Skole

I Danmark har alle børn undervisningspligt. Det betyder, at et barn skal undervises i mindst ti år. De fleste børn går i folkeskolen, som er gratis. Forældrene kan også vælge en friskole eller en privatskole, men så skal de selv betale. Børnene på disse skoler skal lære det samme som børnene i folkeskolen.

In Denmark, all children have undervisningspligt (compulsory education). This means that a child must be taught for at least ten years. Most children go to the folkeskole (public school), which is free. Parents can also choose a friskole (independent school) or a privatskole (private school), but then they have to pay for it themselves. The children at these schools must learn the same things as the children in the folkeskole.

Folkeskolen begynder med børnehaveklassen, når barnet er cirka seks år. Derefter kommer 1. til 9. klasse. Skolen er som regel delt i tre trin: indskolingen (0.–3. klasse), mellemtrinnet (4.–6. klasse) og udskolingen (7.–9. klasse). 10. klasse er frivillig, men omkring halvdelen af eleverne vælger at tage den, fx på en efterskole. Reglerne for skolen står i folkeskoleloven.

The folkeskole (public school) starts with børnehaveklasse (reception class, grade 0), when the child is about six years old. After that come grades 1 to 9. The school is usually divided into three stages: indskolingen (the early years, grades 0–3), mellemtrinnet (the middle years, grades 4–6) and udskolingen (the final years, grades 7–9). 10th grade is optional, but about half of the pupils choose to take it, for example at an efterskole (boarding school for teenagers). The rules for the school are set out in folkeskoleloven (the Public School Act).

Skolen skal give eleverne den viden, de skal bruge for at tage en uddannelse bagefter. Men eleverne skal også lære at tænke selv, sige deres mening og arbejde sammen med andre. Skolen skal være præget af åndsfrihed, ligeværd og demokrati og gøre børnene klar til at være borgere i et frit samfund. Eleverne kan danne et elevråd, og mindst to elever er med i skolebestyrelsen.

The school must give pupils the knowledge they need to go on to further education or training afterwards. But pupils must also learn to think for themselves, say what they think and work together with others. The school must be characterised by freedom of thought (åndsfrihed), equal worth (ligeværd) and democracy, and prepare the children to be citizens in a free society. The pupils can form an elevråd (pupils' council), and at least two pupils sit on the skolebestyrelse (school board).

Hver klasse har en eller flere klasselærere. Alle elever fra børnehaveklassen til 9. klasse har en meddelelsesbog, hvor læreren skriver, hvordan eleven klarer sig. Eleverne får normalt først karakterer fra 8. klasse. Danmark bruger 7-trins-skalaen, hvor 12 er den højeste og -3 den laveste karakter. Efter 9. klasse er der prøver i mange fag. Elever, der har brug for meget støtte, skal tilbydes specialundervisning.

Each class has one or more klasselærere (class teachers). All pupils from børnehaveklasse (reception class) to 9th grade have a meddelelsesbog (written report on the pupil), in which the teacher writes how the pupil is doing. Pupils normally do not get marks until 8th grade. Denmark uses the 7-point scale (7-trins-skalaen), where 12 is the highest mark and -3 the lowest. After 9th grade there are exams in many subjects. Pupils who need a lot of support must be offered specialundervisning (special needs education).

Skolen og forældrene skal arbejde sammen om barnets læring og trivsel. Forældrene bliver normalt inviteret til en skole-hjem-samtale mindst én gang om året, og der er forældremøder en til to gange om året. Alle folkeskoler har en skolebestyrelse, hvor forældrene er i flertal.

The school and the parents must work together on the child's learning and well-being (trivsel). Parents are normally invited to a skole-hjem-samtale (parent–teacher meeting) at least once a year, and there are parents' meetings once or twice a year. All folkeskoler (public schools) have a skolebestyrelse (school board), where the parents are in the majority.

Frie grundskoler, fx friskoler og privatskoler, ejer og styrer sig selv. Nogle har en særlig pædagogik eller et religiøst grundlag. Forældrene betaler som regel, men de fleste af skolerne får også penge fra det offentlige. Unge kan også tage 8., 9. eller 10. klasse på en efterskole. Der bor de sammen med andre unge og går i skole samme sted. Det koster også penge.

Frie grundskoler (independent primary and lower secondary schools), for example friskoler (independent schools) and privatskoler (private schools), own and run themselves. Some have a special teaching approach or a religious foundation. Parents usually pay, but most of the schools also receive public money. Young people can also take 8th, 9th or 10th grade at an efterskole (boarding school for teenagers). There they live together with other young people and go to school in the same place. This also costs money.