Definition of the target group(s)

In Flanders, in addition to “ordinary” education, there is also “special” education at nursery and primary and secondary level in separate schools for pupils with disabilities. It accommodates approximately 46,700 pupils, compared with 1.1 million in mainstream education. The participation rate in special educational needs education for school-age pupils is about 4.2%.

Special educational needs education also supports mainstream education in the framework of the pupil support model for pupils based on a substantiated report.

The equal educational opportunities policy (EEO) also applies to special educational needs education. 

Under the current special educational needs education system, pupils with disabilities are classified into eight types based on the nature and degree of the (main) disability of a particular group . This typology is also used as a basis for the organization of special educational needs education.

Pupils with a report for one of the types (and for secondary education one of the types and training types) can either enrol in a special needs school of the type (and kind of training) concerned or enrol in mainstream education and receive support from special educational needs education.

Admission requirements and choice of school

Age condition

For special pre-school education, the infant must be at least age 2.5 years. Children can be enrolled in special pre-school education up to the age of 6, or exceptionally up to the age of 7 if they feel this is better for the child.

In the case of special primary education , the pupil must normally have reached the age of six before 1 January of the current school year but pupils aged less than five may also be enrolled on an exceptional basis.

In principle, special primary education lasts seven years. However, parents may decide to extend it up to and including the school year in which the pupil reaches the age of 14.

In special needs secondary education, the starting age is 13, although, on reasoned advice from the Pupil Guidance Centre, one can also be admitted from the age of 12; the maximum age is 21. Derogations from the age limit of 21 can be granted by the class council.

Enrolment

Enrolment in a special needs school always requires a report consisting of two parts:

• a certificate providing information on the type and/or the training type and the level of education to be attended by the child;
• an accountability protocol in which the report is accounted for on the basis of multidisciplinary research.

The certificate and the accountability protocol are drawn up by a Centre for Pupil Guidance. Parents receive both documents in order to register their child in a special educational needs education school. For types 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9, a medical or multidisciplinary examination is also required, carried out by a medical specialist.

For pupils following type 5 education, a certificate is required that is issued either by the treating physician of the medical or psychiatric facility or by the director of the residential setting. No protocol is required.

Equal educational opportunities in connection with enrolment

Parents are free to choose a special educational needs education school of the type (and kind of training) for which their child received a report. Since the regulation on equal educational opportunities, a school can no longer refuse pupils with a valid certificate for a type and training type offered by the school on the grounds that the school would target a specific target group within that type and training type. In special nursery and primary education, a school can refuse pupils on the basis of its capacity (physical capacity), location, level of education (pre-school and primary education) and type. In special secondary education, a school can also refuse pupils on the basis of the capacity (physical capacity) of the school, place of establishment, training type, type, structural component, combination of two or more structural components or the pedagogical unit. Since 1 September 2012, a system of enrolment rules for compulsory education has been in force for this purpose (see 2.1.2 school choice: rights and obligations).

Geographical distribution and pupil transport

Special educational needs education is usually organized in schools that are separate from mainstream schools; however, they are sometimes linked to other social and educational institutions for people with disabilities (semi-boarding schools and boarding schools of the Flemish Agency for Persons with Disabilities (VAPH) or of the GO!).

The supply of special educational needs education (SEN) is not evenly spread in both nursery and primary or secondary education. This is particularly the case at nursery and primary level for types 3, 4, 6 and 7 and for training types 2 & 4 of secondary education. The M Decree includes a programming procedure. It is intended to regulate the landscape of special educational needs education.

The current regulations provide for pupil transport to the nearest school of the network of choice offering the type/training type to which the pupil’s SEN certificate refers. Transportation is free of charge for entitled pupils. WeTwijs - pupil transport (Dutch only).

The uneven distribution of special needs schools means that pupils often have to spend a lot of time on the bus to get to school and back home.

Age levels and grouping of pupils

The school grant is there for pupils in pre-school, primary and secondary education. In nursery and primary education, pupils are divided into eight types based on the nature and degree of the (main) handicap of a particular group [see 12.1]. At secondary level, the types can be grouped into four training types which can bring together pupils of different types according to the final objective and taking into account the nature and degree of their disability.

Pupils are divided into pedagogical units. The pedagogical unit may consist of pupils of both the same or different types. These pupils are grouped together in a pedagogical unit, on a temporary or permanent basis, with a view to providing education and schooling  adapted to their educational needs. Pupils may be divided into different pedagogical units according to their educational activity, subject or component.

The division of pupils into pedagogical units is the exclusive responsibility of the class councils assisted by the Centre for Pupil Guidance. The criteria used depend on the pedagogical options available to the school board, which has full freedom of choice (including how many pupils they put together in a pedagogical unit).

Curriculum, subjects

Special secondary education in the four training types is provided in proportion to 32 to 36 lessons of 50 minutes per week, spread over nine half days (with the exception of the integration phase of training type 3, where the duration is 38 lessons per week).

Structure and organisation

The organization varies according to the training type (see Circular SO/2011/03/BuSO, Dutch only).

Training type 1 

In training type 1, the activities mainly aim at developing the self-reliance, the communication possibilities, the sensory motor skills and the social education of the pupils in the contexts of living, working and leisure. All learning and educational activities are part of general and social education.

TT 1 will comprise one phase of at least four years’ training. The subjects taught are freely determinable (except for philosophical subjects) and belong to general social education (GST). Schools find the basis of the curriculum in the developmental objectives set out in the regulations (for training types 1 and 2, these are jointly laid down – regulations, Dutch only). Special educational needs education of training type 1 does not provide pupils with a common curriculum but provides an individualized curriculum adapted to the needs and abilities of each pupil. That is why the class council selects the developmental objectives it wants to pursue for a particular pupil or group of pupils. The selection of the objectives is laid down in the action plan. The action plan also states how multidisciplinary teamwork is planned and how social, psychological, orthopedagogical, medical and paramedical care are integrated into the educational and training offerings. The action plan is drawn up by the class council in consultation with the Centre for Pupil Guidance and, if possible, with parents.

Training type 2 

Training type 2 will consist of two phases of at least two years each.

• The first phase gives priority to General and Social Training and also guarantees employment-oriented training. At least 15 lessons per week will be reserved for General and Social Training (GST).
• The second phase gives priority to the Vocational Education (VE). A minimum of nine lessons per week will be reserved for Vocational Education.

The subjects taught are freely determinable (except for ideological subjects) and belong to GST or VE. Schools find the basis of the subjects in the developmental objectives set out in the regulations (for training types 1 and 2, these are jointly laid down – regulations, Dutch only). special educational needs education of training type 2 does not provide pupils with a common curriculum but rather an individualized curriculum adapted to the needs and abilities of each pupil. That is why the class council selects the developmental objectives it wants to pursue for a particular pupil or group of pupils.  The target selection is laid down in the action plan. The action plan also states how multidisciplinary teamwork is planned and how social, psychological, orthopedagogical, medical and paramedical care are integrated into the educational and training offerings. The action plan is drawn up by the class council in consultation with the Centre for Pupil Guidance and, if possible, with parents.

Training type 3

Training type 3 comprises 4 phases, one of which is an optional integration phase. TT3 includes a minimum class table for all schools with a total of 32 hours (38 hours for the integration phase).

• the observation phase lasts in principle one school year; the pupils receive not only General and Social Training (at least 14 hours) but also Vocational Education (VE) (at least 16 hours);
• the training phase must last for at least two full school years; at least 10 hours GST, 1 hour VE;
• the qualification phase lasts in principle two full school years; at least 10 hours GST, 19 hours VE and a work placement within VE.
• the optional integration phase will last for one school year in the form of work-linked training; at least 14 hours GST, 24 hours VE in the form of a work placement for work experience.

This last phase may also take the form of Alternating Vocational Education (AVE). This initiative receives financial support from the European Social Fund. The integration phase/AVE is accessible for pupils who have obtained a certificate of the programme in the qualification phase. If they have only obtained a certificate of acquired skills or a certificate of acquired competence, the class council decides on the admission of the pupils. For pupils who are legitimately absent for a long period of time (and who have therefore not successfully completed their first school year in AVE or the integration phase), the class council (if there are good grounds) can admit them for a second school year to the integration phase or AVE.

The vocational training offered in TT3 is at assistant level and forms part of a total training structure, while maintaining the specificity of special educational needs education. The specificity of special educational needs education lies in the possibility of adapting the curriculum to the individual pupil on the basis of action planning. The content of the study programmes offered in special educational needs education was transcribed for GST in the developmental objectives set out in the regulations (regulations, Dutch only).

For the TT3 VE, the training profiles laid down by the regulations guide the completion of the curriculum(regulations, Dutch only).

special educational needs education of training type 3 does not provide pupils with a common curriculum but rather an individualized curriculum adapted to the needs and abilities of each pupil. That is why the class council selects the developmental objectives it wants to pursue for a particular pupil or group of pupils.  The target selection is laid down in the action plan. The action plan also states how multidisciplinary teamwork is planned and how social, psychological, orthopedagogical, medical and paramedical care are integrated into the educational and training offerings. The action plan is drawn up by the class council in consultation with the Centre for Pupil Guidance and, if possible, with parents.

Training type 4

In training type 4, the timetables are exactly the same as those of the corresponding ordinary schools, since this training type is obliged to have a structure identical to that of secondary education. The subjects and curricula, the attainment targets, the development objectives, the specific attainment targets and recognized professional qualifications are also identical to those of ordinary secondary education. The specificity of special educational needs education lies in the possibility of adapting the curriculum to the individual pupil on the basis of action planning but in training type 4, the common curriculum of ordinary secondary education must be followed.

Developmental objectives

Teaching teams can select developmental objectives from the following:

• the developmental objectives that are set for a particular type of education or a particular training type;
• the attainment targets or developmental objectives of mainstream nursery and primary or secondary education;
• the developmental objectives set for other types of education.

Developmental objectives have been defined for special needs nursery and primary education of type 1 (being phased out), 2, 7 and 8 (being phased out). They are organized into learning areas. These areas of learning are largely the same as those of mainstream nursery and primary education [see 5.2.1]. In order to be able to respond to the specificity of the target group, certain learning areas have been worked out more or differently. For some types of education, the attainment targets of mainstream nursery and primary education have been adopted as developmental objectives for certain areas of learning. The target selection is laid down in the action plan.

Developmental objectives have been defined for special needs secondary education:

• training types 1 and 2 – for training types 1 and 2, a decree with developmental objectives and an accompanying vision text was approved by the Government of Flanders. ;
• training type 3 – general and social training;
• training type 4 – here the attainment targets, the developmental objectives, the specific attainment targets and the recognized vocational qualifications of the corresponding level of ordinary secondary education apply;

For the regulations concerning attainment targets and developmental objectives: see WeTwijs - attainment targets (Dutch only).

Social training and the work experience placement

One of the measures to bring education more closely into line with the world of work is social training and work placement. This varies according to the type of training.

Social training is an extracurricular training with the aim of gaining experience with a view to meaningful daytime activities, supported employment, voluntary work, ... but is not intended to gain professional experience with a view to subsequent gainful employment. Social training therefore does not fall under the concept of work placement or a trainee as referred to in the Royal Decree on the protection of trainees. Social training may take place in institutions recognized (or in the process of being recognized) for the admission of adult disabled persons who do not perform any productive work there (e.g. a day centre, an occupational home, etc.).

The work placement is a training type, outside a school site, in a real working environment with an employer, under the authority of an employer, under conditions similar to those of the employer's regular employees in which effective work is carried out with a view to acquiring professional experience (Codex SO, art. 3, 17/2 and Codex on well-being at work, Book X – work organization and special categories of workers, Title 4 – Trainees), Dutch only). See pupil internship; see Circular SO/2016/01 (BuSO) (Dutch only)). 

Depending on the training type and the phase, social training or a work placement is possible, compulsory or prohibited.

Also observation activities and practical lessons on relocation in special secondary education of training types 1, 2 and 3. See 12.4.3.2

Teaching methods and materials

Teaching methods are highly individualized in special educational needs education. A plan of action must be drawn up for each child. Decisions on teaching methods and materials are a matter for the freedom of school boards.

Progression of pupils

The assessment and guidance of pupils are closely interwoven. In special educational needs education, the assessment is mainly of a formal nature.

The action plan states how developmental objectives as well as multidisciplinary teamwork is planned and how social, psychological, orthopedagogical, medical and paramedical care are integrated into the educational and training offerings. The action plan is drawn up by the class council in consultation with the Centre for Pupil Guidance and, if possible, with the parents.

The action plan is the result of a cyclical process of action planning in which the initial situation (with the education and training needs of the pupil) is determined, developmental objectives selected, their realization prepared, the planning and strategy carried out and the entire process evaluated. In addition to the process evaluation, an evaluation of pupil progress is also carried out in order to determine whether or not the developmental objectives pursued have been achieved. This evaluation is the starting point for a new starting situation for a new planning period. (Decree of 18 January 2002).

The class council, assisted by the Centre for Pupil Guidance, decides on the composition of the classes, whether a certain pupil should remain in a certain pupil group and on the transition of pupils to other classes or to a certain type or form of education.

Depending on whether the education is organized across the board or not, the composition of the class council is determined on the basis of a class or of a pedagogical unit formed for one or more subjects and/or educational activities. The class council is composed of members of the teaching staff, the support staff, the medical, orthopedagogical, paramedical, psychological and social personnel who provide for the teaching and educational activities of one or more pupils.

Certification

Pupils in special nursery and primary education may, in certain cases, obtain a certificate that has the same value as a certificate obtained in ordinary nursery and primary education.

In special needs secondary education , the following study certificates are possible:

• Training type 1: Attestation of social functioning and participation in an environment with support and participation in employment in an environment with support Training type 2: Attestation of social functioning and participation in an environment with support and employment in a working environment with support
• Training type 3: the class council issues certificates and attestations after advice from the qualification committee:
  • At the end of the qualification phase:
    • certificate of the training (if successful in the training)
    • certificate of acquired competence for a complete course within training (if successful for part of the programme)
    • attestation of acquired competence
  • if the pupil is not eligible:
    • vocational education certificate
  •  after the (optional) integration phase:
    • with success: certificate for alternating vocational training
    • not successful or in the event of early termination: alternating vocational training certificate
    • (and also all certificates and attestations from the qualification phase)
• Training type 4: certificates and diplomas as in ordinary secondary education

In training types 3 & 4, parents or adults can appeal against the decisions of the class council.