GRADE NINE AND A HALF

By Ben Hamilton

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

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 one of the country’s 250 independent boarding schools. The majority of the ‘efterskoler’ are recent public school leavers aged 1617, but some can be as young as 14.

While the fees will set back parents between 50,000 and 100,000 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.

Why September 26 is big!

There is no better time to discover more than on Efterskolernes Dag on September 26.

No, Efterskolernes Dag is not an apocalyptic thriller in which education ceases to exist. Instead it is a day when it is possible to find out more about the uniquely Danish educational establishment by visiting one in person.

Of course, this can be arranged on most days, as the schools will always want to attract new students, but Efterskolernes Dag 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.

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.

While the specialisation of the efterskole might sound amazing on paper, visiting the actual school might change your mind. 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.

Plot your route carefully

On Efterskolernes Dag 2021, all schools will be open from 13:00 until 17:00, so you’ll need to make sure you plan carefully to fit all your visits into a four-hour window.

Parents and students accordingly plot zigzagging routes across the country in order to take in as many as possible.

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

Some of the schools will divide the day into time intervals and require you to sign up for a specific time.

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.

But if you fail to find the ideal school on Efterskolernes Dag, it may be possible to go on a 24-hour trial course to experience efterskole life before committing to a longer stay.

International choices

A good handful are international, while many others 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 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 latedevelopers.

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.

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 life-long 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.

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.

For more information regarding courses and the subsidies available to students, consult efterskole.dk/en.

By Ben Hamilton

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

Before you book your rail tickets or hire one of those super-cool electric cars to check out some potential efterskoles, maybe it’s worth considering whether it really is the right choice for your child.

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!

Let’s start with the pros

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.

Time to mature

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

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

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

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.

Don’t follow the herd

There are cons, though, and here are just a few of them.

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

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