Every upper secondary school shall publish a school curriculum guide, which shall be divided into a general section on the one hand and a description of study programmes and courses on the other. In addition to taking into account the laws and regulations on upper secondary schools, other laws, regulations and rules shall be taken into account in the preparation of the school curriculum guide, as the material is available and necessary.

The school curriculum is prepared by school staff under the direction of the headmaster and shall be approved by the school board after receiving feedback from a school meeting. It shall be published in an accessible manner on the school website and updated regularly.

Vision, strategy, plans and goals

The school curriculum describes the school’s policy and vision, as well as its unique position or special emphases in its work, for example, with regard to local conditions or services to specific target groups. The school sets goals that are based on its role and policy according to the school curriculum, work plans and improvement plans in accordance with the internal evaluation of its operations. The goals should also take into account the emphases and goals of the Ministry. It is assumed that the goals touch on all the most important aspects of the operation, including students, course offerings, learning, quality of teaching, support services, management, staffing and finances. The school curriculum describes the systematic internal evaluation used to assess the quality of school work, along with annual emphases and plans for internal evaluation.

The school curriculum shall publish the school’s policy on individual issues, such as prevention and healthy lifestyles. Prevention shall work against bullying, violence, smoking, other tobacco use and the use of drugs and contribute to the prevention of suicide and distress. The school’s policy on environmental and equality issues, a reception plan, an anti-bullying plan, an evacuation plan, a disaster plan and responses to disasters, such as epidemics, storms, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, shall also be published.

Framework and organization

The school curriculum covers the framework of school work and the organization of teaching, for example in terms of on-site learning, distributed learning and distance learning. It provides for arrangements for student enrollment according to the school agreement, including the issues that the school takes into special consideration when processing new applications for school placement. It also covers rules on socializing and communication at school, at school-sponsored gatherings and in dormitories.

The school curriculum also publishes procedures that apply to the handling and resolution of issues, for example regarding assessment, absences, illness and special needs, school attendance and academic progress. It also contains information on sanctions for violations of school rules and rules for handling disputes and applying sanctions. It outlines internal and external codes of conduct, communication with custodial parents/guardians of underage students, communication with other schools in Iceland and abroad, and collaboration with parties in the labor market and the local community.

Services

The school curriculum describes the facilities, equipment, and general services provided to students.

School spirit and social activities

The school curriculum outlines the school’s priorities and ways to promote a good school atmosphere, for example with regard to the six basic elements: health and welfare, democracy and human rights, equality, creativity, sustainability and literacy in a broad sense. The school curriculum shall also include information about student social activities organized by the school.

Educational offerings

Each school publishes the program descriptions and course descriptions that are available at any given time.

Annual work plan

One part of the school curriculum is an annual work plan that outlines the school’s operating hours, important dates, and other basic information about the school’s operations. It outlines the school’s staff, school council, school committee, parents’ council, and student council.

 

The Minister appoints the school committee for a four-year term, consisting of five members. Two are nominated by the local government and three are appointed without nomination. Teachers, parents and the student union each nominate the observer. The school committee sets priorities in school work and advises the headmaster on a variety of issues. The headmaster attends school committee meetings. Minutes of meetings shall be made publicly available on the school website.

In upper secondary schools, a teachers’ meeting shall be held at least twice per school year. The headmaster shall call the meeting, present the agenda and chair the meeting or delegate its management to another person. All teachers working at the school have the right to attend a teachers’ meeting. The headmaster shall prepare the issues to be discussed at the teachers’ meeting, but all those entitled to attend may present issues there. The teachers’ meeting shall elect representatives to the school council and observers to the school committee.

In upper secondary schools, a school meeting shall also be held at least once per school year. All school employees, as well as student representatives, have the right to attend a school meeting, as determined by the headmaster. At a school meeting, matters relating to the relevant school are discussed. The minutes of the school meeting shall be presented to the school board.

In every upper secondary school there shall be a student association which shall, among other things, work on social, interest and welfare issues of the students. It shall establish its own laws regarding its field of activity and working methods and shall operate under the responsibility of the school, which shall provide it with working facilities. Schools may financially support the associations and their accounting shall be subject to the same rules as the schools’ accounting. Students shall elect representatives to the school council and nominate representatives to the school meeting and observers to the school committee.

It is important that upper secondary schools work towards structured cooperation between home and school.

Secondary schools serve both adults and minors, and therefore the partnership between home and school changes at the age of 18. Partnership between secondary schools and parents of minor students is an important part of reducing the gap between school levels, providing students with appropriate education and counseling, and strengthening prevention. Minor students are under the custody of their parents or others who have been entrusted with their custody by law, and schools are obliged to inform them about their children’s academic progress as well as issues that may arise regarding their schooling. Permission from adults is required to provide parents with documents related to their studies.

The Parents’ Council shall operate in each school and the custodial parents/guardians of all students at the school shall have the right to membership in it. The Parents’ Council Board shall appoint an observer to the School Committee. The role of the Council is, according to law, to support school work, to consider the interests of students and, in collaboration with the school, to strengthen the collaboration of parents and guardians of minor students with the school.