Fewer school starters than in previous two years

On 16 August, 664 children will be heading off to school for the first time.

Of these 664 new pupils, 642 will be attending state schools, while 22 will attend private independent schools.

The schools with the highest intake of new pupils are the Skúlatrøð school in Klaksvík (60 pupils), followed by the school at Argjahamar, Argir (48 pupils).

Nineteen schools across the country will be taking in fewer than ten new first graders, while two schools will only have one new pupil.

This year’s total figure is slightly lower than in previous years. Last year saw 716 primary school starters, and in 2016 there were 670.

In the upcoming school year there will be a total of 83 pupils attending special classes. The largest of the nine special classes in the Faroes is the one at the á Fløtum school in Tórshavn, which will have a total of 30 pupils this year.

The three private independent schools will have 151 pupils, while 173 will be attending the country’s eight prep schools.

In the 2018-2019 school year the total number of state school pupils will be 6,944, compared with 6,864 last year, according to the Teachers’ Association magazine, ‘Skúlablaðið’.

Translated by prosa.fo