All Tallinn Children Guaranteed Spot in School Near Home
Under a new city regulation approved on March 14, every child living in Tallinn will be guaranteed enrollment in a nearby school, leaving parents the right to choose another educational institution if they wish to do so.
The precise school to which children are assigned is determined by the prospective student's home address, what schools their siblings are attending, and if possible, the wishes of their parents, said Yana Toom, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn.
"The new regulation lets parents choose the best school for their children. Thus [the child] has a right to seek admission to any school in Tallinn, but every child is also assigned to one district school with a spot guaranteed in case he or she was not admitted or did not want to go to another school," Toom said.
If two or more schools are at an almost equal distance from the student's home, the city will assign the child to the school with more open spots and a safer route to school, also taking into consideration public transportation options, according to Raepress.
If there are more children than vacancies at a district school, the city will give preference to mandatory school age students who were entered earlier into the population register.
In September 2011, around 3,800 pupils will be attending the first grade in Tallinn. The city's schools have a total capacity of 4,000 first-graders.
Ingrid Teesalu