Finland tightens rules for shortening school days for children with special needs

A legal change introduced last autumn restricts how Finnish schools can shorten the school day for children with conditions such as neurodivergence or mental health challenges, public broadcaster Yle reports.

Under the previous system, shortening the school day was a common measure to support children with special needs, including those on the neurodivergent spectrum or those suffering from depression. However, an amendment to the Basic Education Act that took effect in August now treats shortened school days as a last-resort option.

Decisions to reduce school hours must now be made on a temporary basis—limited to a maximum of four months at a time—and applied to specific subjects rather than the entire school day. The reform has raised concerns among families with neurodivergent children or those facing mental health struggles.

Yle is collecting experiences from affected families to assess the impact of the change. Readers are invited to share how the reform has influenced their children’s schooling via a feedback form or by contacting reporter Anna Ronkainen directly at [email protected]. Responses will be used only with permission, and contact details will not be shared outside the editorial team.