The organisation of studies of children with special educational needs is based on the principle of inclusive education, based on which the pupils with special educational needs usually study at a regular school of their residence with other pupils of their age. Inclusive education directly arises from the constitutional presumption that every pupil has the right to study in a format which is as similar as possible to the standard organisation of studies at an educational institution of their residence or their preferred educational institution irrespective of their temporary or permanent special needs.
All parents may register their children at the school of their place of residence, which must ensure adjusted teaching and the required support for the child. In the case of very serious problems or complicated diagnoses, however, the child’s needs may be satisfied best at a specialised school. The practice of inclusive education does not rule out the forms of special education, but is focused on the reduction thereof and on constant deliberation of whether it would be possible to use a more inclusive and less differentiating format.
Parents are free to choose which option is more appropriate for their child: regular school or specialised school.
Support measures for pupils with special educational needs
The possibilities for determining a pupil’s special educational needs and providing the required support are created by the owner of the school and organised by the head of the school. If a pupil’s apparent need for support is observed, the parent is notified and the school will organise the pedagogic and psychological assessment of the pupil. The school provides a student who has difficulties in performing the duty to attend school or lags behind in achieving the study outcomes with general support, which involves individual additional instruction, the availability of the services of the support specialists, and the organisation of study assistance lessons individually or in a group. Where the general support provided by the school does not produce the desired results for the development of the student, enhanced support or special support may be applied.
Depending on the individual needs of the student, studies corresponding to the student’s abilities and the required support in cooperation between the teachers, support specialists, assistant teachers, and other specialists are ensured for the student. Where necessary, at least the services of a special education teacher, a speech therapist, a psychologist, and a social educator are ensured for the child at school free of charge. The head of the school must hire the required support specialists to provide the service or organise the availability of the service in another manner. The services are provided at school or, with a parent’s consent, in another location.
Individual curriculum
It is the duty of teachers to monitor the child’s development and coping and to adjust the child’s studies based on their individual needs and abilities, if necessary. The school may change the time, content, process, or environment of studies in the course of teaching a pupil. If the changes or adjustments result in a significant increase or decrease of the weekly workload or intensity of the studies compared to the curriculum of the school or the lowering or replacement of the learning outcomes established by the national curricula, an individual curriculum must be drawn up for the pupil. It may be drawn up for one, several, or all subjects.
The pupil or, in the case of a pupil with restricted active legal capacity, their parent is involved in drawing up the individual curriculum. Lowering or replacement of learning outcomes or exempting a pupil of learning a mandatory subject may only be done upon the recommendation of an external advisory team.
Studies at home
Studies at home are studies organised outside the school premises which are used due to the pupil’s health condition or based on a parent’s application.
Student acquiring basic education may study from home based on a parent’s application. If studies at home are applied for by a parent, the parent must also organise and fund the studies and is responsible for the achievement of the learning outcomes. The teachers’ council of the school will make the decision on using studies at home based on a parent’s application.
Studies at home due to health reasons are used in the case of the pupils with severe functional disorders, diseases, or disabilities or the pupils whose health condition may give rise to the above and in the case of whom the school lacks the possibilities and conditions for organising their studies due to their special needs. Studies at home due to health-related reasons are applied by the school based on a parent’s application and upon the recommendation of the external advisory team. Studies at home due to health-related reasons are organised by the school which the student is registered at.
External advisory team
The need for enhanced support and special support is assessed by an external advisory team which operates at the Rajaleidja centres in all counties. The advisory team’s recommendations are based on the outcomes of the pedagogic and psychological assessment and examinations conducted by specialists and on any other relevant information which is known about the child.
The external advisory team may issue the following recommendations for supporting the child’s development and organising their studies and education:
- application of enhanced or special support, incl. organising studies, forming a learning environment which takes into consideration the pupil’s special needs, and the provision of the service of support specialists;
- lowering and replacement of the learning outcomes prescribed by the national curriculum;
- exemption from studying mandatory subjects;
- application of studies for students with mild learning difficulties, students with moderate learning difficulties and students with severe and profound learning difficulties;
- applying studies at home due to the pupil’s health conditions;
- on the child’s preparedness for school and postponing of the performance of duty to attend school;
- using part-time studies in the case of a pupil who has not passed the minimum school-leaving age;
- application of the conditions required for the development of a child with special educational needs at a pre-school child care institution and for the admission of the child to an integration or specialised group.
Once a parent has given their consent to the application of the recommendations of the external advisory team, the school will be required to follow the recommendations. Information about the county advisory centres can be found from the website of Rajaleidja. The website of the Education and Youth Board includes information about inclusive education.
Further information about taking special educational needs into consideration and about support services is available on the website of the Ministry of Education and Research and information can also be found from the education portal.