Definition of the target group(s)

The Legal Framework for Inclusive Education moves away from a model of categorising pupils based on diagnoses or labels, and instead prioritises an approach centred on identifying barriers to learning and participation. Schools thus take on the responsibility of providing educational responses tailored to the needs of each and every pupil, fostering conditions that ensure access to the curriculum, full participation and educational success in truly inclusive settings. Within this framework, and within the scope of school autonomy, there is a range of organisational and curricular options that enable schools to adopt solutions tailored to the specific contexts and needs of each pupil, thereby enhancing learning outcomes. This autonomy is linked to the flexible management of the core curriculum frameworks for educational and training provision in primary and secondary education, as provided for in Decree-Law No. 55/2018, 6 July, in order to implement the principles of Decree Law No 54/2018, 6 July, in a coherent manner.

Specific support measures

Linguistic support measures for migrant students

To promote the educational success of migrant pupils who have recently entered the Portuguese education system, there is support for learning Portuguese as a subject and as a school language. There is Portuguese as a non-native language (PLNM) in the first, second and third cycles of basic education, as well as science-humanities courses, specialised artistic courses in upper secondary education and vocational courses.

The inclusion of the subject of PLNM in the primary and secondary school curricula is provided for in Article 12 of Ordinance No. 223-A/2018, 3 August, as currently worded, and in Ordinance No. 86/2025/1, 6 March, respectively.

As part of the implementation of the measures set out in Axis II – Integration and Success of migrant pupils, of Council of Ministers Resolution No. 140/2024, 17 October: (i) the tools for assessment and placement have been updated and a level zero has been created for pupils who have no knowledge of the Portuguese language or alphabet; (ii) it is recommended that special arrangements be extended to all tests and examinations for pupils enrolled in the PLNM course. The legal provisions in force stipulate that PLNM students placed at level zero and/or A1 of language proficiency attend the PLNM course in groups of 8 students.  

Decree-Law No. 7/2025, 11 February, establishes a simplified system for placing children and young people holding foreign qualifications who wish to join the Portuguese education system at primary level. It aims to streamline enrolment and placement in the correct year group, ensuring the integration of pupils covered by compulsory education. The Directorate-General for Education, which is currently part of the Institute for Education, Quality and Evaluation (EduQA, I. P.), supports schools and teachers via the dedicated website for PLNM.
The sharp increase in migrant pupils from countries outside the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) presents an added challenge for state schools, which must strengthen their network and capacity for integration, for teaching Portuguese as a host language, and for promoting inclusion.
To address this challenge, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) established, in 2024/2025, as part of the ‘Learn More Now’ Plan, the Linguistic and Cultural Mediators (MLC) programme, designed to support schools in integrating foreign pupils from countries where Portuguese is not an official language, with the aim of:
-  accelerating the acquisition of the Portuguese language with a view to the pupils’ academic success;
- promoting the integration of foreign pupils into Portuguese culture and fostering contact with the cultures of origin of their foreign classmates.

Support measures for refugee children and young people

As a result of measures previously adopted to speed up the integration of children and young people who are beneficiaries of, or applicants for, international protection into the education system, there are extraordinary measures to accommodate this target group in school clusters/non-clustered schools (AE/ENA), namely the development of language learning in the host country and, in the first phase of integration, the attendance of teaching activities that the school considers appropriate for the student without the student being disconnected from the group/class.

These extraordinary measures focus on:
a)    granting equivalences of foreign qualifications and/or a place in a given school year and educational provision
b)    gradual integration within the Portuguese curriculum and consolidation of Portuguese language learning
c)    school social support
d)    On its dedicated website, the EduQA, I. P./DGE provides documents on these educational measures regarding refugee children and young people.

Support measures for student’ academic success 

Support measures for students in basic and upper secondary education include, among others:

1.    implementation of literacy and intercultural projects.
2.    support from mediators.
3.    strengthening of study support measures.
4.    additional support included in the student’s timetable.
5.    specific tutorial support.
6.    differentiated pathways which include dual certification courses equivalent to the completion of compulsory education and integration into working life (education and training courses for young people).

For basic education students, measures promoting academic success and combating school dropout have been adopted. These include:

• A multi-level approach that allows for the use of universal, selective and additional measures;
• Educational support hours for pupils in the three cycles of primary education and in secondary education whenever necessary;
• Coadjuvation in tne classroom, placing value on collaborative experiences and practices;
• Continuity of study support in the first cycle of primary education (ages 6-9), alongside other curriculum enrichment activities;
• Study support in the second cycle (ages 10-11) , as a component of learning support, subject to the school’s decision;
• Monitoring of pupils progressing to the second and third cycles (ages 10-14) with a final mark below 3 in subjects Portuguese or Mathematics in the previous school year;
• In exceptional circumstances duly justified by the school and approved by the relevant education authorities, adoption of different pathways, namely alternative curriculum pathways and integrated education and training programmes, tailored to the profile and specific needs of the pupils.

According to Legislative Order No 10-B/2018, schools are entitled to additional timetable credit to provide specific tutorial support to students in the second and third cycles of basic education who have had to repeat a grade two or more times during their time at school. Tutorial support, in the terms indicated above, is permanent monitoring of students to find suitable solutions to the specific problems of each student, facilitating and supporting study, their integration into class and the school, following school rules and school life.For students who have shown learning difficulties at any point in basic education in any subject there is a pedagogical plan that contains recovery strategies to overcome the problems detected.

For upper-secondary students, whenever learning difficulties are detected, measures are taken to prevent school failure and dropout, via the following:

• Referral to educational provision that is adapted to the student's profile, after the redefinition of their school pathway, resulting from the opinion of monitoring and guidance teams.
• Encouraging both student and parent or guardian to choose the school whose educational project that best suits the student’s pathway and motivations for learning.

Support measures for educational success at school and to tackle early school leaving

Programme for Priority Intervention Educational Areas (TEIP 4)

The Programme for Priority Intervention Educational Areas (Programa Territórios Educativos de Intervenção Prioritária - TEIP4), created by Order no. 7798/2023, 28 July, lasts for 6 years and is being developed from the 2024/2025 school year on. This is an educational policy measure aimed at schools located in territories with a high number of children and young people at risk of social vulnerability, with the aim of ensuring inclusion and educational success, improving the quality of learning and combating school dropout. The programme focuses the measures, granting greater autonomy to educational communities, with the aim of promoting:

• more flexible and innovative interventions to meet the needs of pupils and their families;
• the mobilisation of endogenous educational resources capable of promoting more sustainable local development.

Taking local contexts as their starting point, schools were challenged to rethink educational intervention from a multifaceted and participatory perspective, which took the form of the design and implementation of an Action Plan. In this plan, they clearly identified their responsibilities and the contributions of local authorities towards achieving the objectives and targets set out therein, which were deemed necessary for the development of changes in individual and collective working practices that challenge conventional modes of school organisation and curriculum management, and which are likely to contribute to the innovation and transformation of the school. The action plans, with a prospect of three school years, include a set of strategic measures and actions for intervention in the school and community, organised around three main intervention areas: 1) Teaching and Learning, 2) Leadership and 3) Community, as well as a set of general improvement targets to be met at the end of the plan's implementation, considering the dimensions of educational success (internal and external assessment), school dropout, absenteeism, indiscipline and involvement of parents.

The TEIP4 Programme comprises 165 educational units (UO), of which 70 belong to Group 1 (TEIP schools under development – UO with the highest social vulnerability index) and 95 to Group 2 (TEIP schools in transition -  UO that were part of the TEIP3 programme and do not meet the requirements to be included in Group 1), distributed as follows across the 5 NUT II: 16 in the Algarve; 28 in the Alentejo; 51 in Lisboa Metropolitan Area; 17 in the Centre and 53 in the North. 

More information available at:

• TEIP Programme
• Legislative Order No 10-B/2018, 6 July
• Despatch No 7798/2023, 28 July 
• Resolution of the Council of Ministers No 140/2024, 17 October

Self-Study Platform

The Self-Study digital platform (plataforma digital Estudo Autónomo) has been created with the aim of promoting learning, independence and shared responsibility among students. It offers a range of resources designed to support students’ independent study, organised by year and subject. 
This platform provides digital educational content, including resources in the form of interactive activities, online courses, themed workbooks, Portuguese for foreigners, as well as glossaries, e-books, video lessons, podcasts and webinars.
In addition to students, it is hoped that headteachers, teachers, parents and guardians, and other educational stakeholders will be able to make use of the extensive set of Roadmaps, which can be accessed via the links provided. The Roadmaps are organised by theme and address curricular topics in depth through a sequence of Independent Study Guides (ISGs), serving as tools for self-regulated learning.