Definition of the target groups

Article 73 of Organic Law 2/2006 on Education (LOE), as amended by Organic Law 3/2020 (LOMLOE), defines students with special educational needs as those who face barriers that limit their access, presence, participation or learning, derived from disability or serious behavioural, communication or language disorders, for a period of their schooling or throughout their entire schooling, and who require certain support and specific educational attention in order to achieve the learning objectives appropriate to their development. The education system shall have the necessary resources for the early identification of pupils with temporary or permanent special educational needs, and for them to be able to achieve the objectives generally established for all pupils. The educational administrations shall provide these pupils with the necessary support from the moment of their enrolment or when their needs are identified.

The identification and assessment of the educational needs of these pupils will be carried out, as early as possible, by specialist professionals. The parents or legal guardians of the pupils will be informed as part of this process.

Admission requirements and choice of school

Article 74 of the LOE, as amended by the LOMLOE, establishes that the schooling of pupils with special educational needs in special education units or institutions will only be carried out when their needs cannot be met within the framework of the measures for attending to diversity in ordinary schools. 

The identification and assessment of the educational needs of these pupils will be carried out by specialist professionals and under the terms determined by the education authorities. The parents or legal guardians of the pupils will be heard and informed as part of this process. The educational authorities regulate the procedures that allow for the resolution of possible disagreements, always taking into account the best interests of the minor and the will of the families who show their preference for the most inclusive system.

At the end of each year, the degree of attainment of the objectives established for each pupil will be assessed. This assessment will allow for the modification of the planned educational attention, as well as the schooling regime.

The educational authorities must promote the enrolment in early childhood education of pupils with special educational needs and to develop programmes for their appropriate enrolment in primary and compulsory secondary schools.

The fourth additional provision of the LOMLOE establishes that the Government, in collaboration with the education authorities, will develop a plan so that, within ten years, in accordance with Article 24.2.e) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and in compliance with the fourth Sustainable Development Goal of the 2030 Agenda, ordinary schools have the necessary resources to be able to provide the best possible care for students with disabilities. The education administrations will continue to provide the necessary support to special education institutions so that, in addition to providing schooling for pupils who require highly specialised attention, they can also act as a reference and support centre for mainstream schools.

Age levels and grouping of pupils

Article 74 of the LOE as amended by the LOMLOE establishes that the schooling of pupils with special educational needs should be governed by the principles of normalisation and inclusion and must ensure non-discrimination and effective and equal access to and permanence in the education system, with the possibility of introducing measures to make the different educational stages more flexible, when deemed necessary. The schooling of these pupils in special education units or centres, which may be extended up to the age of twenty-one, will only take place when their needs cannot be met within the framework of measures for attention to diversity in mainstream institutions. In order to adequately assist pupils with special educational needs attending mainstream schools, the numerical ratio between teachers and pupils may be lower than the general ratio.

Curriculum, subjects or areas

Students attending separate special education schools require some curricular adaptations meaningful to a high degree, in almost every area or subject of the curriculum. Attention to pupils attending specific special education institutions is organised in two stages: 

• compulsory basic education; and
• training to facilitate the transition to adult life. 

In the organisation of the teaching in each of these cycles, attention will be paid to the differentiated nature of the first cycles, which correspond to the period from six to twelve years of age, and the remaining cycles, which correspond to the period from twelve to sixteen years of age. In this last stage, the contents should gradually incorporate an emphasis on the development of skills linked to professional performance and social insertion.

Training after adapted basic compulsory education will be  aimed at facilitating the development of pupils’ personal autonomy and their social integration into the community, with a career guidance and occupational training component. In these last years of schooling, more importance is given to skills related to professional performance and social inclusion.

The educational provision in separate special education schools is organised according to the following structure, in compliance with the Resolution of 25 April 1996:

1. Compulsory basic education

• It lasts 10 years, and students are allowed the same extension as that established for mainstream.
• It is organised in cycles constituting planning units.
• A curricular planning is prepared, which takes into consideration the education needs of the different groups of students attending schools, which includes:
  • the general objectives for every stage;
  • curricular areas;
  • contents;
  • inclusion of cross-curricular subjects;
  • methodological criteria;
  • assessment and promotion criteria;
  • criteria for evaluating the teaching function;
  • didactic resources and materials;
  • individualised curricular adaptations.

2. Programmes for transition to adult life

According to the provisions of the Order of 22 March 1999, the programmes for transition to adult life are aimed at pupils aged 16 who have completed compulsory basic education in a special education school and at those pupils whose special educational needs make it advisable for the continuity of their training process to be carried out through these programmes and who meet the age requirement. In this case, the choice of this modality must be preceded by the psychopedagogical evaluation made by the relevant Educational and Psychopedagogical Guidance Services. In addition, students and parents' opinion must be taken into account and the corresponding mandatory report from the Education Inspectorate is required.

These programmes are organised in one single two-year cycle and they can be extended if the education process of the student requires it or when the work chances in their closest environment make it desirable. The objectives to  be achieved are the following:

• consolidate and develop the students' abilities in their physical, emotional, cognitive, communicative, moral, civic and social inclusion aspects, promoting the highest possible degree of personal autonomy and social inclusion;
• enhance students' participation in every context where adulthood takes place: home life, the use of community services and leisure and free time enjoyment, among others;
• promote the development of safety attitudes at work, positive attitude towards tasks and work basic rules, as well as the acquisition of work skills with an all-purpose nature;
• promote basic instrumental knowledge, acquired in basic education, consolidating communicative and numerical abilities, reasoning skills and problem solving in daily life, as well as the development of students' creativity;
• boost habits related to body health, personal safety and emotional balance, in order to develop their life with the greatest possible degree of well-being.

Teaching mainly aims at the students' acquisition of communicative and motor skills. The curriculum is open and flexible and it is structured in three experience fields:

• personal autonomy in daily life;
• social and community inclusion;
• work abilities and skills.

Teaching methods and materials

The teaching staff as a whole, with the collaboration of the rest of the school's professionals, will draw up the curricular project for the Programmes for the transition to adult life and the planning of each of the years that comprise it, in accordance with the following criteria: 

• The different areas of experience will be open and flexible, in such a way that globalised programmes can be drawn up covering content from different areas. The teaching team, depending on the educational needs of the pupils, will determine whether or not to include the area of vocational guidance and training.
• In accordance with the needs and learning styles of the pupils, the activities to be developed must be clearly functional in nature.
• In the development of each of the areas, special attention will be paid to aspects related to motor skills, communication and others that allow the pupil to consolidate or progress in the knowledge and skills they possess.
• Basic instrumental knowledge will be developed on the basis of the pupils' current level. 

Assessment and progression of pupils

The evaluation of students attending special education institutions is carried out in accordance with article 9 of the Order of 22 March 1999. This assessment is carried out with reference to the objectives and assessment criteria established for each pupil in the Programmes for the transition to adult life. Every three months, parents or legal guardians are provided with written qualitative information on the pupils' progress. At the end of each year of the cycle, the tutor draws up a written report on the progress of each pupil, taking into account the contributions of the other professionals at the school. This report is attached to the pupil's file. 

The progression of students attending special education institutions is defined in accordance with article 4 of the Resolution of 25 April 1996. 

Schools draw up a curricular project that takes into consideration the differential educational needs of the different groups of pupils attending the school, making reference to the specific adaptations for each of them. This curricular project includes the general criteria for the assessment of learning and the progression of students. The individualised curricular adaptations include the progression criteria and the agreements reached on follow-up actions.

Certification

At the end of their schooling, students with special education needs attending separate special education schools will obtain a certificate from the school, which specifies the number of the years studied. This certificate is accompanied by a report stating the levels achieved in the different areas.