Curriculum, subjects, number of hours
Curriculum
The Folkeskole Act gives the Minister of Children and Education the authority to establish the regulations and aims regarding the education and final objectives in subjects and compulsory topics. Moreover, the Minister determines the regulations and objectives for specific form levels for the specific subjects and topics.
The curriculum describes the development in the education that is organised for the purpose of achieving the objectives of the subjects and topics. The Ministry of Children and Education issues curriculum guidelines. The municipal council accredits the curriculum after which it becomes binding for the individual schools.
Compulsory subjects
According to the Folkeskole Act, education in the 1st to 9th form is given within three subject areas: humanistic subjects, practical/musical subjects, and science. This includes the following compulsory subjects for all pupils:
Humanistic subjects:
- Danish in all form levels;
- English in the 1st to 9th form;
- Religion in all form levels, except the form in which preparation for confirmation takes place;
- History in the 3rd to 9th form;
- German or French in the 5th to 9th form;
- Social studies in the 8th and 9th form.
Practical/musical subjects:
- Physical education in all form levels;
- Music in the 1st to 6th form;
- Visual arts in the 1st to 6th form;
- Design, wood and metalwork in the 3rd to 6th form;
- Home economics in the 5th and 6th form.
Science:
- Mathematics in all form levels;
- Natural sciences/technology in the 1st to 6th form;
- Geography in the 7th to 9th form;
- Biology in the 7th to 9th form;
- Physics/chemistry in the 7th to 9th form.
In addition, road safety, health and sexual education, and education and job are three compulsory topics in primary and lower secondary education. There is no specific number of hours ascribed to these topics. The topics are part of the education in preschool and in the compulsory subjects in the 1st to 9th form. It is the responsibility of the headmaster to decide, within which subjects the education in the compulsory topics should take place.
Information technology and media, linguistic development, and innovation and entrepreneurship are three cross-disciplinary themes included in the curricula for the compulsory subjects.
Optional subjects
Furthermore, it is mandatory for the schools to offer optional subjects up to an extent equalling 120 lessons a year. The schools are obliged to offer the subject Design, wood and metalwork (håndværk og design) and may offer Visual arts, Music and Home economics to pupils in the 7th and 8th form.
Pupils in the 7th to 9th form must choose at least one optional subject. Optional subjects include: German, French, Spanish, Visual arts, Media, Film, Drama, Music, Design, wood and metalwork, Home economics, Labour market knowledge and Common immigrant language for pupils with sufficient prior knowledge about the relevant language. In addition, the municipalities are allowed to establish and offer their own optional subjects.
Assisted learning
Instruction in the public school’s subjects and mandatory topics is supplemented by assisted learning. Assisted learning activities are aimed at testing, practising and developing the pupils’ skills and professional competences as well as developing the pupils’ receptiveness to teaching by working with them on their social competences, individual development, motivation and well-being.
Instruction time
The Folkeskole Act stipulates the minimum hours of instruction for the total education in the subjects at each form level. Furthermore, there are mandatory minimum hours of instruction in the subjects Danish, Mathematics and History. There are guiding hours of instruction for the remaining subjects at each form level recommended by the Ministry of Children and Education.
The schools are obliged to provide the annual minimum instruction time for each form level. When planning the instruction time, the schools should take into account that the instruction lives up to the final objectives.
There is no regulation regarding specific objectives or a fixed number of hours for assisted learning. Assisted learning constitutes the part of the total instruction time that remains when the school has allocated time for breaks and education in compulsory subjects and topics. The individual municipality decides the allocation of time. Normally, an hour is set aside each week for free class discussions, which is included in assisted learning.
The Ministry of Children and Education provides an overview of the mandatory minimum and guiding hours of instruction for each form level and subjects for every school year. Below is the overview of the mandatory minimum and guiding hours of instruction for the school year 2021/2022:
| Form |
Preschool |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
Total |
||||||||||
| Compulsory subjects | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Danish |
330 |
330 |
240 |
210 |
210 |
210 |
210 |
210 |
210 |
2,160 |
|||||||||||
| English |
30 |
30 |
60 |
60 |
90 |
90 |
90 |
90 |
90 |
630 |
|||||||||||
| German/French |
60 |
60 |
90 |
90 |
90 |
390 |
|||||||||||||||
| History |
|
30 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
390 |
||||||||||||
| Religion |
60 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
60 |
30 |
30 |
300 |
||||||||||||
| Social studies |
|
60 |
60 |
120 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Mathematics |
150 |
150 |
150 |
150 |
150 |
150 |
150 |
150 |
150 |
1,350 |
|||||||||||
| Natural sciences/technology |
30 |
60 |
60 |
90 |
60 |
60 |
|
|
|
360 |
|||||||||||
| Geography |
60 |
30 |
30 |
120 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Biology |
60 |
60 |
30 |
150 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Physics/chemistry |
60 |
60 |
90 |
210 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Physical education |
60 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
540 |
|||||||||||
| Music |
60 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
30 |
|
|
|
330 |
|||||||||||
| Visual arts |
30 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
30 |
30 |
|
|
|
270 |
|||||||||||
| Design, wood and metalwork and home economics |
120 |
120 |
60 |
|
|
300 |
|||||||||||||||
| Design, wood and metalwork |
60 |
90 |
|
|
|
|
|
150 |
|||||||||||||
| Optional subjects | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Optional subject (compulsory practical/musical for the 7th and 8th form) |
60 |
60 |
60 |
180 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Annual hours of instruction in subjects (minimum) |
600 |
750 |
780 |
810 |
870 |
930 |
930 |
990 |
960 |
960 |
8,580 |
||||||||||
| Assisted learning and break time |
510 |
360 |
330 |
300 |
450 |
390 |
390 |
410 |
440 |
440 |
4,020 |
||||||||||
| Total annual instruction time (minimum) |
1,110 |
1,110 |
1,110 |
1,110 |
1,320 |
1,320 |
1,320 |
1,400 |
1,400 |
1,400 |
12,600 |
||||||||||
Teaching methods and materials
The organisation of education, including the choice of teaching methods, educational services and material, must in all subjects meet the purpose of the public school and the objectives of the subjects and topics. In addition, it must vary so it corresponds to the individual pupil’s needs and qualifications. Setting of teaching methods and selection of material must, as far as possible, take place in collaboration between teachers and students.
According to the Folkeskole Act, the necessary teaching means must be at the pupils’ disposal cost-free. At each school, a pedagogical learning centre is established, which cooperates with the public library. The pedagogical learning centre creates an overview of and guides the teachers in the selection and use of available analogous and digital educational services. The pedagogical learning centre also provides educational services for the pupils, including books for their independent reading.
There is no regulation in regard to the amount of homework. The schools are obliged to provide homework assistance and in-depth study and the pupils are obliged to participate. There is no fixed number of hours allocated to homework assistance and in-depth study and it can be placed flexibly during the school day.
References
Bibliography
Ministry of Children and Education, 2022: Assisted learning (Undersøttende undervisning). [Accessed 20 May 2022]
Ministry of Children and Education, 2022: The Folkeskole's pedagogical learning centre (Folkeskolens pædagogiske læringscenter). [Accessed 18 May 2022]
Ministry of Children and Education, 2018: Subjects and Curriculum. [Accessed 18 May 2022]
Ministry of Children and Education, 2022: Hours of instruction (Timetal). [Accessed 18 May 2022]
Ministry of Children and Education, 2021: Optional subjects (Valgfag). [Accessed 18 May 2022]
Legislation and official policy documents
Legal Information (Retsinformation), 2024: The Folkeskole Act (Bekendtgørelse af lov om folkeskolen), LBK no. 989 of 27/08/2024. [Accessed 20 September 2024]