In 2011, documentary filmmaker, Bob Compton, and Harvard researcher, Dr. Tony Wagner, researched the Finnish school system and its excellence. The result of their research is the film, "The Finland Phenomenon: Inside the World's Most Surprising School System".
Schools in Finland grant pupils 2-5 holiday days in the autumn. Some families in the Helsinki area take schoolchildren on holidays when the trips abroad are cheaper. Trips during the school year are frowned upon by the Trade Union of Education in Finland (OAJ). This accumulated also discussion in local newspaper.