(edit title) Opinions on schools in Stockholm and around Thoughts and experiences are appreciated Options

[Vladden]

Our family is going to move to Stockholm. We are more or less flexible where to settle, most likely on the North of Stockholm or suburbs, i.e. closer to work. By that time our son, who speaks fluently Finnish, English and Russian (no Swedish though) will finish the 6th grade in Finland.

I would appreciate sharing opinions and experiences regarding the specific schools, curriculum (e.g. maths in-depth programs) and teaching language. I have read some good things e.g. about schools in T?by but would be happy to learn more about others.

What is the best strategy: to get to local swedish school or go to international one and to continue with IB?

Thanx

[yet another brit]

What is the best strategy: to get to local swedish school or go to international one and to continue with IB?

If he will ever want to study abroad, an IB program might be better. If it is a good school.

Tibble Gymnasium (in T?by) has a great reputation but that is a couple of years away for you.

T?by is about as aspirational a middle-class suburb as it gets :-)

[Vladden]

Thank you for your response. We intentionally search for "white-colar" residential area with fairly strong schools. That's similar to where we live now in Finland. If you bring more ideas about such places I would be very grateful.
Would also be nice to know what to avoid.

[yet another brit]

I might get shot down in flames for suggesting the following list, but...

The "nice" suburbs are often the ones that aren't directly on the subway; there are various reasons for this, but (in one revisionist view) the reason is that they never got the really big housing estates in the 60s/70s because they never had a subway - or even vice versa. The red line subway stops short of T?by by a few km, for example. There was a referendum at the time, and the good citizens of T?by turned down the opportunity (and to this day T?by has poor public transport into the city). T?by *does* have some big tower blocks, but somehow escaped them becoming "socially disadvantaged areas".

But to answer your question - Bromma, Nacka, Liding?, T?by, Saltsj?baden, Sollentuna are all "nice suburbs" with lots of houses (as opposed to apartments). If you can afford it then Danderyd is the top of the pile. All of them have some "less advantaged" sub-areas - Sollentuna is, after all, on the commuter railway, and you would be well advised not to confuse Edsberg with Edsviken - but generally speaking all meet your description. There are also places closer to town (M?larh?jden, Gamla Enskede to name a couple) that are fine too, as are some smaller areas that are also a bit further out - Viksj?, bits of H?sselby-V?llingby. To the south, Stuvsta and ?lvsj? are OK, though generally speaking north = better. In perception that is, at least.

If in doubt, look at house prices / sq metre. It is about as good an indicator as you will find.

[Vladden]

Thank you so much! Yes, we screen the property in the north. Hopefully the real estate market will further cool down. Could you please name a few good school worth visiting or, even better, if there was some kind of rating/review of schools in the net?

[yet another brit]

Here is skolverkets data on schools in T?by :

http://siris.skolverket.se/reports/rwservl...60&p_flik=A

Note that this includes special schools as well as mainstream ones.

[Vladden]

Our son, who is turning 14 next year will move to Sweden with us. Now he studies at the 7th grade in Finland. We are searching for school in either in T?by, where he will reside or in Stockholm city.
He does speak fluent English and Finnish but I am afraid it will be difficult for him to compete for a place in gymnasium after studying just two years in Sweden.

What are the possible courses of action?
- IB school?
- Is there a possibility to study Swedish as a second language?
- Will it be possible at all to continue to University in Sweden, since they teach BSc mostly in Swedish.