an overview of european trends in special needs education verity donnelly european agency for...
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AN OVERVIEW OF EUROPEAN TRENDS IN
SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION
Verity Donnelly
European Agency for Development in Special Educational Needs
The Agency● Established in 1996● Main secretariat in Odense, Denmark and European
Liaison office in Brussels, Belgium● Financed by member countries’ Ministries of
Education and the European Commission (Jean Monnet Lifelong Learning Programme)
• Member countries’ platform for collaboration between professionals and decision-makers at national and European levels, on policies and practices of special needs education
• Networks in 28 European countries
Activities● Collection, analysis and dissemination of
information on priority themes● Participation and organisation of conferences,
seminars and political events● Liaison with the European institutions and
international organisations – UNESCO and its institutes (IBE, IITE), OECD Eurostat, Eurydice, Cedefop
Agency thematic reports, databases and newsletters can be downloaded in up to 22 member languages from: www.european-agency.org
International Policy Context
At all times, the Agency works to guiding principles as outlined in:
● Council Resolutions concerning inclusion of children and young people with disabilities into mainstream systems of education
● UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action in Special Needs Education (1994)
● UN Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities (2006)– Article 24 in particular
Developments towards inclusion
- A wider range of more flexible provision, heterogeneous groupings and personalised education- Early intervention and support for a continuum of learner needs - Greater staff collaboration – in schools and communities - and between agencies- Greater attention to school leadership- Teacher education for inclusion – ITE, CPD - Developing the role of special schools to resource centres - Creative funding models
Challenges presented - Accountability - academic vs wider achievement- Terminology – common understanding of key concepts- Identification of additional needs and criteria for
allocation of support without labelling- Engaging older learners and reducing school
drop out rates- Preparing all teachers for inclusive education
and maintaining specialisms- Developing the role of special schools/settings - over 2% of pupils educated in separate settings (schools and classes) across Europe
Percentage of pupils in the compulsory school sector recognised as having SEN in 2010 (in all educational settings)
< 2.0% 2.01% - 4.0% 4.01% - 6.0% 6.01% - 10.0% > 10%
Sweden Austria
France
Greece
Luxembourg
Poland
Portugal
Spain
UK (England)
UK (Wales)
Italy *
Belgium (Fr)
Cyprus
Denmark
Germany
Hungary
Ireland
Latvia
Malta
Netherlands
Switzerland
UK (N.I.)
Belgium (Fl)
Czech rep.
Estonia
Finland
Norway
Slovenia
UK (Scotland)
Iceland
Lithuania
Percentage of pupils with SEN in segregated settings
Up to 1.0% 1.01 %- 2.0% 2.01%- 4.0% 4.01% and above
Cyprus
Luxembourg
Malta
Portugal
Spain
Italy *
Austria
France
Iceland
Ireland
Lithuania
Norway
Poland
Slovenia
Sweden
UK (England)
UK (N.I.)
UK (Scotland)
UK (Wales)
Finland
Greece
Hungary
Netherlands
Belgium (Fl)
Belgium (Fr)
Czech Rep.
Denmark
Estonia
Germany
Latvia
Switzerland
Dilemmas for inclusion as systemic change
Who … all learners, vulnerable learners, learners with SEN/disability?
Where ... special settings/mainstream school (under the same roof or engaged in a common learning endeavour)
When ... full/part time. Can you be a little bit ‘included’?
How ... focus on diagnosis/label or social/environmental barriers to learning and participation
Towards a continuum of educational/wider support needs● Widening definition of groups considered
eligible to receive services ● Greater awareness of the impact of labelling
and categorisation of needs● Consideration being given to terminology,
‘hidden’ meanings and implications of use● Children with disability seen as a group with
specific needs within the educational continuum of individual needs
Key Principles - Policy Widening participation to increase educational opportunity for all learners
Education and training in inclusive education for all teachers
Organisational culture and ethos that promotes inclusion
Support structures and flexible resourcing systems to promote inclusion
Legislation and policies that promote inclusion
Key Principles - Practice
The focus is on the widening participation and promoting access and achievement for all learners
- The learner voice – learners’ voices and those of family and advocates should be heard,
particularly when decisions are made that affect their lives
- Active participation of learners – all learners are entitled to be active participants in the life of school and community
Key Principles - Practice- All teachers should have positive attitudes towards all learners and the will to work collaboratively with colleagues
- All teachers should develop the skills to meet the diverse needs of all learners
- School leaders should value diversity among staff as well as learners, encourage collegiality and support innovation
- Every school should have access to the support of a multi-disciplinary service and relevant community services
What do we still need to know? What legislation, policy and models of resourcing can
support quality education for all? How can agencies collaborate to provide holistic
support - early intervention, family support, community involvement?
What makes effective teachers and school leaders - skills, experience, attitudes? How can they be prepared for work in inclusive settings?
What works for learners at school/classroom level - organisation, pedagogy, curriculum and assessment?
What are valued outcomes (academic and social) –and how can these be ‘measured’?
Agency projects addressing priority areas
Development of a set of indicators for IE in Europe, Mapping the Implementation of Policy for Inclusive Education
Assessment in Inclusive Settings Early Childhood Intervention, Multi- cultural diversity and
SNE Vocational Education and Training Teacher Education for Inclusion ICT for all learners Organisation of provision to support learners with disabilities
in mainstream settings Raising Achievement for all Learners (RA4AL)
Attended by 31 delegations from 27 countries, official representatives from the Ministries, the European Institutions and
key European and international organisations.
The event aimed to highlight issues raised by young people regarding the benefits of inclusive education and challenges still to
be overcome and look at the progress made since the 2007 Hearing in Portugal.
“Inclusive education allows us to make more friends, to be part of the community and to feel
like everybody else”.
“ Financing additional school provision should not be the main consideration, inclusive education is an investment: if everyone is involved, it is good for the whole of society. Inclusion is important for everyone, it is not only about disabilities ”
“We need to fight against prejudice and change culture. We need to train teachers and make them capable of meeting the requirements of all students in the classroom.”
More information
www.european-agency.org
European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education
Østre Stationsvej 33
DK-5000 Odense C
Denmark
Dr. Verity Donnelly [email protected]