CPH POST Efterskole Supplement 2020

INTRODUCTION

GRADE NINE AND A HALF

Every year, around 30,000 teenagers in Denmark choose to go to an efterskole, and there is plenty of choice for internationals

kroner for the full year depending on their financial situation, there are also substantial state subsidies to ensure the year is one the students will never forget.

By Ben Hamilton

Wide choice of subjects Denmark’s first efterskole was founded in 1879 in Galtrup, Mors. Two pioneers in Danish education, Christen Kold and NFS Gruntvig, agreed it would be beneficial to students’ personal development, and the schools would be in line with their belief that education should be geared to producing fully-rounded human beings and not just book learning by rote.

Harry Potter famously catches the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 and three quarters, and John Cusack’s character in ‘Being John Malkovich’ finds work on the seventh-and-a-half floor, but did you know that Denmark has its own fractional curiosity.

Every year, around 30,000 students in Denmark embark on their ninth and a half grade – a full year of both academic and vocational pursuits at an independent boarding school called ‘efterskole’. The majority are recent public school leavers aged 16-17, but some can be as young as 14.

Today there are around 250, and a good handful are international.

However, many efterskoles are open to foreign students, and some even have international departments. The self-governing institutions vary wildly in size from 25 to 500 students, although

While the fees will set back parents between 50,000 and 100,000 2 EFTERSKOLE GUIDE AUT UM N 202 0

most of them have a minimum of around 100 students.

Unlike regular schools, the relationship between teacher and student is far closer, as they are together all day – and part of the night if the students behave like Harry and his friends!

There is a far wider choice of academic subjects, although these vary in accordance with the school’s political, religious or pedagogical orientation, and since the 1980s some schools have specialised in specific areas, such as sport or music, or catering to students with particular needs, such as those with dyslexia or even late-developers.

Immersive experience The children are expected to spend the entire week at the efterskole, but are free to leave over the weekend. However, most require them not to leave

for the first fortnight, whilst foregoing their mobile phones, in order to embed them into the style of living.

Parents not used to being apart from their children have ample access to the supervisory teachers, who are likely to make telephone calls to update them on progress or discuss issues.

The students are encouraged to take part in many activities outside their academic pursuits, learning and enhancing lifelong skills in sport, cooking, boardgames and maybe even music and drama.

Whilst in the classroom they have the opportunity to vastly improve their proficiency in a language (across the country, a wide range is offered) or a subject not hugely focused on at public school, such as history, science and geography.

Publisher: CPH POST • Editor: Hans Hermansen • Info: hans@cphpost.dk • Tel: +45 2420 2411

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Exchange abroad in 9th and 10th grade to:

Get to know young people from across the world Work thoroughly with subjects Get to better know yourself in a big world

EISBJERGHUS INTERNATIONAL BOARDING SCHOOL www.eisbjerghus.dk

INDIA HUNGARY CHINA SOUTH KOREA SPAIN JAPAN

CHOICE

CHOOSING THE RIGHT MEADOW

In order for your child to flourish at efterskole, first make sure all the nutrients are in place In Season 1, Episode 5 of the iconic series ‘The Sopranos’, Tony takes his daughter Meadow on an epic road journey to check out a few colleges, and you’re best advised to follow suit – only leave out the bit when you garrott the rat on the Witness Protection Program.

Tony and Meadow give themselves a whole weekend for their college viewing, but is this even enough. With such a huge variety to choose from, it might be best going on two or three road or rail journeys if you want to make an informed decision.

After all, while the specialisation course might sound amazing, visiting the actual school might change your mind, or even the locale.

This is potentially one of the most pivotal moments of your child’s life – a time to blossom, for many – and no choice could be more important.

In some cases, it may be possible to go on a 24hour trial course to experience efterskole life before committing to a longer stay. While some efterskoles offer shorter courses, such as Easter and summer camps, or confirmation courses.

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Catering to specifics Some efterskoles specialise in helping students to catch up – particularly latedevelopers, or other children, who have not done so well within the established school system.

Children can regain their confidence in themselves in a protective and social environment and become motivated to continue their education.

Others cater to those with learning difficulties, with 18 set up for students with special needs and 20 for dyslexic students.

And there are plenty of different language options. Some schools provide all their tuition in English and others offer bilingual programmes or cultural programmes designed in a wide range of languages, including Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Romanian and Hungarian.

Obligations to the state Remember that although efterskoles are private and self-governing, they receive substantial state subsidies (see next page).

The school governors are responsible for the running of the school, but must abide by the rules laid down by the Ministry of Education in

order to maintain their subsidies.

Exceptions can be granted, though. For example, efterskoles can elect not to hold exams in history and religious instruction if this does not fit in with their educational philosophy.

If they do so, they will have to substitute other subjects from the humanist canon. Pupils from an examination-free school will have to take an entrance examination if they wish to continue in an upper-secondary school (high school/gymnasium).

The full lowdown As well as giving helpful information about efterskoles in general, efterskole.dk/en provides a comprehensive survey of all the individual efterskoles, listing special requirements, the subjects on offer and availability of spaces per school.

There are links to the schools’ websites and it certainly pays to use these to get a fuller picture of what is on offer at the individual institutions.

There is also a waiting list that prospective students can sign up on if the school of their choice is full.

COST

State subsidy rules Parents are expected to pay between 33 and 50 percent of the cost, while the state pays the remainder.

These fees vary from school to school, and they cover tuition, the cost of full board and lodging at the school and all local excursions, including study tours. They may also include certain items of clothing needed by students.

The state subsidy is based on the child’s household income – namely the amount earned over a period of two tax years 20 months before school starts.

For example, if a student wishes to start efterskole in the school-year 2021/2022, the support given is based on income earned in 2019 and 2020.

Who is included If just one of the parents resided in the household, but with a new partner, both incomes will form the basis of the calculation.

Income earned by other children living at home or other family members living in the house is not counted.

The revenue base is also reduced for each child under the age of 18 who has a folkeregister address at the house, excluding the child wishing to attend efterskole. This also applies to any children of the new partner.

If the child’s parents are separated or not married and have different folkeregister

addresses when the course starts, the revenue-base for the person who the child lives with, or has lived with most recently, is used, together with that of any possible new live-in partner.

If a parent or partner dies whilst the student is receiving efterskole support, or a separation or divorce takes place, the school will report this to the authorities and a new calculation will be made regarding the amount of support paid.

Non-Danish citizens The state also extends financial support to non-Danish citizens attending an efterskole course as long as it is a minimum of two weeks duration and if the age and residency criteria applicable to Danish citizens are fulfilled.

There are also three extra criteria (see factbox), but regarding points 2 and 3, bear it in mind that if the tax authorities are unable to make a determination of the parents’ income revenue-base, support will be extended based on an income revenue-base determined in consultation with the school.

The state will also provide basic support to foreign students if one of the parents has previously held Danish citizenship.

In cases in which foreign students fall outside the above-mentioned rules, the state will not provide individual support but there will be ‘taxameter money’ (a block grant based on the number of students) paid to the school as

long as the number of foreign students at the school is less than half of the total.

Extra financial help It is also possible to seek extra financial support in addition to the state grant. Every year, schools receive a sum from the state that is earmarked for helping parents who have difficulty meeting the school fees.

This money has to be sought from the individual school that the child attends. It is then up to the school to decide how much and to whom supplementary financial help can be given to reduce the fees.

The SU (Statens Uddannelsesstøtte) grant is not available to students attending efterskoles.

THREE EXTRA CRITERIA If the student is under 19 when the course starts, the student or student’s parents must have had unbroken legal residence in Denmark for at least two years up until the beginning of the student’s course If the student or his parents fall under the integration laws (integrationsloven) for foreigners in Denmark If the student is supported by a parent who is a citizen of an EU or EØS country, if the parent in question is in paid employment or is self-employed in Denmark, and if the student is covered by the regulations governing the free mobility of labour within the single market EFTERSKOLE GUIDE AUTUMN 2 02 0

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DECISION TIME

SIMULATOR TO … JUDGEMENT DAY

Take advantage of the efterskole open day on September 27 and visit as many as you can

By Ben Hamilton No, Efterskole Day (Efterskolernes Dag) is not the day after school ends. Or indeed an apocalyptic thriller or afterlife drama in which education ceases to exist - cue a softened, creepier version of Alice Cooper’s screeching vocals: School’s out forever!

which is scheduled to take place on Sunday 27 September, will exercise restraint in light of the ongoing coronavirus concerns.

In previous years, all schools were open from 13:00 until 17:00, but there are no guarantees this time around.

This will make meticulous planning more important than ever, as parents and students plot zig-zagging routes across the country in order to take in as many as possible.

Instead it is a day when it is possible to find out more about the uniquely Danish educational establishment by visiting one in person.

It will be necessary to check the individual website of every efterskole on the wish list to ensure they are open when you visit.

Of course, this can be arranged on most days, as the schools will always want to attract new students, but Efterskole Day is open house time: the welcome mat is very much beckoning you in, and everything is geared towards giving you a good impression of the school.

Distancing measures The efterskole association Efterskoleforeningen in collaboration with the Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority wants to ensure that Efterskolernes Dag is run in adherence to its recommendations and advice in relation to the risk of corona infection.

It’s a chance for parents and prospective students to look around and, who knows, maybe Junior might even run into some future class-mates.

The after-schools vary in terms of their location, size and decor, and the authorities’ recommendations and advice will vary from school to school.

Plot your route carefully However, this year Efterskolernes Dag 2020,

Some of the schools will accordingly divide the day into time intervals and require you to

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sign up for a specific time.

Others might restrict the number of people who can visit in a group to just the student and parents.

Best to check before Again, it is best advised that you visit the website of the respective school to find out what it requires.

Remember that there will be other times to visit, but that no day in the year affords you the chance to visit as many on one car journey.

Efterskole Day may sound portentous, but for many young people it often proves to be the first day of the rest of their lives.

DISCOVERING A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES

At Eisbjerghus International Boarding School, the unique Danish efterskole format enjoys a pronounced international twist. Its gaze may be fixed on the world, but it’s the school’s project that will help young people find themselves.

When the day begins at Eisbjerghus International Boarding School, it resembles any other typical Danish efterskole. There is a communal breakfast and morning gathering with singing before the classes of the day commence.

But when the classes start, they’re often taught in English and included are subjects such as ‘Going Global’, ‘Global Perspectives’ or another range of language subjects. There might also be online conversations with future exchange partners or teachings about a particular country’s distinctiveness and culture.

The students mostly speak Danish amongst themselves, but everyone has a good command of English. It all ends up being a Danish and international melting pot. The informal communication between teachers and students is custom, while the focus is aimed at the global horizon.

Exchange with six different countries One of the highlights for the students is the exchange abroad program involving other young people from other countries. For the 2020/21 school year, Eisbjerghus International Boarding School has an exchange program with India, China, Japan, Hungary, Spain and South Korea.

The students will live in private homes in the host country and have been thoroughly prepared for their encounter with new languages and culture, via classes at school. It can be daunting for a student in 9th or 10th grade to live so far away from home with a family in, for instance, India, but principal Mads Poulsen has yet to experienced any major issues: “We prepare our students very thoroughly - including for challenges we know that can arise out there in the world. Our teachers are always close at hand, but I actually can’t think of any serious occurrences happening during my time as principle,” said Poulsen.

Students with hosting duties Students at Eisbjerghus will become hosts themselves when their new international friends visit Denmark and they will develop a program that shows the most interesting aspects of the little north European country. Sometimes that includes classic sights like the Queen’s Guard and Amalienborg Palace coming into focus.

Other times, students at Eisbjerghus think their new international friends should be introduced to other more hidden gems of Denmark.

To host and show off their country allows students at Eisbjerghus International Boarding School to see a whole new side to themselves.

“It’s always good for development to see yourself with foreign eyes,” said Poulsen.

“It is also so rewarding for us to again and again see kids enjoy these exchange abroad experiences.”

A house with many guests At Eisbjerghus International Boarding School everyday life is filled with travel activity and guests. When all six classes are travelling and have visitors from abroad, it leaves a powerful mark on the entire school. Furthermore, volunteers and delegations from Denmark and beyond are a common denominator in everyday life at the school.

“There are many who want to know how we, as an international boarding school, make it all work in regards to subjects and exams,” said Poulsen.

“And we really want to explain that - because I think we have something that works well for young people who come from Denmark and abroad.”

It’s also about self-discovery But despite Eisbjerghus International Boarding School focusing on the entire planet, it’s also important to maintain its unique Danish element.

“There is a saying that people find themselves in earnest when they meet a stranger. So that’s precisely why we do so much to provide our students with a ballast that is rooted in the Danish school tradition - brimming with enlightenment, democracy and general education,” said Poulsen.

“When it comes down to it, our project is about giving the individual student an opportunity for self-discovery and finding their place in a global world.”

ADVERTORIAL

PROS & CONS

PROS AND CONS OF EFTERSKOLE

The benefits are numerous, but it’s also easy to stumble

By Ben Hamilton It’s pretty much in the DNA of a supplement that it is trying to sell you something.

In this case, you’re on page 8 of a special edition dedicated to efterskoles.

So far, you’ve learned what they are, how they can benefit teenagers and how much they cost, and hopefully you’re now aware that Efterskole Dag on September 27 is a good opportunity to find out a whole lot more.

Is it the right choice?

But before you book your rail tickets or hire one of those super-cool electric cars, maybe it’s worth considering whether efterskole really is the right choice.

After all, while 30,000 children attend one every year, pretty much the same number don’t.

And beyond the affordability – as for some families, the cost can be too high – there must be other reasons!

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Fuels teenage passions But let’s start with the pros, even if we risk repeating ourselves.

As teenagers, we are at our most impressionable.

Passions, once ignited, burn brighter, and many of us end up embarking on life-long journeys: of the heart as well as vocationally!

Many will discover what they were meant to do, while others will realise their dreams of being a rock star or MVP in the NBA should remain just that.

For others, it will be a chance to catch up or increase their confidence: from late developers to those with special needs, it will be a year well spent.

than most Europeans, who are pretty much told what to do at school up until university.

Most will finish the year with more confidence, maturity and certainty in what they want to achieve in the future.

People of privilege Going to a private school is often described as a privilege, and efterskole is exactly that.

Attending boarding school (see page 11) is a unique experience, and it is one they are likely to treasure for the rest of their lives.

For some parents, it is a chance to really root their child in Danishness – they are after all pretty much the happiest people in the world.

Time to mature But perhaps even more important, this will be their first step into adulthood.

And it’s also a chance to root out any homesickness ahead of the inevitable move abroad to study or work, which many choose as a rite of passage.

Learning to look after themselves – whether it is cooking, cleaning or nutritionally – will serve them well for the rest of their lives.

Don’t follow the herd There are cons, though, and here are just a few of them.

Additionally, thanks to the relaxed discipline they will develop self-motivation much earlier

Be careful not to choose an efterskole because your child’s friends are going there.

PROS & CONS

Make sure it is the right fit for the student, or they’ll potentially become unhappy.

Furthermore, taking on the challenge of starting alone, after ten years of close friendships at public school, will be invaluable as the world opens up to them and they are called to do it again and again. Otherwise, they run the risk of leading a life stifled by their surroundings.

Also consider the nature of your child’s relationship with the friend/friends they are ‘following’ – is it one-sided and likely to go a bit pear-shaped?

Trust your instincts Choosing a specialised efterskole could prove to be an inspired choice, but be careful that it is not a passing fad.

Trust your instincts. After all, you’re their parent; nobody knows them better. Maybe this is an unnecessary delay in their education.

If your child has always been fast-track, do they really want to end up starting university at the age many are already completing their bachelor.

Just plain wrong It could just be the wrong environment: from sleeping in close proximity to others (“They have to be Venetian blinds”) to having to cook (“I can make beans on toast!”), it might end up being a nightmare (“I miss my Mummmmy!!!!”).

And who knows, maybe you’ll end up missing them at a time when it might not feel natural to be apart for so long.

Or worse still, as an international parent, discover that after ten and a half months of ingrained Danishness that they’ve started writing and singing their own folk songs, talking to the Dannebrog like it’s an imaginary friend and, horror of horrors, started wearing a klaphat.

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HISTORY

TRADITION OF SERVING THE MINORITY From catering to Danes living in Germanspeaking Schleswig, to new international establishments offering a grounding in life abroad, the efterskole has a long history of diverse education At a rate of 30,000 a year attending efterskole, roughly one million Danes have attended one – enough to make the indelible mark on the Danish psyche their co-founders Christen Kold and NFS Gruntvig envisaged back in 1879.

Barely a decade earlier, the country had endured its annus horribilis – a humiliating, mortifying defeat to Germany that brought the country to its knees. It was a time to redefine Danishness for the modern age.

And Kold and Gruntvig’s answer, in part, was the efterskole.

In lieu of German Initially, efterskoles were bastions of nationalism – most notably for Danish residents in the borderlands of SchleswigHolstein, which had been ceded to Germany after the defeat in 1864.

In 1888, a law was passed making German the teaching language in schools, so in order to obtain Danish language and cultural teaching for their children, the minority Danish population had to send them to efterskoles in Denmark.

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Attendances increased dramatically following the plebiscite to return Northern Schleswig to Denmark – especially among the Danish minority in Southern Schleswig. And after World War II, as nationalism peaked again, attendance rates from the region increased once again.

In 1951, an efterskole was even established for the German minority of the region in Tinglev!

Out of fashion Efterskoles experienced something of a decline during the late 1950s and 1960s, as new educational ideas began to emerge.

The debate also concerned the nature of the efterskoles themselves and whether to change them by substituting their nonformal folk high school style of education with a system with fixed curricula and examinations.

By 1967, it had been decided that efterskoles could prepare students for some of the public school-leaving examinations and, from that point on, efterskoles ceased to be linked to the folk high school tradition.

Reborn as specialists But then during the 1980s, there was a renewed period of growth and it was during

this period that efterskoles began to establish specialist streams for music or sport.

Up until that point, they had all provided a fairly normal, mainstream education, but today many profile themselves as having specialist subjects: from producing elite sportspeople to the next big names of Danish theatre.

Meanwhile, a number of efterskoles emerged for students with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

International too Finally, in 2016, The International ensured that international efterskoles joined the party at its location on the west coast of Jutland, where it shares the grounds of Vedersø Idrætsefterskole.

As Denmark’s only 100 percent Englishspeaking efterskole, it aims to prepare students for employment in an international workplace, along with a focus on intercultural competence, academic excellence, personal development and friends for life.

It’s a little ironic perhaps that the majority of its inaugural year were Danes interested in improving their language skills and their international career opportunities.

UNIQUE EXPERIENCE

A TASTE OF BOARDING SCHOOL

Following in the footsteps of Harry Potter and Billy Bunter, a high proportion of Danes get the chance to sample what is still a relatively rare experience

By Ben Hamilton In a sense, many of us feel like we’ve been to a boarding school, even if we haven’t.

They might be non-existent in some countries, but ‘survivors’ will tell you in all seriousness that they’re not too dissimilar to university halls of residence, military academies, army barracks, and even youth offender centres and prisons.

Ethos of the efterskole The Duke of Wellington once remarked that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing grounds of Eton College, the UK’s most well known and prestigious boarding school.

And it would be no exaggeration to say that the fabric of the Danish welfare state and Denmark’s survival through the two great wars owes just as much to the ethos of the early efterskoles.

Their cultivation of tolerance, understanding and inclusivity helped to define a new kind of Danishness following the nadir of 1864.

But even if you’ve never bunked up in a room full of others, you’ve likely read about the adventures of Billy Bunter, Malory Towers or Jennings when you’re a kid, or seen Lindsay Andersen’s 1968 film ‘If …’

And today they continue to instill into their students numerous virtues: from learning how to fend for themselves away from their parents, to mastering skills that will serve them well in the future.

And there’s a very good chance you’ve formed a strong opinion about how they’re breeding grounds for jingoism, cronyism and entitlement (as well as bacteria).

A year at efterskole tends to result in the rapid development of student’s maturity, selfdiscipline and resourcefulness.

Well, cast those dispersions aside! Because while the efterskoles are boarding schools, they are viewed in an overwhelmingly positive light in Denmark.

quarters of the students as cosy, convivial and charming.

And often, it has to be said, Harry and his friends had the most fun ‘after lights out’, enjoying the wizardry equivalent of pillow fights and midnight feasts.

While efterskoles tend to have a low tolerance policy regarding drug and alcohol usage, students can expect less discipline than at a British establishment run by homicidal monks.

After all, don’t they say that ‘talking after lights out’ lends itself to substantially improving our ability to converse.

Midnight feasts!

But that’s not to say the students won’t enjoy the romance of boarding schools popularised in fiction and biographies.

The Harry Potter series, albeit set in a fantasy world, did its best to portray the living EFTERSKOLE GUIDE AUTUMN 2 02 0

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Ranum

Come to Open Day on 27th sept 10am-5pm* Ranum Efterskole College is a Danish & international residential school for 14 to 17-year-old students, close to Aalborg, Denmark. The school offers 20+ Cambridge IGCSE subjects, 60+ extra-curricular subjects, 3 study trips & 450+ friends from around the world. *Read more / register for Open Day on www.ranumefterskole.dk/en

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