National reforms in general school education

13.Ongoing reforms and policy developments

13.2National reforms in general school education

Last update: 2 February 2026

2026

New agreement ensures early support for pupils who suffer from declining well-being or have a high degree of absence in school

The Danish government and four opposition parties in the Danish Parliament have entered into a new political agreement to strengthen early support for pupils who experience declining well-being or have a high degree of absence in school. The agreement introduces clearer obligations for schools and grants pupils and parents new rights, with the aim of improving well-being and reducing absenteeism in mainstream education.

Although most children and young people I Denmark thrive in school, a significant number of pupils have a worryingly high level of absence. At the same time, more pupils need support to cope academically and socially during compulsory education.

In June 2025, an expert group presented its recommendations on legislation concerning inclusion and special needs education. Based on these recommendations, the Danish government and four opposition parties have entered into an agreement to change the current legislation. The purpose of the agreement is to ensure that more pupils remain in mainstream education, experience better well-being, and receive help at an earlier stage.

The agreement strengthens schools’ work with early and preventive initiatives related to absenteeism and declining academic or social well-being. It introduces clearer procedures and responsibilities, particularly for school leadership, and places a stronger focus on systematic follow-up.

The agreement includes several concrete initiatives, including:

Stronger obligations for school heads in cases of absenteeism.
School heads must continue to contact parents immediately in cases of absence. In addition, they must now contact parents when a pupil has more than 10 days of absence within a three-month period and prepare a support plan if a pupil has 15 days of absence within the same period.
Replacement of instruction for sick pupils with instruction for absent pupils.
Instruction for sick pupils is replaced by instruction for pupils who are absent from school, regardless of the reason. This support is offered when a pupil has been absent for 15 days within a three-month period.
Abolition of the current nine-hour rule.
The existing rule requiring pupils who need less than nine hours of support per week to receive it within mainstream classes is abolished. This allows for more flexible support arrangements based on pupils’ actual needs.

A key element of the agreement is the introduction of an individual educational support plan for pupils with declining academic or social well-being. The plan must outline the support measures and clarify responsibilities. Pupils and parents are granted new rights, including involvement in developing the plan and the possibility to request both the preparation of a plan and follow-up meetings to review progress and adjust support if needed.

The Minister for Children and Education is expected to present a bill covering the legislative changes required by the agreement. The new rules are expected to enter into force from the 2027/2028 school year.

For more information: Ny aftale sikrer elever hurtigere hjælp ved mistrivsel og fravær | Børne- og Undervisningsministeriet.

2025

Government proposal for a new marking scale

The Danish government proposes to introduce a new marking scale to remove the big leap in the middle of the current marking scale, to remove the current negative mark (-3) and to focus on what the pupils and students can do instead of deficiencies in their performance.

Background

Experts have highlighted a number of challenges with the current 7-point marking scale. For instance, it has been highlighted that children and young people experience that the current marking scale contributes to a zero-error culture.

A central challenge is the big leap from the mark 7 to the mark 10, which entails that pupils and students only regard 10 and 12 as good marks and regard a 7 or 4 as having a negative impact on their total average mark.

A new 8-point marking scale

Therefore, the Danish government proposes to replace the current 7-point marking scale with a new 8-point marking scale without big leaps in the middle of the scale and without minus marks.

The government proposes to:

Replace the current mark 7 with the marks 6 and 8
Remove the mark -3 as it represents an unnecessary negative signal to pupils and students. The current -3 and 00 marks will be replaced with 00 and 01.

The new marking scale will still include two ‘fail’ marks to clearly indicate whether a performance is close to or far away from a ‘pass’. The government proposes the following new scale: 00, 01, 02, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12.

Furthermore, a new marking scale should be able to recognise extraordinary performances by adding a star to the mark 12. The star will not affect the total average mark.

New descriptions

In addition, it is important for the government that the assessment of pupils and students is based on a marking scale that focuses on the positive and what the individual is good at. The marking scale should support a positive learning culture.

Therefore, the government proposes to adjust the descriptions attached to each mark. It must be clear that the mark is given based on what the pupil or student is good at instead of deficiencies in their performance.

The ensuing process

The government aims to implement the new marking scale at all upper secondary education programmes and all adult and continuing education and training programmes from August 2030 and in primary and lower secondary schools and higher education from the beginning of the school year 2031/2032.

The new marking scale has not been adopted yet. The government will enter into negotiations about the new marking scale.

For more information (in Danish), please consult the Ministry of Children and Education's website: Regeringen præsenterer ny karakterskala, der skal mindske karakterpres.

Agreement on mobile-free primary and lower secondary schools and school-based leisure time facilities

A broad majority of the Danish Parliament has agreed to establish mobile-free primary and lower secondary schools and school-based leisure time facilities. The purpose of the agreement is to ensure a setting for in-depth studies, concentration and communities for the benefit of the pupils.

Mobile-free schools and school-based leisure time facilities

The parties have agreed to introduce a legal requirement to ensure mobile-free primary and lower secondary schools and school-based leisure time facilities. The legal requirement will stipulate that school boards and parental boards establish a local policy to make primary and lower secondary schools and school-based leisure time facilities mobile-free.

The regulation will apply to smartphones and other private electronic devices with access to the internet. This does not include computers and tablets that are used as part of the instruction.

The individual school board or parental board can include well-founded exceptions in the local policy. For instance, the local policy can ensure that electronic devices can still be used in case of support for students with functional impairments.

The Ministry of Children and Education will develop a suggestion for a standard policy that the schools can use.

Content filtering of non-relevant websites

In addition, the parties wish to ensure improved settings for in-depth studies and concentration by introducing a content filtering requirement. With the agreement, schools are required to introduce a content filtering tool for their internet that blocks access to websites that are not educationally or pedagogically relevant. Non-relevant websites could include social media as well as gaming and shopping websites.

It will be decided locally how the individual school ensures that pupils do not access content without educational or pedagogical relevance.

Both requirements will enter into force from the school year 2026/2027.

For more information (in Danish), please consult the Ministry of Children and Education's website: Ny aftale om mobilfrie folkeskoler og fritidstilbud | Børne– og Undervisningsministeriet.

Recommendations for the use of generative artificial intelligence in primary and lower secondary schools

In light of the technological development in artificial intelligence, the National Agency for Education and Quality under the Ministry of Children and Education has published recommendations for the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in instruction in primary and lower secondary school.

The purpose of the recommendations is to motivate a practice where generative AI is used to support learning and where the pupils are taught to critically reflect on their use of the technology.

The National Agency for Education and Quality has published seven recommendations for primary and lower secondary schools:

Draw up a common framework for the use of generative AI;
Employ solutions that comply with current GDPR regulations;
Support dialogue and exchange of experiences among the pedagogical staff about the opportunities and limits of the technology;
Prioritise that teachers’ knowledge, skills and didactic competences are developed;
Only use generative AI when it is didactically and pedagogically appropriate;
Talk with the pupils about if, how, when and for what purposes they can use generative AI in the individual subjects;
Inform the parents about the school’s approach to generative AI.

There are no national guidelines on how generative AI can be used as part of the instruction in primary and lower secondary schools. According to the Act on the Primary and Lower Secondary School (Folkeskoleloven), the board at the individual school approves teaching materials.

The recommendations are intended for school heads, teachers, pedagogues and school boards to use as a starting point for a dialogue about how schools can manage the use of generative AI in the instruction.

For more information (in Danish), please consult the recommendations: Anbefalinger om brug af generativ AI i undervisningen i folkeskolen.

Agreement on a new upper secondary education programme

The Danish government and two opposition parties in the Danish Parliament have agreed on a reform that reorganises the education landscape after primary and lower secondary education and establishes a new, vocationally and professionally oriented upper secondary education programme (epx programme).

With the reform, about 10,000 more young people will have access to an upper secondary education programme every year.

The reform is part of a comprehensive reform plan for the whole Danish education system.

A new, practical upper secondary education programme

The new epx programme combines practical and theoretical instruction. At the epx programme, students choose a curriculum track based on their interests and are assigned to the same class throughout the education programme to ensure a good class community.

The epx programme will have a duration of two years and will give the students access to vocational education and training (VET) programmes and academy profession programmes. The students can supplement the two-year epx programme with another year which will give them access to all professional bachelor education programmes. An extended cluster of subjects will give the students access to academic bachelor education programmes.

To be admitted to the epx programme, the students must have passed the leaving examination of the primary and lower secondary school or taken the preparatory basic education exam.

An expert group will be established to present its recommendations on the organisation of the epx programme, including its structure, subjects and examinations. The contracting parties’ ambition is that young people can attend the new upper secondary education programme from August 2030.

Reorganisation of the education landscape

The reform also includes a reorganisation of the upper secondary education landscape*. With the reform, the following education programmes will be abolished and replaced by the new epx programme:

The optional tenth form in primary and lower secondary school;
The two-year hf programme;
The eux programme;
The first part of the basic course at the VET programmes.

There will still be relevant education offers for young people who are not ready to attend a youth education programme after the ninth form in primary and lower secondary school. Continuation schools and vocational schools will continue to offer education courses in the school year following the ninth form.

Furthermore, an expert group will examine whether or not it is appropriate to merge the Higher Technical Examination Programme (htx programme) into the Higher General Examination Programme (stx programme). The contracting parties will decide on the merging of the htx programme into the stx programme when the expert group has presented its recommendations.

Stricter admission requirements for the stx, htx and hhx programmes

The reform also establishes more strict requirements for admission to the general upper secondary education programmes (stx, htx and hhx programmes). Specifically, the reform introduces a grade point average of six on the seven-point grading scale from primary and lower secondary education to be admitted. Today, students must have a grade point average of five to be admitted to general upper secondary education.

The new admission requirements will come into force for admissions to general upper secondary education programmes in the school year 2030/2031.

*For more information on the current educational landscape in upper secondary education, please visit chapter 5 on the Danish Eurypedia page.

For more information (in Danish), please consult the agreement: Aftale om en ny erhvervs- og professionsrettet gymnasieuddannelse.

2024

Recommendations for the use of generative artificial intelligence in upper secondary education

The purpose of the recommendations is to support a practice where generative AI is used in a balanced way to support learning, and where pupils are taught to critically reflect on their use of the technology.

The National Agency for Education and Quality has published ten recommendations for school heads and teachers at upper secondary education institutions:

Draw up an overall, common direction for the use of AI;
Employ solutions that the management assesses comply with current GDPR regulations;
Draw up common frameworks and rules for teachers’ and pupils’ use of generative AI;
Support dialogue and exchange of experiences in the teaching staff about the opportunities and limits of the technology;
Prioritise that teachers’ knowledge, skills, and didactic competences are developed;
Only use generative AI when it is didactically and pedagogically appropriate;
Explore the opportunities and limits of the technology with the pupils;
Talk with the pupils about if, how, when and for what purposes they can use generative AI in the individual subjects;
Organise instruction that encourages critical reflection on the use of generative AI;
Organise written tasks and learning activities so pupils learn to use generative AI to qualify their working process.

The recommendations are developed with help from external experts and practitioners from the education area and in dialogue with a number of schools that have worked with generative AI in the instruction.

For more information (in Danish), please consult the recommendations for general and vocational upper secondary education respectively: Generativ kunstig intelligens på gymnasiale uddannelser and Generativ kunstig intelligens i grundfag på erhvervsuddannelser.

Expert group is to recommend new regulation for inclusion and special needs education

Today, more and more pupils are offered special needs education and many teachers experience that an increasing number of pupils need support in mainstream education. As a result, stakeholders have expressed wishes for a greater focus on preventive early efforts and less focus on individual support to individual pupils in the regulation on inclusion and special needs education.

Against this background, the Minister for Children and Education has set up an expert group to recommend new regulation on inclusion and special needs education. The purpose of the new regulation is to ensure that more pupils can develop and thrive in mainstream education.

Specifically, the expert group will examine:

The regulation regarding referral to special needs education, including the threshold for when support can be defined as special needs education;
The regulation regarding the pedagogical psychological assessment which is used today when the school head finds that a pupil needs more than nine hours of support a week;
The regulation regarding teaching of children with illnesses and how the current regulation is applied in practice.

The expert group is set up as part of the political agreement on a reform of the primary and lower secondary education from March 2024. The expert group will present its recommendations in the first quarter of 2025.

For more information (in Danish), please consult the expert group’s mandate: Kommissorium for lovforberende ekspertgruppe om regler på inklusions- og specialundervisningsområdet.

Initiatives to strengthen the effort against antisemitism

In light of a rise in the number of antisemitic incidents, a unanimous Danish Parliament has agreed upon 12 initiatives to strengthen the effort against antisemitism. The 12 initiatives are a supplement to the action plan against antisemitism from January 2022.

The 12 initiatives cover the following four focus areas:

Criminal law provisions;
Online antisemitism;
School and education;
Research and knowledge.

Within the third focus area on school and education, initiatives include:

A public grant to the Jewish Information Centre to disseminate knowledge of their material and activities for primary and lower secondary schools and upper secondary schools throughout Denmark. In addition, the initiative allows for a more permanent instruction in Jewish culture, religion, and history in the synagogue in Copenhagen;
An examination of conflict management in schools following the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023. The examination will result in recommendations, courses, and inspiration for teachers and other professionals managing these types of challenges;
Development of teaching material about antisemitism to teachers at the teacher training programme and the pedagogue training programme. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure that teachers and pedagogues have a sufficient and comprehensive understanding of antisemitism;
Funds for study trips at upper secondary education programmes that include activities focusing on Holocaust. For instance, this could be visits to former concentration camps. As far as possible, the funds are targeted classes at upper secondary schools with many students from families with a low total income and where a certain amount of the students reside in vulnerable residential areas.

Some of the initiatives will be implemented in the second half of 2024, while other initiatives will be implemented in 2025 as these require legislative changes.

For more information (in Danish), please consult the text of agreement: Aftale om en styrket indsats mod antisemitisme.

Political agreement extends special regulations for displaced Ukrainian children and young people

The current special regulations are set to expire in August 2024, but a unanimous Danish Parliament has entered into a political agreement that extends the special regulations for displaced Ukrainian children and young people. The agreement ensures that the municipalities continue to enjoy flexibility so they can adjust the reception of displaced Ukrainian children and young people to local needs.

The agreement entails that all special regulations within the Ministry of Children and Education’s area, except one, are extended to March 2025. The only regulation that discontinues is the opportunity to establish special ECEC and special primary and lower secondary education. At present, displaced Ukrainian children and young people are increasingly enrolling in general ECEC and general primary and lower secondary education. Very few municipalities make use of the opportunity to establish special ECEC and special primary and lower secondary education.

Furthermore, regulation from within the Ministry of Immigration and Integration’s area ensures that Ukrainian children and young people can continue to receive instruction in Ukrainian and attend virtual instruction from Ukraine. In this way, displaced children and young people from Ukraine can maintain a connection to their homeland.

For more information (in Danish), please visit The Ministry of Children and Education's website.

Agreement about the primary and lower secondary school to ensure more local autonomy

Following the government’s green paper on a reform of the primary and lower secondary school from October 2023, the Danish government and four opposition parties have entered into an agreement about the primary and lower secondary school. The purpose of the agreement is to free the public primary and lower secondary school (Folkeskolen) from requirements and regulations and ensure more practical instruction and freedom of choice for the eldest pupils.

The agreement includes a total of 33 initiatives under the following three headlines:

Less national regulation and more local autonomy;
Freedom of choice in relation to subjects and more practical instruction for the eldest pupils;
An inclusive classroom environment, including special needs education and classroom management.

Among the 33 initiatives, the ten most significant include:

DKK 2.6 billion for investments in improved, specialised classrooms and environments that encourage play;
DKK 540 million for investments in books to reduce the use of screens and digital tools in the instruction and strengthen the joy of reading;
A shorter school day for the youngest pupils and an increase in the hours allocated to optional subjects to ensure more practical instruction and freedom to choose for the eldest pupils;
The number of final examinations is reduced from eight to six;
The number of binding objectives for the instruction is reduced to ensure autonomy for the individual teacher when he or she plans the instruction;
DKK 500 million is set aside annually to initiatives supporting the ten per cent of pupils who have the biggest challenges in the subjects Danish and mathematics;
All pupils in form level eight and nine are offered the opportunity to attend a practical-oriented course in a business one or two days a week instead of following ordinary instruction in school these days (junior apprenticeship);
Work experience for five days is made mandatory for all pupils to provide them with insight into their strengths and interests;
Technology comprehension is prioritised in two ways:
- The professional competence ‘technology comprehension’ is integrated in the existing subjects. It aims to provide the pupils with abilities to be critical and constructive towards digitisation and digital tools;
- Technology comprehension is also offered as a new optional subject for the eldest pupils in form level 7-8.

In the autumn of 2024, the Minister for Children and Education will present the draft bills to Parliament regarding the initiatives that require a legislative change. At the earliest, these initiatives will come into force from 2025.

For more information (in Danish), please visit The Ministry of Children and Education.

It is no longer a requirement to assess pupils’ readiness for upper secondary education

A unanimous Danish Parliament has passed an act putting an end to assessments of pupils’ readiness for upper secondary education from the school year 2024/2025. This is in continuation of a task force that in March 2023 recommended that the assessment of pupils’ readiness for upper secondary education be dropped. According to the task force, the assessments do not have the desired effects and can have a negative impact on the pupils’ self-image and well-being.

The termination of the centrally set assessments entails that pupils no longer will be assessed based on their social, personal, and academic prerequisites for starting and completing an upper secondary education programme. Instead, school heads, teachers, and guidance counsellors have local autonomy to organise a guidance process that takes into consideration the individual pupil and his/her needs.

To ensure that pupils continue to receive the teaching and guidance they need to choose, start, and complete an upper secondary education programme, the requirements for the municipal guidance plans are tightened.