Children with special educational needs – refers to children with learning problems who need special support from teachers. Low proficiency in the Czech language is also considered as a special education need. This section provides information to parents whose child has other disadvantages or special needs apart from the language barrier. However, the information is, without doubt, useful for all children with special educational needs.
Education of children with special education needs in the Czech Republic
In the Czech Republic, children with special educational needs can go to mainstream schools. In 2016, inclusive education was implemented so that students can benefit from support measures at any school. Education of students with special educational needs is governed by Ordinance No. 27/2016 Sb.
How to proceed if my child is disadvantaged?
If your child has special educational needs, please report this to the school so that they can offer you the best possible guidance. To obtain a recommendation on the grade of support measures that your child is eligible for, please contact school counselling centers, i.e., psychological counselling centers and special pedagogical care centers. All schools cooperate with these institutions and can recommend who you should contact. You and your child will then visit one of the institutions for a consultation / assessment, based on which your child will receive a recommendation on the appropriate grade of support measures.
What does a recommendation from a school counselling center look like?
The recommendation states what grade of support is appropriate for the child and what kind of assistance they are entitled to. An assessment of the student’s educational needs is based, among other criteria, on the type of problem, diagnosis, learning progress so far, and information from the legal guardian. The school counselling center also investigates the possibility of using the school’s personnel and facilities to provide assistance to students in the school in order to recommend specific support measures. Recommendations also specify the appropriate period during which the support measures should be provided. In order for a recommendation to be effective, an informed consent of the legal guardian is required. The school counselling center must prepare a report no later than 3 months after receiving a request. Subsequently, the legal guardian may submit a request for review within 30 days.
What does an individual study plan look like?
Based on a recommendation, the school prepares an individual study plan for the student which specifies adjustments that shall be made to the content, methods, forms of teaching, assessment, and expected outcomes of the student’s learning process. The individual plan should be drawn up no later than 1 month after the school receives the recommendation from the school counselling center and may be further modified at any time throughout the school year. The plan is subsequently shared with all the student’s teachers and is subject to evaluation at least once a year. Following this, the school is allocated the funds needed to implement the agreed degree of support measures.
What are the different grades of support measures?
The support measures are classified from grades 1 to 5, with grade 1 being the simplest one that any school is able to provide. This includes, e.g., minor adjustments to methods, assessment, or organization of teaching. The school evaluates the awarded grade of support on an ongoing basis and assesses whether it has been contributing to the achievement of the defined objectives within 3 months. If it is not the case, the school recommends asking a school counselling center for advice.
Grade 3 support measures include, e.g., services of a teaching assistant, who helps other teachers and encourages independence and active involvement of the student in all activities.
A Czech sign language interpreter or transcriber for the deaf can also be used.