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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Special education needs provision within mainstream education

Belgium - German-Speaking Community

12.Educational support and guidance

12.1Special education needs provision within mainstream education

Last update: 27 November 2023

Definition of the Target Group

Every child has the right to receive appropriate school support. This individual support takes place within the framework of preventive measures, differentiation in lessons or support courses in mainstream schools.

Special educational needs exist when a need for support cannot be met by means of general educational measures. This means that intensive measures to promote development and education become necessary due to an impairment. The respective impairment may require specific assistance which can only be provided by teachers, therapists and nursing professionals with a correspondingly specialised training.

Specific Support Measures

Special educational support has the task of enabling pupils with disabilities, adaptation or learning difficulties to live, learn and act independently and together, taking into account their individual possibilities. It supports and encourages these pupils in learning school, social and societal skills and offers them help and orientation in adopting values, attitudes and behaviour.

Special educational support comprises the support of pupils with special educational needs according to an individual support plan.

The scope and content of special educational support is determined by the individual special educational needs as well as the personnel, material and organisational framework.

At the beginning of the school year, an individual support plan is drawn up at the school for each child for whom special educational needs funds have been approved. This plan is developed after a pedagogical-diagnostic discussion with the pupil, parents and teachers. It includes:

  • a description of the support measures and the names of the persons responsible for their implementation.

The responsibility for keeping the student file (student portfolio) lies with the head of the school the child attends.

All persons (class leaders, support teachers, subject teachers, educators, therapists, etc.) who are involved in the realisation of the objectives of the individual support plan document their view of the learning progress of the supported child.

At least once in the course of the school year, the extent to which the described goals have been achieved or goals and measures need to be corrected is evaluated. To this end, discussions are held with all those involved in the support measures.