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Turku International School

Finland, Turku

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The school at a glance
Instructs in English, Finnish, Swedish
Fees Fees not listed
Ages 6 - 15 years
Pupil numbers 200
Type Co-educational
Bus Service No
Academic offering
Curriculum Bespoke Curriculum, Finnish Curriculum
Taught languages English, Finnish, Swedish, French, German, Spanish
Strengths Languages, Service and Sustainability, Academic Enrichment
Clubs Community and Service, Cultural and Language, Academic and Intellectual
Stages Elementary, Middle School
Introduction

Turku International School (TIS) is a municipal school operating in the Kupittaa district of Turku, providing basic education for students in grades 1 through 9. Established to serve both international families in the region and returning Finnish expatriates, TIS delivers instruction primarily in English while strictly following the framework of the Finnish National Core Curriculum. A defining feature of the school is its structural integration with the City of Turku's broader educational network, allowing students access to municipal morning and afternoon hobby programs directly on campus. The curriculum heavily incorporates Finnish language studies for all proficiency levels to ensure community integration. Rather than operating as an independent international bubble, TIS functions as a public multicultural environment that emphasizes practical cooperation, sustainability, and cross-cultural understanding within the framework of Finland’s tuition-free basic education system.

Untamonkatu 2, 20520 Turku, Finland

The Essentials

Turku International School has 200 pupils, instruction in English, Finnish, Swedish.

Location
The Turku International Upper Secondary is located at Annikanpolku 9, 20610 Turku, Finland, in the Turun Normaalikoulu building. The school is the Turku International Upper Secondary (IB World School) delivering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

Additional learning support
Special education is provided (DP staff includes a Special education teacher).

Country affiliation
Finland

School day structure
TIUS follows a Finnish school calendar with an Autumn term and a Spring term; autumn and winter holidays are scheduled within the 2025–2026 school year.
Diving Deeper

Boarding Arrangements
The school is a day school and does not provide any boarding facilities. It cannot arrange accommodation or visas.

Food Options
Daily school lunch is provided free of charge.

Governance and Ownership
The school is a public school.
Fees
Application fees
- There is no application fee for applying to Turku International School (grades 1–9). Applications are submitted using the school's separate online application process.

Tuition fees (by year group and term)
- Grades 1–9 (all year groups): No tuition charge. Tuition per term: EUR 0. Tuition per academic year: EUR 0. Basic education at Turku International School is provided as municipal (city) basic education and carries no tuition fee for pupils.

Billing schedule and payment terms
- Morning and afternoon activity charges (when a pupil participates) are billed monthly. If a child starts or leaves mid-month, the full monthly fee is charged. The August charge is half the normal monthly fee. For other paid services provided by the City of Turku, invoices are issued according to municipal invoicing procedures and standard municipal invoice payment terms apply (city's payment term: 30 days net unless otherwise agreed).

Boarding fees
- Boarding is not applicable. Turku International School is a municipal day school providing basic education for pupils in grades 1–9; there is no boarding provision and therefore no boarding fees.

Other costs and optional fees
- Morning activities (07:30–10:00): EUR 50 / month. August charged at 50% of this rate.
- Afternoon activities (until 15:00): EUR 110 / month. August charged at 50% of this rate.
- Afternoon activities (until 17:00): EUR 130 / month. August charged at 50% of this rate.
- School meals: Pupils receive a free warm meal every school day; there is no charge for the daily school lunch provided as part of basic education. Optional snacks or cafeteria items sold separately may incur a personal cost.
- Extracurricular clubs, hobby activities, study trips, or optional courses organised outside the mandatory school day may carry separate charges; those optional activity fees vary by activity and are invoiced separately when applicable. Morning/afternoon activity charges and hobby arrangements are managed under the City of Turku's basic-education services.
- Uniforms: No school uniform requirement is specified in the school rules or public student information for Turku International School. If a voluntary uniform or branded clothing option exists for a particular event or parent association activity, any purchase is optional and charged to the family.

Refund and absence rules (where applicable)
- Morning/afternoon activities: If a child is absent from morning/afternoon activities due to illness for more than 10 days during a calendar month, half of the monthly fee is charged for that month. If the absence due to illness lasts the entire calendar month, no fee is charged for that month. If a child is absent for an entire calendar month for reasons other than illness, half of the monthly fee is charged. Refunds or fee reductions require submission of the appropriate change form or discretionary discount/exemption application as set out by the city. Monthly billing is not pro‑rata if attendance begins or ends mid-month (full month charged). The August monthly fee is charged at half the normal rate.
- Other paid services: Refunds or cancellations for optional paid services, trips or club activities follow the terms and conditions of the organiser or the City of Turku service organising the activity; invoiced municipal services follow the city's invoicing and credit/refund procedures. Standard municipal invoicing guidance and contacts apply.
Academics

Turku International School teaches Bespoke Curriculum, Finnish Curriculum for students aged 6 to 15.

Curriculum
The Turku International School provides basic education for grades 1–9, following the Finnish National Core Curriculum with English as the main language of instruction. Grades 1–6 are taught at Turku International School's building (Kraatarinkatu 4). Grades 7–9 and the IB Diploma Programme are taught at Turun Normaalikoulu (Annikanpolku 9).
Wellbeing

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
The Turku International Upper Secondary School operates a study welfare team that supports students' physical, mental and social welfare and promotes safety across the school community. The team includes a guidance counsellor, a school psychologist, a special needs teacher and a school nurse. Guidance is provided in lessons and in personal and group meetings, and the guidance counsellor advises on general studies, career choices and further education. The welfare team works with teachers and guardians to support students' wellbeing and personal development.

Special Educational Needs (SEN)
A Special needs teacher organizes dyslexia tests to identify reading and writing difficulties. The teacher writes documents needed for special arrangements in examinations. The Special needs teacher also provides targeted support for students with learning difficulties within the welfare team framework.

Mental Wellbeing
The welfare team focuses on students' mental welfare, study motivation and coping with stress, with the school psychologist providing related support. Guidance is offered in lessons and in personal or group meetings, in collaboration with other teachers and guardians. The team's work is part of promoting overall student welfare and wellbeing within the school community.

Safeguarding
The welfare team is dedicated to safeguarding and promoting safety and welfare in the school community. The guidance counsellor supports students on general studies, career choices and education, contributing to wellbeing. The school social worker helps with study problems, relationships, addressing bullying, and guiding guardians; discussions are confidential. The school nurse provides health care and supports health, welfare and safety, including health inspections and monitoring student well-being. The school rules prohibit bullying and harassment and require respectful treatment of others.
Parent Experience

History
Turku International School was founded by the City of Turku in 2003. Turun Normaalikoulu (Turku Teacher Training School) provides the teaching under an agreement between the City of Turku and the University of Turku. The school is administered by the City of Turku. The official language of instruction is English. The school started operating on 1 August 2003.

Community
The school aims to develop internationally minded, caring and reflective builders of a sustainable future. It encourages exploration of knowledge across local and global contexts. It emphasizes communication and cooperation, and honesty and open-mindedness, and it fosters human and cultural diversity in a multicultural environment.

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
The PTA is a Parent-Teacher Association that aims to make the school a better place for children to learn. It builds community and supports TIS teachers, hosting seasonal social events such as a Back-to-School picnic, a fall costume party, a winter solstice party, and a summer/end-of-school get-together. The PTA provides fundraising support for special events and field trips and gives thank-you gifts to teachers.
Facilities

Facilities Overview
The Turku International Upper Secondary School is housed in the Turun normaalikoulu (Norssi) building at Annikanpolku 9, 20610 Turku, Finland. The IB campus is located in this building. A school library is located on the second floor of the Norssi building, room B2129, and is open to students and staff on schooldays from 8:00 to 15:30. The library's collection totals about 10,000 items, including Finnish and English materials, magazines and newspapers, and it provides access to university library databases for information retrieval and printing. The school is a day school and does not provide boarding facilities. Daily school lunch is provided free of charge.

Extra Curricular Facilities
Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) is a core element of the Diploma Programme. CAS runs throughout the Diploma Programme and involves students in activities alongside their academic studies. CAS is not formally assessed, but students reflect on CAS experiences and provide evidence of achieving the seven CAS learning outcomes. The Diploma Programme includes CAS examples such as Kalle's CAS story and Jenny's CAS story.
Extra-Curricular Activities

Academic & Intellectual
The school offers the IB Diploma Programme (DP) at Turku International Upper Secondary, preceded by a one-year Pre-DP programme. The DP curriculum is made up of six subject groups and the DP core, comprising Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS), and the Extended Essay (EE). The mission is to develop internationally minded, caring and reflective builders of a sustainable future, and to encourage knowledge exploration across local and global contexts. About 95% of DP graduates enter universities worldwide.

Arts & Creative
Arts (Group 6) is not offered in the Diploma Programme. Creativity is a core element of CAS, the DP's activity and service framework that runs throughout the programme and invites creative thinking. The DP page provides CAS stories illustrating student engagement, including Kalle's CAS story and Jenny's CAS story.

Cultural & Language
The Pre-DP year uses English as the language of instruction. In the Diploma Programme, languages include English A and English B, Finnish B, French B, German B, and Spanish B, with Group 1 and Group 2 language options detailed in the curriculum. Other language studies can be arranged with the DP coordinator.

Social & Hobbies
Creativity, activity and service form the DP's CAS, designed to engage students in creative thinking, physical exertion and community service. CAS is not formally assessed, but students reflect on CAS experiences as part of the DP. The programme features real-world CAS projects and student-led initiatives to showcase engagement beyond academics.

Community & Service
The DP core's CAS component includes community service and projects. Examples include involvement with the Together association in Turku, participation in Green Work Hubs in Germany, and collaborative projects such as an E-magazine, demonstrating international and local collaboration.

Leadership & Professional
The school lists an IB-coordinator, Marianna Vanhatalo, and a CAS coordinator who also serves as deputy head of school, Anu Waltari-Grundström. The upper secondary leadership includes the Principal of Upper Secondary School and IB World School, Katrina Vartiainen. The guidance counsellor is Lotta Sundgren, supported by a welfare team that includes a school psychologist and other welfare staff.

Lifestyle & Wellbeing
Health care is provided by a school nurse, Vilma Alcenius, with the aim to enhance students' health and their ability to study. The welfare team focuses on the students' physical, mental and social welfare and promotes safety within the school community. Guidance and counselling services support students' well-being, study planning, and access to higher education opportunities.
Languages

Language Provision
The language of instruction in the Pre-DP year is English. The Diploma Programme lasts two years and is preceded by a one-year Pre-DP programme to develop general knowledge and study and language skills. In Pre-DP, all students study German, Spanish or French, and students with little Finnish take four Finnish courses while those with prior Finnish knowledge take two Finnish B courses. In the DP, English is Language A and English B is available as Language B; Finnish B, German B, French B and Spanish B are offered as Language B options, with HL/SL levels, and ab initio options exist for French, German and Spanish.
Admissions
School Events
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