Swedish schools to phase out classroom accommodations in favour of separate support groups
Tuesday 9th June 2026 on 06:30 in
Sweden
The Swedish government will eliminate in-class accommodations for struggling students and replace them with limited-time support in smaller, separate groups for mathematics and Swedish, following a parliamentary vote to amend education law. The changes, set to take effect in 2028, will also remove the current requirement that support measures be provided primarily within regular classroom settings, according to a report by public broadcaster SVT.
Standardised testing from first grade will determine which students receive support, with over 17,000 pupils already placed in special teaching groups during the 2025–2026 academic year—an increase that has drawn criticism from students and advocacy groups.
Féline Tanner, an 18-year-old high school student with ADHD who has relied on both in-class adjustments and small-group support, warned the shift risks stigmatising students. “It feels like being a hopeless case,” she told SVT’s documentary series Svenska smärtpunkter. “It’s not fun. It leaves a mark.”
Education Minister Simona Mohamsson (Liberal Party) defended the reforms, arguing that the current system has failed students most in need. “We’ve had a culture where all children are forced into the same classroom regardless of their challenges,” she said. “This has led to the most vulnerable being excluded—sitting at the back with noise-cancelling headphones and an iPad. That’s not acceptable.”
Advocacy organisation Riksförbundet Attention, which represents neurodivergent individuals, cautioned that the changes could reinforce discrimination. “There’s a tendency to think that if we just remove the students who struggle and tuck them away somewhere, things will improve for everyone else,” said chair Eric Donell.
The School Inspectorate has previously highlighted deficiencies in the current accommodation system, while the National Agency for Education confirms the number of students in special teaching groups has risen sharply in recent years.