Definition of the target group(s)

Portuguese legislation does not define a specific target group, as it is not based on categorical models that rely on diagnoses. Educational responses are organised on the basis of identifying barriers to learning and participation and the resulting difficulties, with the necessary measures being taken to ensure access, participation and progress for all children and young people (Decree Law No 54/2018, 6 July, in its current wording).

Specific support measures

Support for children in pre-school education

Support for pre-school children with special needs can be provided through two complementary approaches. On one hand, the National Early Intervention System (SNIPI) was created by Decree-Law No 281/2009, 6 October, to guarantee the necessary development conditions for children up to 6 years of age with physical or functional issues that limit personal growth and learning and participation in typical activities for their age or serious risk of developmental delay. On the other hand,  in the case of children aged between 3 and 6 attending pre-school, the measures and resources provided for in the legal framework for inclusive education, as set out in Decree-Law No 54/2018, 6 July, may also be mobilised.

National Early Intervention System - IPI (Intervenção Precoce na Infância) is an integrated set of child and family-focussed support measures, including preventive and rehabilitative in education, health and social work. The intervention model set out in SNIPI is cross-sectoral and decentralised, organised across different levels of coordination and intervention, involving the sectors of Education, Health and Social Security, as established by Decree-Law No 281/2009, and is based on three structures at different levels:

• National level – the SNIPI (National) Coordination Committee is responsible for setting strategic guidelines and overseeing and monitoring the operation of the system. The committee comprises representatives from the three ministries: Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI), Ministry of Health (MS) and Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security,  and (MTSSS).
• Regional level – the Regional Coordination Subcommittees, comprising professionals appointed by the MECI, MS and MTSSS, which ensure coordination between services across different government departments and monitor the implementation of the system across the region.
• Local level - the local intervention teams (ELI - Equipas Locais de Intervenção) comprise professionals from the areas of healthcare, education, social service, therapists and psychologists, which ensure that the needs of children and their families are assessed, that an Individual Early Intervention Plan (PIIP) is drawn up, and that support measures are implemented in coordination with community services and resources. 

To ensure national coverage of IPI services, MECI has created a network of benchmark school clusters, where teachers are placed annually as part of the IPI that operates in the school cluster’s geographical area. These teachers support children up to the age of 6 years old in their usual environments, namely, home, childminder, crèche, kindergarten or others. It should be emphasised that, when the child moves on to kindergarten or primary school, the PIIP drawn up by the local intervention teams (ELI) must guarantee the necessary coordination.

Support for pupils within compulsory education

The legal framework for inclusive education provides for a range of measures to support learning and inclusion, designed to address the diverse needs of pupils and to promote access, participation and progress within the curriculum. These measures are organised according to a multi-level approach and can be implemented progressively, depending on the needs identified within the educational context. 

The measures are divided into three levels of intervention:
Level 1 – universal measures, aimed at all pupils and integrated into schools’ teaching practices. These include, amongst others, strategies for differentiated teaching, curricular adaptations, and small-group interventions focusing on academic and behavioural support.
Level 2 – selective measures, intended for pupils who demonstrate difficulties that have not been overcome through the implementation of universal measures.  These measures may include non-significant curricular adaptations, i.e. those that do not compromise the standard curriculum, psycho-pedagogical support, early learning reinforcement and tutorial support.   
Level 3 – additional measures are implemented when the previous measures prove insufficient to ensure pupils’ participation and progress. These include repeating a school year on a subject-by-subject basis, significant curricular adaptations (which involve the development of an individual educational programme and an individual transition plan) and the development of structured teaching methodologies and strategies. Their implementation generally involves specialised resources, whether human and/or material, and should prioritise the classroom context. 

The need for measures to support learning and inclusion should be identified as early as possible, and this is done on the initiative of parents or guardians, early intervention services, teachers, or other professionals or services working with the child or pupil.

Specific learning and inclusion support resources

To implement measures to support learning and inclusion, the legal framework identifies a specific set of resources designed to support learning and inclusion, intended to help schools address the diverse needs of pupils. These resources may be human, organisational or material in nature.

Specialist human resources
These include special educational needs teachers and specialist support staff, such as psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists and other professionals, who work to support pupils’ development, learning and participation.
Special education teachers work in close collaboration with other teachers and staff at the school, helping to identify barriers to learning and participation and implementing measures to support learning and inclusion. Their work is particularly important in helping to adapt teaching practices and mobilise specialised strategies and resources, as well as in developing specific areas of the curriculum, notably in the teaching of Braille, Portuguese Sign Language and the use of assistive technologies.

Specific organisational resources
Key organisational resources supporting learning and inclusion include the Multidisciplinary Team for Inclusive Education - EMAEI (Equipas Multidisciplinares para a Educação Inclusiva), reference schools for bilingual education, reference schools in the field of visual impairment, and the Information and Communication Technology Resource Centres for Special Education (CRTIC).
The EMAEI is the main coordinating body for addressing diversity in schools; it is responsible for analysing situations where barriers to learning and participation are identified, proposing measures to support learning and inclusion, and monitoring their implementation. This team also ensures coordination between teachers, specialist staff, the school management, families and other services, promoting an integrated approach to meeting pupils’ needs. The team comprises members of the school management, teachers from different levels of education, specialist staff and parents. 
It is also worth noting that the team’s composition comprises a permanent component and a variable component, the latter being determined according to the pupil in question and the specific nature of the situation under consideration.
Flagship schools are state schools where there is a greater concentration of specialist staff and resources in certain areas, namely in the bilingual education of deaf pupils (Portuguese Sign Language as a first language and Portuguese as a second language) and in the field of vision (vision training, Braille and orientation and mobility, amongst others), supporting the educational provision in these areas.
CRTIC are specialised units, based in school clusters and distributed across districts, responsible for assessing pupils’ needs regarding assistive technologies for accessing the curriculum and participating in school life.
Within the framework of the MECI, these centres act as prescribing centres for assistive technologies, forming part of the Assistive Products Allocation System - SAPA (Sistema de Atribuição de Produtos de Apoio), a nationwide system involving various government departments, namely Education, Social Security and Health.
In this context, the CRTIC carry out a functional assessment of pupils’ needs, select the most appropriate solutions and issue the necessary prescription for the funding of assistive technologies. They are also responsible for promoting the training of pupils/users, as well as teachers and other professionals who work with children and young people and their families, whenever necessary.

Applicable legislation:

• Decree-Law No 93/2009, 16 April 
• Ordinance No 192/2014, 26 September 
• Order No 14278/2014, 26 November 
• Ordinance No 78/2015, 17 March 
• Order No 5291/2015, 21 May
• Order No 6478/2015, 11 June
• Order No 7225/2015, 1 July

Community-specific resources
Community-specific resources refer to services and organisations outside the school that can be called upon to support the implementation of measures to promote learning and inclusion, as well as to carry out specialist interventions. These resources include, amongst others, healthcare services, social security services, local authorities, social sector institutions, specialist centres and community associations.
Collaboration with these organisations complements the resources available within the school, ensuring a more integrated response to pupils’ needs. 

Among the community’s specific resources, the Inclusion Resource Centres - CRI (Centros de Recursos para a Inclusão) are particularly noteworthy; through agreements established with the MECI, they develop annual action plans in collaboration with public schools, providing specialist technical support in areas such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and psychosocial intervention.
CRI professionals may be integrated into the EMAEI on a flexible basis and work in close collaboration with school staff. Their work is based on a context-enabling approach, alongside direct intervention with children and young people.

Evaluation of learning, progression and certification

With regard to the assessment of learning, the legal framework for inclusive education establishes the principle that all pupils must be able to participate in assessment processes under conditions that safeguard equity and take into account their individual and contextual characteristics. In this regard, assessment must be designed and
implemented in such a way as to enable each pupil to demonstrate, effectively, the learning achieved, preventing factors unrelated to the learning objectives from compromising its proper assessment. To this end, the legislation provides for the possibility of making adjustments to the assessment process whenever this proves necessary to ensure appropriate conditions for participation.

Adaptations to the assessment process consist, among other, of diversifying the tools used to gather information, using assessment questions in accessible formats and assistive technologies, as well as adapting the conditions of assessment with regard to, amongst other aspects, the forms and means of communication and the frequency, duration and location of the assessment.