days
Winter : one week
Easter : 10 days
Summer : six weeks
In May and June we have one or two
days in connection with, Ascension
Day, Whitsun and Constitution Day

18. Autumn holiday one week
Christmas holiday two weeks
Skiing holiday one week
Easter
Summer holiday 2,5 months.

19. Christmas
Easter
February
We have several one day holidays,
such as First Day of Summer (the
last Thursday in April – more often
than not people march in wintery
snow storms this particular day),
May First – the Proletarian day, etc.
etc.

20. Christmas:
Christmas: 3 weeks
Easter:
Easter: 1 week
Summer:
Summer: Teachers 1 month and 3 weeks/
Pupils 2 months and 20days.
20days.
From July to September.
September.
We have other small celebrations
along the year with 2 or 3 days off.

21. DENMARK:
1993 (with revisions)
FINLAND:
1998
ICELAND:
2008
SPAIN:
2006

22. DENMARK: FINLAND:
Teamwork with parents. To improve growing humanity and
Pupil`s personal development as ethically good people, who can act in
objective. society, give them knowledge and
Imagination and self-sufficiency. skills they need in life, to educate
Danish culture and others. them to value equality between
people and encourage them to
develop them during their lives.
ICELAND: SPAIN:
Everyone should have equal opportunities to Educate people with an open and critical
acquire an education, irrespective of sex, spirit, with the faculty and the knowledge
economic status, residential location, necessary to go adding new knowledge,
religion, possible handicap, and cultural or skills… and the possibility to adapt
social background. themselves to renovated situations.
The main purpose of compulsory schooling A whole students’ education.
is to prepare pupils for life and work in a Active and participative methodology.
continuously developing, democratic society.

23. Public schools get money from the municipality.
municipality.
DENMARK:
DENMARK: Private schools get money from the municipality and
parents.
parents.
In every community there is educational apartment,
FINLAND:
FINLAND:
which runs the schools.
schools.
The local government, although the national government
ICELAND:
ICELAND:
funds books.
books.
Public schools get money from our regional Government .
SPAIN:
SPAIN: Schools without supports from the Government do it with
the money they get from parents.
parents.

24. DENMARK:
DENMARK: Only few private schools.
FINLAND:
FINLAND: There is mostly public schools, only very few private schools.
Education in Iceland has traditionally been organized within
the public sector, and there are very few private institutions in
ICELAND:
ICELAND:
the school system. Almost all private schools receive public
funding.
We have public schools, supported totally by our Regional
SPAIN:
SPAIN: Government, private schools paid for parents and concerted
private schools support for our Regional Government.

25. DENMARK: FINLAND:
From 6 to 16 years 9 years
ICELAND: SPAIN:
Through 10th grade From 6 to 16 years old

26. FINLAND:
DENMARK:
Parents don´t pay anything for
In the public schools the parents
the schools. It is in the law, that
pay very little (250,00kr for the
school trips and all should be
school outing in 6th year).
free.
ICELAND:
Parents provide their children with SPAIN:
necessary materials such as pencils, In our school, parents pay for some
colors and paper. Anything else extra curriculum activities and for
must be provided by the school, having lunch.
including school sponsored trips.

27. Pupils bring their own lunch.
D They can buy milk and sandwiches.
Free school lunch.
F
Everyone pays for the food itself.
I
Parents pay for lunch.
E

28. DENMARK:
Pupils have to do homework, but it
varies how much they have to do
FINLAND:
Students have homework every day.
ICELAND:
1st through 4th every day
5th graders and older receive
homework ranging from 2-4 times
per week.
SPAIN:
Yes, mainly since they are 8

29. DENMARK:
The pupils attend lessons with PE and
swimming ( 4th and 5th year), but there is a
football team in 7th-9th class
FINLAND:
Sports in school gymnastic lessons: swimming,
cross-country skiing, skating, orienteering,
volley-, basketball, dancing, gymnastics.
ICELAND:
The most popular sports are football and
athletics. Other sports are gymnastics,
handball, bandy, jazz ballet, skiing and track
and field. Swimming is taught in all grades but
not practiced outside school.
SPAIN:
Football, handball, volleyball, basketball,
karate…

30. DENMARK:
Computers are used in many lessons. We have two computer rooms, some
laptops and two computers in all classrooms from 1st-6th year.
FINLAND:
We use computer in Science, Maths, Finnish language.
ICELAND:
Computers are used in most subjects, such as studying 3D in arts, slide-shows for
biology, researching on the Internet for different projects, making short movies in
history, etc. It is safe to say that metal shop does not do much with computers.
SPAIN:
Since January, every student (in the 5th and the 6th level) has a netbook paid for
the Regional Governent they can use along the years they are going to stay at
school. They complete activities using it in every subject.

31. DENMARK:
Pupils are taught Christianity in 1st – 6th year. In 7th year many pupils are
prepared for confirmation and in 8th – 9th year they are taught religion.
Every year at Christmas all pupils go to church.
When we meet for morning assembly we pray the Lord`s Prayer.
FINLAND:
In Finland there is one religion lesson in a week.
ICELAND:
There are no religious services at school but as decreed by the National Icelandic
Curriculum Christian studies are taught from 1st through 6th grade and religious
studies from 7th through 10th grade.
SPAIN:
Every group has lessons of one hour and a half per week.
We have some religious services along every term according with the main
celebrations in our Catholic calendar.
Years 8 and 9 are prepared for First Communion.