News | 04 December 2023
IES Skärholmen will begin to phase out at the end of spring term 2024
We are sad to inform you that Internationella Engelska Skolan Skärholmen will close its current premises after the end of the spring term in 2024. The reason is that a permanent building permit for a school won't be granted.
The school will only partially close, and those students who are to begin year nine 2024-2025 will be able to do so in the same building as Internationella Engelska Gymnasiet on Södermalm. The students in year 4-7 will be offered help to find places in other schools. They will be offered the possibility to apply for other schools in the organisation, with IES Huddinge and IES Årsta as the first hand options.
“No student should be left behind. We have a lot of schools in the Stockholm area where students will be offered places. Those among our students who are going to begin year nine will be able to do so as planned, with the same teachers but in different premises”, says Robin Kirk Johansson, head of education in IES.
No change of schools will happen automatically due to regulations for queue and admission, but as far as possible, IES will support all parents in applying for the school they want their child to change to, regardless of whether it’s an IES school, another independent school or a municipal school.
“For those students who choose to change to another school, we will do everything we can to support this transition”, says Robin Kirk Johansson.
The background is that the school building in Skärholmen has to close down due to the changed security situation in the world, and the need for the city of Stockholm to secure the supply of electricity through the high voltage power line that runs near the school. That means that the landlord will not be granted a permanent building permit for a school in the building.
“This is a really sad situation”, says Linda Öholm, head of public affairs in IES. “We applied and got a permit to expand the school to an F-9 school in January this year. The lack of a building permit has forced us to realise that this won’t be possible. We will now do everything we can to deal with this in the best possible way for the students and the staff.”
“As a school organisation we will take responsibility for all our students and we have an ongoing and constructive dialogue with the City of Stockholm and the municipalities of Botkyrka and Huddinge”, Linda Öholm says.
When the school is phased out there will be a redundancy situation. For the staff on permanent contracts IES will first look at the possibilities to match with vacancies in other schools within IES, taking qualifications and experience in consideration, to reduce the number of terminations as much as possible. IES will also offer all affected staff support in finding other jobs.
IES Skärholmen first opened in August 2013. As of today, 513 students go to IES Skärholmen, of whom 84 will finish year 9 in June 2024. 104 students in year 8 will be offered to finish compulsory school with the same teachers, in premises on Södermalm.
For press enquiries, contact Chief Press Officer Lars Anders Johansson
072-178 22 83