Professional Development Agenda

Special needs in partners countries

The Portuguese School System and Special Educational Needs

Joăo Proença and Teodolinda (Linda) Silveira gave a presentation to the group on the Portuguese School System and special edicational needs provision (a copy of the presentation may be found as a Powerpoint file on the project web site).

The Portuguese system was compulsory from ages 6 to 15 and included 180 days schooling per year. There were some 25-27 lessons per week following national curriculum guidelines. Schooling was for all and there was an inclusive policy within Portugal .

Special needs provision was enshrined within the 1994 Salamanca Declaration and provided for inclusive education for pupils with disabilities, learning difficulties and Portuguese as a second language.

Overall, some 7% of pupils received special instruction, 0.2% are educated in special classes with 0.3% of students in special schools. The Portuguese government was now looking at changes to the current (expensive) special needs provisions. Government was seeking input and consultation from each county area on full integration, the advantages and disadvantages of this policy etc.

Steve Frampton thanked Joăo and Linda for their excellent input to the meeting and invited each partner to describe special needs provisions within their own countries.

 Special needs in Portugal

In Portugal the state is responsible for: General policy; Educational law; National Curriculum guidelines (2001); Publication of educational materials; Nationally coordinated examination; Assessment of schools; Teacher education and in-service training and School development funding

About compulsory education: The latest major change in the act, 1986. After that the students have: 9 years of schooling, 6-15 years, 180 school days each year, 25-27 lessons a week.

The role of compulsory school is to co-operate with the home in preparing pupils for life and work in a democratic society that is continuously changing.

School practice and methods shall thus be characterized by tolerance and democratic co-operation and one of the National Curriculum guidelines it’s a school for all. So, since 1994 pupils with disabilities, pupils with learning difficulties, pupils whose 1st language are not Portuguese language, attend the same school as other pupils

About numbers: In Portugal, approximately 7% of pupils in compulsory school receive special instruction for longer of shorter period, approximately 0,2% are in special classes on an individual education plan and approximately 0,3% are in special schools.

Practice in our School (Charneca)

Pupils with disabilities: blindness, autism and dawn syndrome and cerebral palsy,
are in special classes (with only 20 pupils) and have an individual special plan. They have also a specialised support teacher (in the class or in SL/RC). In some cases it’s possible co-operation between mother school and a special school, where some vocational training is possible

Pupils with learning difficulties: They integrate a class, in the regular school, with a specific curriculum and a different organisation of the class teachers. The aim it’s promoting basic skills and develops practical training connected with vocational centre or professional world. This kink of classes gives a strategic importance to the curriculum integration of ICT in the SL/RC.

The children who come to Ethnical minorities (African people, Brazilian, Bulgarian and Ukrainian): integrate a normal class in the school and at the same time they learn Portuguese as a 2nd language. And ICT in the SL/RC is, also, an important tool in the developing of the Portuguese language.

The adults from Ethnical minorities (African people, Brazilian, Bulgarian and Ukrainian): our school have a partner ship between school, teacher training centre, local power, church and we promote evening classes in the school. The aims are: built basic skills in Portuguese language and Certificate other skills.

We think that School Library and Resource Centre are the best strategy in this learning process to promote the use of the ICT, the acquisition of reading habits, information skills for well-succeeded long life learning.

Special needs in UK

  Hilary Small said that the UK operated a very complicated system. There was a mix of special schools and integrated provision and the extent of the mix varied from one county or educational authority to another. There was some residential provision for severe difficulties. Integration was high on the political and educational agenda in the UK .

Within the Gosport and Fareham area there were 2 special schools including provisions for students with moderate learning difficulties. Integration was good for social reasons but the pattern was very varied. There were advantages and disadvantages with the current system.

Special Needs Education

The picture in the UK is mixed at all levels. Provision exists in the following forms:

·         a mix of public and private provision. Private provision tends to be voluntary, or run on a charitable basis, and can also be specific to certain types of learning need – eg autism.

·         A mix of daytime only and residential provision

·         A mix of integrated/discrete provision. Within our local (Hampshire) context some children are integrated into mainstream schools from Nursery to post-16. Some Special Schools exist for students with moderate and severe learning difficulties. Some schools have special Units attached to them (eg for hearing impaired children).

·         Local Authorities will tend to designate particular schools for students with physical disabilities: for example, one of our local secondary schools is designated for South Hampshire.

At St Vincent College we have a Learning Support Unit which offers:

·         Discrete courses for students (both 16-19 and adults) with moderate and severs learning difficulties: students can and do progress from these courses to mainstream provision.

·         Learning support to all students in the College – eg those with dyslexic learning styles at all ability levels.

Our Learning Support Unit Director, Sian Heath, is looking forward very much to meeting all GrandSLAM colleagues at the conference in Denmark in October.

Steve Frampton observed that, in the UK , schools had a financial disincentive to remove pupils with behavioural problems with a high cost in transfer to special referral units.

Special needs in Denmark

Gert Larsen reported a variety of provisions and submitted a paper on Special Needs provisions in Denmark . Albertslund was now following a political agenda of budget reductions and this was translating into reduced special provisions with increasing integration into schools at lower costs. It was important to ensure that both schools and teachers could cope with the increasing integration. There was a special behavioural unit, mostly populated by boys.

Identification of children with special educational needs

In Denmark , many attempts have been made to define special education. This is a difficult task, because the understanding of special education varies over counties and because this may lead to mixing content, structure and philosophy which has a blurring effect upon the distinctions. In recent years, efforts have been made to define the concept on the basis of the objective of a school for all.

Special education constitutes the potential of the school to support pupils whose needs are not fully satisfied in the mainstream education process. However, special education is not supposed to be an alternative, which exempts the pupils from the general provision. The goals of education apply to all pupils, but pupils can follow different tracks to get as close to these goals as possible.

Special education and other special-pedagogical assistance is given to pupils, whose development requires special consideration or support, which cannot be given within the framework of mainstream education. These measures of special education must be initiated as early as possible, as soon as it is obvious that a child's normal development is at stake.

Assessment
If it is presumed that if a pupil needs special education, or if the pupil's schooling causes concern in other respects, the pupil can be recommended for a pedagogical-psychological assessment. The class teacher makes this recommendation, or the school health service, but the parents and the head of the school can also ask for an assessment. After consulting the parents, the head of the school sends the recommendation to the Pedagogical-Psychological Advice Office.

This office assesses whether the pupil has a need for special education or other special-pedagogical assistance. The office may discuss the pupil's situation with teachers or others who forwarded the recommendation and uses the information to make proposals concerning arrangements that are considered appropriate. When the Pedagogical-Psychological Advice Office assesses a special need, a report is written. The parents must be informed about the content of the report. A recommendation for special needs education is given after consultation with the parents. The decision to start with special education, or other special-pedagogical assistance is made by the school head. Only with strong arguments, the office or the school head can overrule the parents when they do not agree with the need for special education for their child.

The Pedagogical-Psychological Advice Office monitors the development of pupils who are referred to special education. At least once a year, the office decides to continue, alter or stop the special education.

Organisation of special education services

Special education can be arranged in different ways:
1. the pupil remains in a mainstream school class
a) and receives special education in one or more subjects as a supplement to the general teaching
b) and receives special education that substitutes the pupil's participation in
the normal education in one or more subjects.

2. the pupil's membership of a mainstream school class stops; the entire
education is given in a special class either within a mainstream school or within a special school

3. the pupil is a member of either a mainstream school class or a special class, but receives education in both types of classes.

Special classes exist for pupils with intellectual disabilities, dyslexia, visual handicap, hearing problems and for pupils with a physical handicap.

Number of pupils with special educational needs

In Denmark , approximately 80,000 or 12 -13% of the total number of pupils in primary and lower secondary education, receive special instruction for shorter or longer periods of a school year (1998/99). Of these, 10,000 pupils are educated in separate settings, 6,000 attend special classes in mainstream schools, while 4,000 pupils attend special schools. The percentage of pupils in segregated provision is about 1.7%: approximately 0.7% in special schools and 1% in special classes in mainstream schools.

The 'raw' numbers are (1998/99): number of pupils in 'Folkeskole' 640,000 number of pupils in special classes/schools 10,300.

Rights of children with special educational needs

Special education and other special educational assistance shall be given to children whose development requires special consideration or support. The Minister of Education shall lay down regulations to this effect.
According to rules laid down by the Minister of Education, special educational assistance shall be offered to children who have not yet started school.
Pupils, whose development requires extensive consideration or support, may be offered 11 years of instruction in addition to the pre school class.

Non-Danish-speaking pupils may be offered specially organised Danish language instruction, when the need arises. The Minister of Education may furthermore resolve that non-Danish-speaking pupils shall be offered instruction in their mother tongue. The Minister of Education shall lay down detailed rules regarding the teaching of non-Danish-speaking pupils.

The municipal council shall be responsible for the establishment of pre-school classes and for the educational provision in the basic school and the 10th form. That include special education and other special educational assistance for children and young people under 18 years of age, who live or have their residence in the municipality, and whose parents wish them to be enrolled in the Folkeskole. The municipal council shall furthermore be responsible for the provision of special educational assistance to children who have not yet started school.

Outside of the municipalities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg , it shall however be the responsibility of the county council to see to the special educational provision for children and youth under 18 years of age, who live or have their residence in the county, and whose development calls for special, extensive consideration or support. The county council shall also be responsible for the provision of special educational assistance to children who have not yet started school.

Routes to integration

The comprehensive concept enables pupils to remain in the same group with the same classmates from the 1st to the 9th form, sharing the same experiences with peers from different backgrounds and covering the whole range of abilities. A fundamental principle of Danish educational policy is that everyone should have the same access to education and training that is basically free of charge from the time a child is five or six years old. All pupils are entitled to instruction that is adapted to their situation, the possibilities and the needs of the individual pupils.

The purpose of special education and other special-pedagogic assistance is to encourage the development of pupils with special educational needs in accordance with the guidelines, which are stated in the Provision of Purpose in the Act of the 'Folkeskole'. It must be ensured that pupils leave school with a basis for further education or employment.

The Danish government sets up the act, the rules, the goals, and the frames for education. The local school authorities are responsible for the education of all pupils. The responsibility for the expenses for special education and other special educational assistance lies with the local council (the municipality), except for the expenses for pupils with extensive needs or support (8,800) or approximately 1.3% in 1998/99). The expenses for these pupils must be paid by the county council, except for a certain rate-amount that must be paid by the pupils local council.

Specialist teacher training

The teacher training college has to provide a course for all future teachers in special education. The course is optional for the students. The aim is that trainees acquire specialist knowledge in relation to special needs education and other pedagogic subjects related to meeting pupils' needs and preventing and remedying difficulties arising from those needs. The duration of this course is 40 hours.

Supplementary training in special needs education is not compulsory. Official further training is delivered by the Royal Danish School of Educational Studies up to Masters degree level. The Ministry of Education, local and county teaching support centres, pedagogic-psychological services and resource centres also provide several courses for teachers and other professional on different topics concerning special needs education.

Professional experience is not required for short-courses. Two years of professional experience is required for diploma studies and five years for Masters level studies.

Special needs in Lithuania

•         There is an integrated youth collective “Humdingers” in Alytus Youth center. There are 17 young people with complex disability (4 girls and 13 boys) aged up to 38. These people get different services of occupation and training. They are taught to do the housework, to knit, to sew, they do handicraft work, graphic arts (weaving, pottery, art, woodwork), music (singing and playing musical instruments), drama (acting), and computers. All their works are displayed in Poland , and in Lithuanian towns (Druskininkai, Vilnius ) in International exhibitions. Certificates were given for that.

•         This collective performed in Ryga ( Latvia ), gave concerts for Alytus society, also in Druskininkai, Marijampole and other. It is also a participant in the international project “From one river bank to another one” in Paris .

•         The situation was different before Lithuania became independent. Disabled people were not integrated into society as they are now. We started to collaborate with disabled from Denmark , exchange our experience; we want to help disabled feel equal.

•         We constantly organize meetings for disabled, their parents, and teachers in order to find out what they want, what it would be interesting for them to do. This helps us to plan new activities and improve existing ones. As it was mentioned earlier there are such activities as art, pottery, weaving, toy sewing, music, Lego construction.

•         Once a year we organize exhibition of their works. These students also get moral education. They all are very polite and helpful. And the most important thing they enjoy coming to our center.

The session was adjourned at 12.15 for transfer to the Hardanger region and Hotel Ullansvang at Lofthus.

Informal discussions about special educational needs and national provisions etc. continued during the journey to Hardanger Fjord.

Special needs in Czech Republic

Vlasta Fiala noted that the Ministry of Education in the Czech Republic saw that integration was normal in all countries of the EU but said that this was not supported by parents or teachers.

There was a need for teachers to be properly resourced to provide fully integrated education with adequate and appropriate training for teachers.

Training and education of children and juvenile with physical and healthy handicap in the Czech Republic

Early care:

Special professional clinics that are established mostly by hospitals take care of children with mobile disorder since their birth or since the time when the problem has been found. These offices provide neurological and psychological examination and other examination according to the child’s need.

Pedagogic rehabilitation is provided after the child gets to the care of a special pedagogic centre for handicapped people founded mostly by special kindergarten schools. Usually it is at the age of three. Handicapped children can attend a rehabilitative stationary – they normally provide the care of children at the age from 1 to 3 years and co-operate with schools till the age of 6 – 7 years before the child starts to attend school. The handicapped child is provided a complex care according to given long-term individual programme.

Pre-school age:

The handicapped child at the pre-school age (3 – 6 years) is under the care of special pedagogic centre (SPC) for handicapped people (HP).

The activity of SPC for HP at the pre-school age is defined for children with physical, healthy and combined handicap at the pre-school age, for their parents if the child doesn’t attend pre-school facility and for teachers of common kindergarten schools if they have in their schools the integrated child with a handicap written above. The care is especially concentrated on the development of light motoric and graphomotoric skills, as well as the development of communicative skills.

School age:

According to valid Ministry of Education legislation in the Czech Republic the handicapped pupils can attend compulsory education at a common primary school, at a special school for HP or in a special classroom of primary school. If the handicap is combined (physical + mental), the pupils are taught according to educational programme for relevant stage of mental retardation.

Instruction for ”Regulation of Educational Programmes of Special Schools for HP” valid since 1.9.1998 enables to add another subject – understanding skills – to educational programmes at special schools for HP. This subject should extend teaching of mother tongue on the first grade and on the second grade it should be aimed at mastering scientific subjects.

Professional preparation:

The situation in the pre-professional and professional preparation for HP has changed in our country recently and it is beneficial for HP. There is an extended possibility of upbringing and education not only in contemporary schools but there are many new schools – public, private and charitable. New ways of upbringing and education of HP are promoted gradually, especially by establishment of integrated schools and facilities and by the possibility of attending common types of schools and professional educational establishments, which is ensured also legislatively.

Training and education of mental handicapped individuals (MHI)

Education of MHI is provided in the system of special schools, on the basis of schools with educational programme of ”special” and ”remedial” schools.

”Special school is for pupils with such intellectual imperfection that do not allow them to study successfully either at primary school or at special primary school.” (The Law about the System of Primary Schools, Secondary Schools and Higher Professional Schools – the School Law).

”Remedial school brings up and educates pupils who can be educated with difficulties and with such intellectual imperfection that do not allow them to study either at special school but they are able to acquire at least some educational elements. The content of training and educational activity is concentrated on raising of self-service and personal hygiene habits and on developing of adequate knowledge and working skills with things of daily need. (The Law 29/1984 the Code about the System of Primary and Secondary Schools, in terms of later rules, especially of the amendment act 258/1996 the Code, §33, item 1).

The offer of educational possibilities has been extended together with the establishment of preparatory grade of remedial schools which is determined for children with hard mental handicap or combined handicap who are not able to start compulsory school attendance at remedial school but there is some hypothesis of their intellectual development.

However, some children are not able to start compulsory education according to educational programme of remedial schools even after the preparatory grade. For these children there have been experimentally established ”rehabilitative classrooms” since September 1998 which enables the right of education to children with a hard deep mental handicap.

There have been established legislative conditions for establishment of remedial school classrooms in the special school and in homes with special care of MHI.

There has been realised an educational programme for autistic children and children with autistic features in special classrooms of remedial schools since 1993/1994. For the individuals who are able to attend higher education there is a possibility to acquire many skills necessary for performing of helping works in the one-year to three-year practical schools.

The latest integrative trend in the area of MHI education is experimental verifying of children with mental handicap education in primary schools of common type with the educational programme of special school.

Education of MHI has been extended even into the adult age. The graduates from special and remedial schools can revise their knowledge and skills acquired in special schools in evening schools for MHI.

Special pedagogic centres (SPC) in special schools for MHI ensure complex bases for the decision about joining a child or pupil to special school or to common primary school, provide depistage in given region, ensure complex special-pedagogical, psychological and social diagnosis, provide counselling and methodological activity in the area of psychopedical problems, provide help in questions of professional orientation of MHI, offer possibilities of higher education of pedagogic workers.

Visual, auditory and speech handicap

The pupils are educated in the special schools or in special classrooms of common schools or they are integrated directly into common classrooms with healthy pupils.

Today these handicaps are not classified according to its kind but according to its grade:

-          light handicap

-          middle handicap

-          hard handicap.

These children are all educated together.

Special needs in Spain

This is a moment of transition in our educational system, bearing in mind we are moving from the LOGSE (the law that organised the whole system till now) to the LOCE, the new law of the educational system, originally born to improve the quality of education in our country (it is commonly known as “ley de calidad”, “quality law”) and correct the mistakes observed in the previous law of education. We still don’t know to what extent this new law will contribute to reach the desirable results it was designed for, though the treatment of Special Educational Needs and attention to diversity seems to be about to go through important changes. Anyway, the law is now being completed with different decrees, so that makes it really difficult to give a whole and accurate picture of the panorama.

 In general terms, we can say that this new law limits rather considerably the number of possible measures to help pupils with SEN and in some ways it stays further away from the previous spirit of integration.

 In the next table we will try to show the main differences between both laws, as far as SEN is concerned. All these measures are referred to Compulsory Secondary Education, since in Primary School only educational support and curricular adaptations are provided.