Definition of the target groups

Organic Law 2/2006 on Education (LOE) as amended by Organic Law 3/2020 (LOMLOE), establishes that students with specific educational support needs are the ones who present:

• special educational needs (which refers to pupils with disabilities or severe behavioural, communication and language disorders);
• developmental delay;
• language and communication development disorders;
• attention or learning disorders;
• a severe lack of knowledge of the working language;
• a situation of socio-educational vulnerability;
• high intellectual capacities;
• a late entry into the education system;
• personal or academic background issues.

Specific Support Measures

Attention to diversity is established in the LOE, as amended by the LOMLOE, as a fundamental principle that should govern all basic education, with the aim of providing all students with an education appropriate to their characteristics and needs.

The correct educational response to all pupils is conceived on the basis of the principle of inclusion, on the understanding that this is the only way to guarantee the development of each and every student, to favour equity and to contribute to greater social cohesion. Attention to diversity is a need that applies to all educational stages and to all pupils. In other words, the aim is to consider the diversity of pupils as a principle and not as a measure corresponding to the needs of a few.

The education authorities must provide the necessary means for all pupils to achieve the maximum personal, intellectual, social and emotional development, as well as the objectives established in general terms in the legislation in force.

Following the guidelines established by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFD), the education authorities are responsible for establishing the appropriate procedures and resources to identify pupils' specific educational needs at an early stage. 

The general measures of attention to diversity and individual differences developed by the education authorities include:

• grouping of areas into fields;
• splitting groups of students;
• flexible grouping;
• teaching methodologies based on collaborative work in heterogeneous groups, peer tutoring and project-based learning that promote the inclusion of all pupils;
• distribution of the school's autonomous teaching timetable among the options foreseen. 

Measures for the attention to students with specific educational support needs

The education authorities are responsible for ensuring that pupils who require educational attention that differs from the mainstream can achieve the maximum possible development of their personal abilities and, in any case, the objectives established in general for all pupils. To this end:

• they will provide schools with the necessary resources;
• they will have the teaching staff of the corresponding specialities and qualified professionals;
• they will provide the necessary means and materials for the appropriate attention to these pupils.

On the other hand, schools will have the appropriate academic organisation and will make the necessary curricular adaptations and diversifications to facilitate the achievement of the established goals for all.

Comprehensive attention to pupils with specific educational support needs will begin from the moment in which these needs are identified and will be governed by the principles of normalisation and inclusion. 

The educational administrations describe these measures in detail in the regulations that establish the basic curricula for the early childhood, primary education and secondary education stages.

Measures for the attention to students with special educational needs

Pupils with special educational needs are understood 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 must 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. For this purpose, the educational administrations will provide these pupils with the necessary support from the moment of their enrolment or when their needs are identified.

The schooling of pupils with special educational needs should be governed by the principles of normalisation and inclusion and should 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, only takes place when their needs cannot be met within the framework of measures for attention to diversity in mainstream institutions. 

The identification and assessment of the educational needs of these pupils should be carried out as early as possible by specialist professionals and under the terms determined by the education authorities. At the end of each year, the degree of attainment of the objectives established for each pupil is assessed on an individual basis. This assessment enables appropriate guidance to be provided and the intended educational attention to be modified.

The educational administrations must ensure that students with special educational needs can continue their schooling in an appropriate manner at all pre- and post-compulsory educational levels; adapt the conditions for taking the tests established for persons with disabilities who so require; provide the necessary complementary resources and support; and provide specific educational attention derived from disabilities or disorders of any kind during the school year.

When the personal circumstances of students with special educational needs make it advisable for them to achieve the objectives of basic education, these students may extend their schooling for an additional year. These circumstances may be permanent or temporary and must be sufficiently documented. 

In order to reinforce educational inclusion, the education authorities may incorporate Spanish sign languages into their educational offer. 

In order to facilitate the social and labour market inclusion of students with special educational needs who cannot achieve the objectives of compulsory education, Public Administrations promote training offers adapted to their specific needs and establish reserved places in vocational training courses for students with disabilities.

Measures for the attention to students with high intellectual capacities

Articles 76 and 77 of the LOE, as amended by the LOMLOE, establish that the education authorities are responsible for adopting the necessary measures to identify pupils with high intellectual abilities and to assess their needs at an early stage. They are also responsible for adopting action plans, as well as curriculum improvement programmes that meet those needs, so that students can develop their full potential.

The Government, after consulting the autonomous communities, will establish the regulations to make the duration of each of the stages of the educational system more flexible for pupils with high intellectual abilities, regardless of their age.

Measures for the attention to late entrants to the education system

The education authorities are responsible for supporting the entry into the education system of the students that come from other countries or who are incorporated late in the education system for any other reason. To this end, specific programmes will be organised for pupils who have serious deficiencies in languages or in their basic skills or knowledge, in order to facilitate their integration in the corresponding year. The development of these programmes will be carried out simultaneously with the schooling of pupils in ordinary groups, in accordance with the level and evolution of their learning.

The educational administrations guarantee that the schooling of students who enter the Spanish educational system late is carried out in accordance with their circumstances, knowledge, age and academic history, so that they can be incorporated into the most appropriate grade for their characteristics and previous knowledge, with the appropriate support, and in this way continue to successfully complete their education.

Measures for the attention to students with specific learning difficulties

The educational administrations must adopt the necessary measures to identify students with specific learning difficulties and assess their needs. The identification, assessment and intervention of these pupils' educational needs should be undertaken as early as possible, under the terms determined by the education authorities.

The schooling of these pupils should be governed by the principles of normalisation and inclusion. At the same time, non-discrimination and effective equality in access to and permanence in the educational system must be ensured.

Attention measures for pupils in a situation of socio-educational vulnerability

Article 81 of the LOE, as amended by the LOMLOE, establishes that education authorities must adopt the necessary measures to act preventively with students in situations of socio-educational vulnerability in order to promote their success at school.

In schools, geographical areas or social environments where there is a concentration of pupils in a situation of socio-educational vulnerability, the education authorities will develop initiatives to compensate for this problem. To this end, joint socio-educational actions may be established with local administrations and social entities, including special attention to extracurricular and leisure education, as well as support and tutoring actions with students in this situation and their families.

The education authorities will provide schools with the human and material resources necessary to compensate for the situation of students who have special difficulties in achieving educational objectives, due to their social conditions.

Other measures to address individual differences in Compulsory Secondary Education

Provision organised by areas

Article 26 of the LOE, as amended by the LOMLOE,  establishes that educational institutions will draw up their pedagogical proposals for all pupils at this stage, taking into account their diversity. In turn, the Education Administrations will determine the specific conditions under which provision may be organised by areas and aimed at all pupils or at those pupils whose progress is considered to benefit in this way. This organisation into fields may be applied in the first two years of compulsory secondary education. 

Curricular diversification programmes

Curricular diversification programmes are oriented towards the attainment of the Compulsory Secondary Education Graduate certificate, by those who present relevant learning difficulties after having received, where appropriate, support measures in the first or second year in this stage, or those for whom this measure of attention to diversity may be favourable in order to obtain the certificate.

The implementation of these programmes involves a modification and adaptation of the curriculum and entails the application of a specific methodology through an organisation of the curriculum into knowledge fields, practical activities and, where appropriate, subjects, different to the one established in general, in order to achieve the objectives of the stage and the competences established in the Exit profile.

In general, curricular diversification programmes will be carried out over two years, from the third year to the end of the stage. Students who, at the end of the second year, are not in a position to progress may be incorporated into a curricular diversification programme if the teaching team considers that staying on for another year in the same year will not benefit their academic progress. Students who finish the third year and are in the same situation may also be proposed for incorporation into the first year of the programme.

The incorporation into these programmes always requires, in addition to the academic assessment, a report on the suitability of the measure and will be implemented once the student has been heard, and with the agreement of their parents, guardians or legal tutors.

The educational administrations will guarantee students with special educational needs who participate in these programmes the support resources that, in general, are foreseen for these students.

Basic Vocational Training Cycles

The basic level training cycles are aimed preferably at those who have the greatest possibilities of learning and achieving the competences of compulsory secondary education in an environment linked to the professional world, with the purpose of preparing them for the continuation of their training.

The pedagogical criteria with which the training programmes of these cycles are developed must be adapted to the specific characteristics of the students, adopting an organisation of the curriculum from an applied perspective. Furthermore, they should encourage the development of social and emotional skills, teamwork and the use of information and communication technologies. Tutoring and educational and vocational guidance are given special consideration, as they must provide personalised socio-educational support.

The teaching teams can propose to the pupils themselves and to their parents or legal guardians, through the corresponding guidance council, their incorporation into a basic level training cycle when the academic and vocational profile of the pupil in question makes this advisable and the pupil meets the following requirements:

• to be fifteen years of age, or to reach the age of fifteen during the current calendar year;
• to have completed the third year of compulsory secondary education or, exceptionally, the second year.

The educational authorities will determine the intervention of the students themselves, their families and the guidance teams or services in this process.

In the case of pupils with special educational needs, the assessment reference points will be those included in the corresponding adaptations to the curriculum, without this fact preventing them from being promoted or obtaining a qualification. 

The educational authorities may organise specific provision of basic level training cycles aimed at pupils with special educational needs, for those cases in which it is not possible to include them in the mainstream provision and their needs cannot be met within the framework of measures to address diversity, and they may be enrolled at least until they are 21 years old.