Preamble - Portugal

In Portugal, the education system, according to Decree-Law n.º 49/2005, 30th of August, provides the means for ensuring the right to an education and the access to continuous learning, as a way of promoting the global development of individual personality, social progress and a more democratic society.

The Decree-Law n.º 3/2008 (law on SNE) reinforces these principles and goals and states that:

• Pupils/students with SEN should not only receive their education in a mainstream school, but also fully join their peers in the curriculum and in the school life;
• Children with SEN should generally take part in the mainstream class rather than be isolated in separate units;
• Separate provision can occasionally be necessary for specific purposes; 
• Schools should review and adapt their approaches in order to achieve greater inclusion.

According to this decree-law, the mainstream teacher is responsible for children with SNE and for the development and implementation of the IEP.

The changes introduced by Decree-Law n.º 3/2008 must impact on the study plans of the higher education institutions responsible for teachers’ education.

The Eurybase description of initial teacher education in Portugal, which provides supporting information on national teacher education can be found at:

http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/eurybase/eurybase_full_reports/PT_EN.pdf

(Section 8.1 of the report contains information on ‘Initial training of teachers’).