The children are forced to change schools despite the municipality's promises

the Problems for the children in the third grade in Karlberg school in Birkastan is liable to become acute. The children will begin fourth grade in the autumn, but yet the school situation is not fully resolved for them. The students ' parents have sent a letter to the education department in Stockholm city with their complaints and are critical to how the management for a long time has handled the school situation in the Vasastan district.

– the Department of education is an organization that right now just putting out fires. You know exactly how many children are here. You know exactly what the premises are. You are amazed over how they have handled this, " says Leif Svensson.

Leif Svensson, Jesper Ekesiöö and Maria Salling are concerned about their children's future schooling. Photo: Lisa Mattisson

situated in the western Vasastan neighbourhood in which it goes about 300 students. The past two years, however, the school also had grade four. The location is appreciated by both pupils and parents because it is located in a quiet neighborhood where the children are close to school and have a relatively safe way to school.

But just before christmas, the students in the third grade told that they will not go to fourth grade at the school – despite the fact that the department of education during the autumn had given a promise that the kids would remain. So far fyrorna in Karlberg school got to keep to in the adjacent premises on the Kadettgatan. But instead, these should now be used for children from one private pre-school education that is located within the Rödabergsskolans area, just over a kilometre away.

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Both students in the class of 3A and 3B in Karlberg school and their parents have been outraged by the administration's decision. Leif Svensson, dad to 9-year-old Vittorio Svensson, who is now in the third grade, criticizing the municipality's forward planning.

"we only plan one year at a time, despite the fact that you know exactly how many children are here in the area," he says.

of Jesper Ekesiöö and Maria Salling who are also parents to 9-year-olds Julian Ekesiöö and Erik Salling, who is also likely to be affected by the withdrawal of the promise from the municipality.

You only plan one year at a time, despite the fact that you know exactly how many children are here in the area.

– In september, we had class meetings in both classes. Then we were informed that the kids would get to go left to autumn. But just before christmas, we received late news that the children are not allowed to go invisible in Karlberg school, " says Maria Salling.

will children from Karlberg school, therefore, have to go in other places. Some of them will be able to move to Matteusskolan, about 1.5 kilometres away. But Matteusskolan have just a few ströplatser that would be available for the children from Karlberg school, according to parents. The municipality's plan is to the children rather than to go in the fourth grade in the ”pavilions” on the other hand, Sveaplan, where a new school under the plan will be built.

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the Parents see several problems with the idea.

– There is no ”pavilions”, but the barracks will be placed where they are building the new school. It will of course be a construction site for three years", says Leif Svensson.

completed the process to hire teachers and to just appoint a president, tells the parents, who know that everything comes with short notice, given that it is only half a year until the children start the new school.

Moreover, the parents presented the school road as problematic. It will be considerably longer than it is in the day – the distance from the old school to the proposed new one is less than two kilometres. And school road is a stretch among some of Stockholm's busiest streets and roads.

– It is on the other side of the E4. The area is the worst avgashålet in the whole of Stockholm, " says Leif Svensson.

in agreement and adds that there is no public transport connecting the two places.

– the Question is how to get there? ask Maria Salling.

Now they hope that the department of education can find another solution for the kids, so that they can remain in Karlberg school also in fourth grade and then look with the same choice as all the other students to grade 5. According to the parents, the children themselves are truly able to continue in the same class, and points out that the cohesion of the classes is amazing. But with the risk that the children will need to study at Sveaplan to fall has several parents have already been looking for places in other schools to place their children.

the Parents hope that the department of education can find another solution so that the children can remain in Karlberg school also in fourth grade. Photo: Lisa Mattisson

Among the solutions they themselves highlight is to let the children from Karlberg, shall have a priority claim to the premises in the vicinity that previously have been used for just this purpose, but which now is supposed to be used for förskolebarnen from Rödabergsområdet. They also believe that there are premises in an office building in Stockholm that could be used.

– The top floor is up There is no school there now, but only recreational. Should be able to be, " says Jesper Ekesiöö.

grundskolechef for the area, Happy Hilmarsdottir, says that it is ”hugely short of school places in Norrmalm”. There are currently three schools waiting to be built out in order to come to grips with the problem. All the expansions have, however, been appealed by residents of the area, which leads to the whole process drags on.

– In the area there are no land plots to build new. It makes it very complicated, " she says.

threes in Karlberg school get to go four in the adjacent premises, according to the parents ' wishes, is not possible, she says.

– Rödabergsskolan has tenure for the premises. And it's not about the pupils at the school, but preschoolers who will be there. They can't move. It is about different activities, " says the Happy Hilmarsdottir.

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The new school will be built next to the Wenner-Gren Center at the Sveaplan, which will go under the name of Roslagsskolan, will be a ”very nice school,” she explains further.

It will not be as a building site for the children. It is great premises.

– Although it will take some years until it is completed, the pavilions used to be an adequate solution. To cope with this situation, so we start up the pavilions. They will be extremely well placed next to the park. It will not be as a building site for the children. It is great premises.

" we have understanding for. At the same time, this is nothing we going on now at the last moment. It has been around for a long time. My colleagues have been working with it for several years, " says the Happy Hilmarsdottir.

She also adds that the school road to the new pavilions will be a safe way to school according to the rules, and that there are several different safe ways to get across the E4 at Sveaplan.

– The first is that there is a tunnel, the other is a bridge, the third is a tryckknappsövergång when to get across the road.