Shortly before the Swedish Schools Inspectorate was to visit Yrkesgymnasiet in Gothenburg, the school's staff were called to a meeting. A senior manager within the Thoren Group had come to the school to go through what the Swedish Schools Inspectorate was expected to investigate. At the meeting, the teachers also got to practice answering questions that the management suspected would come up during the inspection.
SVT has been in contact with several of the teachers who attended the meeting. One of them is history teacher Robin Johansson, who currently works at another school.
Wrapped directives
"It was like, 'If I'm the Schools Inspectorate and I ask this question, what are you going to answer?' But it was to get the 'right' answer," he says.
Did the school want you to lie?
"They were wise enough not to put it that way.
According to information provided to SVT, the Group also has a manual that contains information on how staff should act when they are audited by the Swedish Schools Inspectorate.
SVT's review shows that the Swedish Schools Inspectorate has found serious deficiencies at many of the Group's schools. If the shortcomings are actually worse than what the Swedish Schools Inspectorate has been able to discover, the Thoren Group does not want to answer in a taped interview, but they will send a written answer (see fact box). In SVT's Morgonstudion, CEO Ola Rönnqvist states that they are now working to solve the shortcomings that have emerged.
Skolinspektionen: "Distressing"
The Swedish Schools Inspectorate already has information that teachers are instructed, but has not been able to do anything about it, says regional manager Agneta Broberg.
"This is distressing and very serious.
But how can they run the school?
"We have a regulatory framework that sets the requirements. We have found it difficult to prove this type of information," says Agneta Broberg.
Robin Johansson believes that the Swedish Schools Inspectorate needs to change its way of working and wants, among other things, more unannounced visits.
"There are so many ways to hide the shortcomings that exist.
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