Basic education in the City of Turku has adopted a shared curriculum. At the same time, emotional and safety skills education has become a permanent part of teaching in all Finnish- and Swedish-language comprehensive schools in Turku, as well as at Turku International School.
From the 2026–2027 school year onwards, the shared curriculum will be used in all Finnish- and Swedish-language schools in Turku and at Turku International School. The aim of the shared curriculum is to promote equality and ensure a consistent quality of teaching across the city.
– Through a shared curriculum, we aim to ensure consistent and equitable learning pathways for all pupils in basic education, says Krista Lahtinen, Director of Basic Education Services.
The curriculum has also been updated to include year-specific content for each subject, further supporting consistency in teaching.
More than one hundred basic education professionals from schools and administrative services participated in the preparation of the local curriculum during spring 2026.
– As part of the process, we also consulted guardians, pupils, teachers and principals. In addition, the curriculum was openly available for comments from teaching staff and headteachers in May 2026, says Area Headteacher Katriina Sulonen.
Emotional and safety skills support the safe development of children and young people
Emotional and safety skills education is now provided in all comprehensive schools in Turku once a month as part of a lesson chosen by each school. The aim is to strengthen children’s self-esteem and self-confidence, emotional and interaction skills, and positive peer relationships.
Emotional and safety skills education is, above all, preventive education.
– Emotional and safety skills education helps prevent bullying, harassment and violence directed at children and young people in all environments, summarises Special Adviser Minna Andell.
Safety is strengthened by providing children with age-appropriate information and skills so that they can protect themselves in unsafe situations. Schools may also use teaching materials developed and produced by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) to support instruction.
– The teaching materials provide teachers with ready-made content and exercises for safety skills education, enabling even difficult topics to be discussed with children and young people in a safe and child-centred way. Responsibility for children’s safety always lies with adults, which is why children are encouraged to turn to trusted adults whenever necessary, Andell emphasises.
Emotional and safety skills have previously been taught in, among others, Luolavuoren koulu (Luolavuori School), Mikaelin koulu (Mikael School) and Vähä-Heikkilän koulu (Vähä-Heikkilä School).