The Autumn term lasts from the end of August to the end of December, the Spring term from the beginning of January to the beginning of June. Under certain circumstances however, pupils can be exempt from compulsory teaching. This applies, for example, to pupils belonging to a certain religious community, which is authorised by the Government to arrange instruction in religious studies corresponding to the instructions given in school. There are both larger and smaller schools, the latter mainly in sparsely populated areas, where classes can be made up of pupils from two or three different grades. Upper level schools are normally larger, with 150-600 pupils and two, three or more classes per grade.
Pupils mostly attend the same school all the way through cumpulsory basic school.
There are specially trained teachers for music and, very often, handicraft subjects, pictorial studies and physical education. In addition to class or subject teachers, remedial teachers and pupil welfare staff, e.g. a social welfare officer, psychologist and school nurse, can be attached to a working unit, set up by two classes or more. The alterations to the legislative framework for the school system that have taken effect in recent years have involved fundamental changes in the control and organisation of the schools, as well as in the conditions under which individual schools are able to operate. In December 1993, parliament adopted legislation laying down new curricular guidelines for the whole school system, geared to the new objective and result-related governing system for schools. As further described below, this is an extensive changes in the curriculum, syllabi and time-schedules as well and in the marking system of compulsory school.