Case study

Andra Linjen: a new bilingual school built on the Larus Academia model

Larus Oy is founding Andra Linjen in Helsinki, Finland's first genuinely bilingual Finnish-Swedish school from pre-primary to grade 6. The school is built on the Larus Academia model: pedagogy, leadership, finances and licensing are planned as one whole before the first pupil starts.

Project
Andra Linjen
Opening
August 2028
Scope
Pre-primary and grades 1–6
Larus's role
Founder and developer
Background and need

A bilingual country without a single genuinely bilingual school

Finland is officially bilingual, yet families must still choose either a Finnish or a Swedish school for their child. Swedish-language schools enrol clearly more pupils than there are children registered as Swedish speakers, so demand exceeds supply.

Andra Linjen removes that choice. Finnish and Swedish are equal languages of instruction every day, and both are taught at mother-tongue level. Bilingualism is not just a language skill but a resource that builds understanding and Nordic cooperation.

The concept draws on the experience of bilingual and Swedish-language private kindergartens and on Finnish private education. Teaching combines bilingualism, phenomenon-based learning and entrepreneurship education.

Larus is responsible for founding the school as a whole, from concept and curriculum to finances, governance, licensing negotiations and funding.

We warmly recommend working with Larus in planning and delivering high-quality school projects. The collaboration combines strong professional skill, broad expertise and a genuine understanding of the client. With Larus, projects move forward in confidence, with clear goals and attention to practical needs, without compromising on quality or workable solutions.
Heidi Ruhala Ankdammen
The Larus Academia model

A new school built on the same principles as a school in transformation

The Larus Academia School Transformation Model starts from one idea: a school exists so that children learn well and teachers can do their best. In an existing school the model's three pillars are built through change. At Andra Linjen they are part of the foundations from day one.

01

Leadership model and shared leadership

Decisions belong to three levels: strategic, pedagogical and operational. A foundation-owned, non-profit structure and clear responsibilities make the school stable and independent of any single person.

02

Pedagogical development and teacher training

The bilingual, phenomenon-based pedagogy is designed with experienced educators. Staff are recruited and trained in the model before opening, and the bilingual model is developed through research cooperation.

03

School community development

A small, safe community where every child is seen. Families, teachers and partners are part of school life from the start.

The Larus Academia School as a Service pathway runs in three phases:

Phase 1

Feasibility study

Need, pedagogical concept and financial model. At Andra Linjen this phase is complete.

Phase 2

Founding the school

Licensing, curriculum, recruitment and funding. In progress, opening in August 2028.

Phase 3

Development and operation

Leadership support, teacher training and annual follow-up after the school opens.

Workstreams

Founding workstreams

  1. 01Pedagogical concept and vision2026
  2. 02Curriculum, lesson allocation and staffing2026
  3. 03Financial model and cost calculation2026
  4. 04Governance and ownership structure2026
  5. 05Licensing negotiations and education licence2026–2027
  6. 06Funding from foundations and investors2026–2027
  7. 07Bilingual teaching model in research cooperation2026–2028
01
Concept
2026

Pedagogical concept and vision

The Larus Academia vision and pedagogical concept describe a continuous learning path from two-year pre-primary to grade 6, where Finnish and Swedish meet naturally every day.

The cornerstones are mother-tongue level skills in both languages, phenomenon-based learning, entrepreneurship education and classes of about 20 pupils.

Vision FI and SV Bilingual pedagogy Phenomenon-based learning Entrepreneurship education
02
Curriculum
2026

Curriculum, lesson allocation and staffing

Larus built a lesson allocation that matches the national distribution of lesson hours for basic education. Finnish and Swedish language and literature receive equal time, and English starts in grade 5.

Teacher needs were calculated from the allocation. At full capacity the school employs about nine full-time equivalents.

139 annual weekly lessons Mother tongue FI 22 / SV 22 c. 9 FTE National core curriculum
03
Finance
2026

Financial model and cost calculation

Larus prepared a five-year cost calculation covering founding and equipment costs, staff costs, municipal per-pupil funding and fees for early childhood education and after-school activities.

The model shows when the school becomes self-sustaining: staff costs fall as a share of income as the school grows, and at full capacity it runs without external capital.

5-year calculation Phased budget Self-sustaining 2031–2032
04
Governance
2026

Governance and ownership structure

Larus compared three structures: a foundation-owned limited company, a limited company with A and B shares, and a model based on a supporting association.

The preferred model is majority ownership by a foundation. The foundation steers the school long-term without a profit motive, and investors can be represented on its board.

Foundation model Non-profit Structure comparison
05
Licensing
2026–2027

Licensing negotiations and education licence

Larus prepared the negotiation material for the City of Helsinki Education Division. The negotiations sought the city's supporting statement, a shared view on the principles of municipal per-pupil funding, and support for the Government's handling of the licence to provide basic education.

The same concept has also been used in negotiations with the City of Turku.

City of Helsinki Education licence Per-pupil funding Turku
06
Funding
2026–2027

Funding from foundations and investors

Larus put together the school's funding plan and materials for investors and foundations. Funding for the founding years has been sought from foundations that support adult education, education and culture. Negotiations on phased funding are ongoing.

Funding plan Foundation funding Phased funding
07
Research
2026–2028

Bilingual teaching model in research cooperation

The school's model for teaching bilingualism is being developed with the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki. The goals are research articles and a bilingual curriculum for two-year pre-primary and early childhood education. Funding has been sought from the Alfred Kordelin Foundation.

The model can also be used for other language pairs, for example to support immigrant-background pupils in developing their own mother tongue alongside Finnish.

University of Helsinki Alfred Kordelin Foundation Bilingual curriculum Transferable model
What we learned

What a new school founder gets from Larus

One whole

Pedagogy, finances, governance and licensing are planned together, so the solutions support each other instead of competing.

Phased risk

The school grows one grade at a time, and premises, staff and funding are sized to actual pupil numbers.

Pedagogy first

Premises, technology and finances are designed to support teaching, not the other way round.

Larus Academia · School as a Service
Planning a new school?
Get in touch