"The School Inspectorate expects the municipality to continue its efforts to secure staffing," the authority writes in the decision.
The municipal high school Sjöparksskolan, with around 400 students, was performing so poorly that the Swedish School Inspectorate decided to take over the school in February this year. This is called a state corrective measure and has only been carried out once before, in Botkyrka six years ago.
Big problems
The problems at the school have been numerous and recurring: teaching that never took place, students with a high rate of absenteeism, students who have not received special support, and a messy and unsafe environment.
When the Swedish School Inspectorate takes over a school, it means that the authority's appointed advisor on site leads the school's work to address the problems.
The advisors' report after nine months at Sjöparksskolan points to a major and central problem: the difficulty in recruiting teachers and substitute teachers. "The school management has worked intensively to find competent staff, but the problem of filling vacancies with licensed teachers remains," they write.
For this reason, the school has continued to be forced to cancel classes.
Second lowest in the country.
Regarding the neglected work of providing all students in need with special support, the advisors note that the work has been delayed. The reason is again a shortage of personnel such as special teachers and special education teachers.
The proportion of qualified teachers in Gällivare municipality's schools is 46 percent, slightly lower at Sjöparksskolan. The proportion is the second lowest in the country. The national average for municipal schools is 73 percent.
The Swedish School Inspectorate writes in its decision today that even though the situation has improved, the lack of qualified personnel is a continuing problem. "The fact that many teachers are unqualified and need support in their work also contributes to a higher workload for the qualified and licensed teachers at the school," the Swedish School Inspectorate writes.
The authority will follow up on Gällivare Municipality's work in the fall of 2026.
