Complete national overview - Denmark

Legal System

Teaching of children, young people and adults is regulated by a number of acts. General provisions are, except for the Act on Special Education for Adults, laid down in the acts applying to the relevant areas. Since 1980, the Act on Special Education for Adults has formed the legal basis for compensatory special education for adults with functional difficulties of a physical or psychological nature. Furthermore, we have a ministerial order on special educational support in vocational education and training etc. Apart from these, no specific legislation applies to pupils with special needs. General legislation, pertaining to the individual levels of education, outlines more or less directly that teaching is accessible to all and should be organised and performed in due consideration of pupils' different prerequisites and needs. Various provisions apply to special considerations in connection with examinations and the like.

Compulsory education in the Folkeskole is a decisive element of legislation. It appears clearly that all children are obliged and therefore also entitled to complete the Folkeskole or other equivalent teaching. The Act on the Folkeskole applies to all children of basic school age as well as children not yet enrolled due to their need for special educational assistance. The aims of the school, the number and scope of subjects, the organisation of the teaching in class levels, assessment and evaluation etc. are directed equally towards well-functioning pupils and pupils with severe functional disabilities.

The Act on the Folkeskole contains supplementary provisions on special rights for certain pupils and possibilities of deviating from some of the provisions in the Act. Section 3 outlines that ''Special education and other special educational assistance shall be given to children whose development requires special consideration or support'', and it is directly mentioned that these provisions may contain deviations from the subject-range of the school, the provisions on proficiency assessment and the weekly timetable. Section 3 does not mention any form of objective or categorical delimitation of the group of pupils with special educational needs. The decision as to whether a child's development requires special consideration or support depends on a concrete assessment in each individual case. In line with section 12, the assessment includes pedagogical and psychological counselling and consultation with the pupil and his/her parents.

Provisions on special education and other special educational assistance in the Act on the Folkeskole are elaborated upon and emphasised in a number of ministerial orders, circulars and guidelines on the content and organisation of teaching. The latter are subject to continuous revision. Regulations governing special education mainly focus on the following topics: the pupils, timing of initiating special education and other special educational assistance, content of the assistance, different forms of special education, procedures for referring pupils to special education and other special educational assistance, special considerations at examinations, transition from school to working life, teacher training etc.

By January 2007, the local government reform took effect. The reform meant that five new regions replaced the 14 counties and a number of municipalities were merged, resulting in 98 municipalities. Before this, the counties were in charge of the 108 institutions providing special educational support, both to children and adults. By January 2007 these institutions were transferred to the jurisdiction of either the municipalities or the new regions.

The local government reform also entailed the establishment of a national centre, VISO, compiling, producing and communicating knowledge in the field of special educational support.

Information about the Education System can be found in the links below:

Ministry of Education and Fact Sheet

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Pre-school Education

Legal provisions governing the one-year pre-school class are laid down in the Act on the Folkeskole. It states that:

• the Folkeskole shall comprise a one-year pre-school class, a nine-year basic school and a one-year 10th form;
• the municipal council shall be responsible for the establishment of pre-school classes;
• upon the request of the parents a child shall be admitted to a pre-school class in the calendar year of his or her 6th birthday or later;
• the teaching in pre-school classes shall as far as possible be given in the form of play and other developing activities. Children shall get insight into the daily routines of school life;
• for the pre-school class and the 1st and 2nd grade, parts of teaching may be integrated.

At small schools, the entire teaching in these grades may be common.

From the school year 2009-2010, the length of compulsory education will be extended from 9 to 10 years. Preschool class will be included as part of compulsory education for Danish pupils. At the same time, academic subjects of pre-school class will be clarified through a more detailed description of compulsory content and objectives of education in the pre-school class. Especially development of language skills will be in focus and pupils will go through a compulsory language assessment upon enrolment.

Furthermore, the provisions introduce age-integrated classes and differentiated starting dates for pupils up to the second grade. Teaching will be performed in accordance with the rules of co-ordinated enrolment.

Compulsory School

In Denmark education - not schooling - is compulsory. Compulsory education implies the obligation to participate in teaching provided in the Folkeskole or comparable to what is generally required in the Folkeskole.

According to the Danish Constitution, all children of compulsory education age have a right to free education in the Folkeskole. Parents or persons with legal custody of children, who provide the children with instruction that meets the general requirements set out for the teaching in the Folkeskole, are not obliged to enrol their children in the Folkeskole.

Compulsory education commences on 1 August of the calendar year of a child's 7th birthday and terminates on 31 July of the year, in which he or she has received regular instruction for 9 years, not including pre-school class. This means pupils between 6 and 16/17 years of age.
Apart from the compulsory grades and the pre-school year to the 9th grade, there is an optional 11th year in the Folkeskole (10th grade).

Transition Period

Educational and vocational guidance is highly prioritized in Denmark. The overall structure as well as seven national targets for guidance are defined in the Act on Guidance in Relation to Choice of Education, Training and Career, adopted by the Danish Parliament (the Folketing) in April 2003. The Act has been amended twice: in 2006 and 2007. The Ministry of Education is responsible for continuous supervision and development of guidance services in the educational sector.
The Act on Guidance is primarily targeted at young people up to the age of 25 years, but it also concerns services for adults wishing to enter a higher education programme.

There are two different types of guidance centres:

1. Youth guidance centres with responsibility for guidance related to the transition from compulsory school to youth education;
2. Regional guidance centres with responsibility for guidance related to the transition from youth education to higher education.

The Ministry of Education is responsible for a national guidance portal. It provides information on:

• Education and training possibilities at all levels
• Vocations/professions
• Labour market conditions and statistics
• Study programmes taught in English at Danish colleges and universities
• Other features include an electronic career planning tool, a section with an electronic news service, a quarterly journal and various resources, especially aimed at guidance practitioners.

The Minister of Education has established a National Dialogue Forum on Guidance in order to secure a close dialogue between the Minister and relevant organisations, institutions, guidance counsellor associations, end users and individuals holding a leading position in the field of guidance.

Quality in guidance is an on-going topic of discussion in Denmark. Quality in guidance provision can be improved through better qualifications of the guidance practitioners. Six university colleges in Denmark offer a one-year modular common training programme at diploma level for guidance practitioners across sectors. Furthermore, the Danish University of Education offers a one-year Master of Education programme in guidance counselling. In 2007 an amendment to the 2003 Act on Guidance stated that guidance practitioners working in the education system shall complete the diploma programme or, alternatively, shall prove  – through assessment and recognition of prior learning – that they hold the required qualifications.

The Division for Guidance in the Danish Ministry of Education is actively involved in international cooperation in the field of guidance, and the main aims and elements of the Danish guidance reform are very much in line with the EU Resolution on Lifelong Guidance and with EU and OECD recommendations on guidance policies and practices.

In June 2007 the Folketing (Danish Parliament) agreed on another comprehensive plan for adult guidance services. The plan focuses on improving information and guidance services related to adult and further education and training. Four new initiatives will be implemented over a three-year period: adult guidance networks - a national centre for competence development - an internet-based guidance portal - a national adult guidance council.

For more detailed information on guidance, please see: http://www.eng.uvm.dk/Uddannelse/Educational%20and%20vocational%20guidance/The%20Danish%20guidance%20system/Youth%20Guidance%20Centres.aspx

Financing

The total educational expenditure in 2006 (including study grants) was approx. 137 billion DKK, or 8% of the GDP.
The different levels of the Danish education system under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education are funded by means of the so-called ''taximeter system'' (i.e. according to the principle that ''the money follows the student'').

The taximeter system is part of the Ministry's overall strategy of target and framework management. The main idea behind this strategy is that decisions about implementation of courses of education are best made by the persons directly faced with the problems, i.e. the heads and boards of the educational institutions.

The system is based on the allocation of grants to institutions according to their level of activity: a lot students releases a large grant; a few students only releases a small grant. The budget of the previous year has no influence on the size of the budget of the following year.

A key element in the taximeter system is the block grant principle. As long as the block grant is used for legitimate purposes, the institution is free to spend the money in accordance with its own priorities.
All schools financed by central government receive their grants based on various taximeter systems adapted to the different types of schools.

Pre-school Education

Nurseries, kindergartens, other day-care institutions and pre-school classes are financed by the local authorities from block grants allocated by the State.

Compulsory Schooling

As a municipal school, the Folkeskole is not financed from the taximeter system. Municipalities decide upon the system of financing of schools under their responsibility; however, the Ministry of Education has laid down certain minimum requirements.

Transition Period

Secondary education can be divided into general upper secondary education and vocational secondary education.
The Ministry of Education lays down rules of guidance for the schools. Schools, geographically dispersed, are self-governing institutions with different backgrounds and academic profiles. They finance the implementation of one or more of the upper secondary education programmes by means of grants from the Ministry of Education, provided on the basis of student numbers. The head of the school answers to a board, whose composition reflects the school’s specific profile. The teachers and pupils of the school appoint representatives to the board. The school board appoints and dismisses the headteacher and has overall responsibility for the running of the school and its activities.

For more detailed information, please see: http://www.eng.uvm.dk/~/media/Files/English/Fact%20sheets/080101_fact_sheet_gymnasium.ashx

Vocational upper secondary education

The Minister of Education allocates a yearly grant to the colleges to cover administration, management and operation of buildings. The operational grant is made up of a basic grant, outlined in the Government's annual Finance Acts, and a grant allocated on the basis of the number of students enrolled per year plus a rate per student per year. The rate per student per year is outlined in the annual Finance Acts for large groups of programmes.
Furthermore, the Minister of Education allocates grants to colleges for the acquisition and maintenance of classrooms, buildings and areas. Grants are based on the number of students enrolled per year plus a rate per student, as laid down in the annual Finance Acts for large groups of programmes. The rates may vary on the basis of the geographical location of the colleges and other aspects.

Identification of Special Educational Needs

The decision as to whether a child's development requires special consideration or support rests upon a concrete assessment in each individual case. In line with section 12 in the Act on the Folkeskole, the decision shall be made upon educational and psychological counselling and upon consultation of the pupil and his/her parents.
Normally teacher(s) in mainstream settings discover a given pupil's special needs.

The local educational-psychological advisory services (PPR) are obliged to give a statement upon request of the pupil or the parents. In such cases parents can contact the local education authorities or the educational-psychological advisory services.
The educational-psychological advisory services look into the nature of the need and make proposals for remedying it. The headteacher of the school decides whether a pupil will be referred to special education. Finally, the educational-psychological advisory services follow the development of the pupil in order to make the necessary adjustments, including discontinuation of the support.

As far as possible, children are taught at the class level of their age. A pupil may however, with the approval of his/her parents, attend the same grade for two years, if it is considered to be of his or her benefit, or he/she may be offered 11 years of teaching in addition to the pre-school class.

Special needs education within the education system

The general objectives of special education states that children with special needs are taught in mainstream school environments as far as this is possible, and that all children are entitled to teaching adapted to their pre-requisites, possibilities and needs. Following this, teaching objectives are similar to those applying to the different levels of the education system.

The free choice of school

Parents, including parents of children with special needs, have the right to enroll their child in a Folkeskole of their choice within the municipality of their residence or within other municipalities. This include schools specialising in special needs education within the municipality of residence or within other municipalities. The free choice of school is, however, limited in the sense that the chosen school should be able to offer relevant support for the child with special needs and must be capable to accommodate the pupil.
On 1 October 2008 rules were for children under the age of 18 with severe and permanent disabilities and a special need for support. Changes apply to assessment of the child, co-operation with the parents and involvement of the child in the planning.  Under certain circumstances parents are given the right to train their child partly or completely at home and to receive support in doing so. The support includes special needs education in the form of language support to both children under and within the schooling age, who are being taught at home. Furthermore, parents who choose home tuition of their child with special needs can receive educational guidance to fulfill the educational needs of the child.

Special education can be organised in different ways. In most cases, the pupil remains in a mainstream school class and receives special education in one or more subjects as a supplement to the general teaching. A pupil may receive special education that substitutes participation in the normal education in one or more subjects. Alternatively, he or she may be taught in a special class, either in mainstream or special school settings. Finally, the pupil may attend either a mainstream school class or a special class and be taught in both types of classes. Special classes exist for pupils with for example intellectual disabilities, dyslexia, visual impairment, hearing problems and for pupils with a physical impairment.

Pre-school education

Special educational assistance for infants is regulated by a ministerial order from 2006.
Contrary to children at school age, the obligation to offer special educational assistance to infants comprises only infants with speech and/or language difficulties that require special support provisions. Special assistance is offered to these children in order to prevent development that would be harmful for the child and to limit the consequences of their impairment, as well as to support and develop the child's linguistic and communicative skills. A speech/hearing therapist is normally engaged to work with the child.

The structural reform (cf. p. 2) extends the responsibility of providing special assistance. Local authorities are now obliged to provide special educational assistance to all children in need for this.

These extra responsibilities are related to the statutory objective of the reform. The objective of special educational assistance is to provide early intervention to children with special needs to give them equal status with other children at the start of school.
The parents can contact the educational-psychological advisory service (PPR) in their municipality and ask for special educational assistance for their child.  However, a request for assistance is normally initiated by other parties who are in daily contact with the child, such as health visitors, day care nurses, doctors or staff in nurseries or kindergartens.

PPR is obliged to assess the child's needs for special educational assistance upon such a request.
The Ministry of Education's guidelines on special educational assistance for infants were developed in 1980. According to these, special educational assistance for infants will take place in an active learning environment and must form a well-integrated part of the overall framework of provisions put together for the child; thus it must be well co-ordinated with other activities.
This being said, special educational assistance given in the Folkeskole should seek to prevent removing the infant for teaching and/or training in privacy. Focus is on guiding parents and educationalists in day-care centres etc. on how best to support the child's development. Furthermore, co-operation should be established with other institutions and professionals working with the same children.

The role of the municipality and the educational-psychological advisory service

The municipalities and the regions are obliged to follow up on the development of children referred to special educational assistance. They meet at least once a year to discuss necessary adjustments, i.e. continuation, alterations or discontinuation of the assistance.

Based on advice from PPR, the head teacher will decide to continue, alter or discontinue the special educational assistance provided for the child. Decisions on special education and other special educational assistance provided by the regions are taken by the municipality. Decisions on the contents of extensive special educational assistance are taken by the regional council, upon consultation with the municipality. All decisions must be taken in consultation with the parents.
As for infants, the PPR is obliged to re-assess each case within the course of no more than six months.

Compulsory Schooling

The Act on the Danish Folkeskole outlines the necessity of close cooperation between the school and the local PPR regarding the provision of special education offered to pupils in mainstream school. Special education is always initiated upon advice from the PPR - deviations from this rule are made only if support is offered as a provisional arrangement, i.e. for no more than 15 school days.

Special education counselling is partly under the responsibility of PPR, who are therefore important contributors to the on-going work of providing special educational resources to the mainstream education system.
Special educational assistance comprises all sorts of provision required for the instruction of pupils:

• Teaching within all subjects of the Folkeskole
• Training functions and work methods
• Counselling and special educational assistance to parents, teachers etc.
• Special educational materials and technical aids
• Personal assistance
• Special arrangements and activities

Teaching materials and technical aids

The PPR is responsible for estimating whether specific teaching materials or aids could enhance a pupil's learning opportunities or compensate for difficulties such as a handicap. For instance, the PPR estimates the necessity of providing a computer in school or at home for a pupil. The PPR does not always possess the internal expertise needed in a given situation, and therefore planning - including budgetary planning - must include expenses of buying external expertise in order to meet with the professional requirements that are expected from the service at the basis of a proposal developed by its staff.

Extensive special educational assistance

The municipality refers children and young people to the provision of special education and other special educational assistance under the responsibility of the region. The municipality will refer pupils whose development requires special consideration or support that is best provided by the region.

The PPR will advise on the structure and nature of the special educational assistance proposed for the child, and whether this should be provided by the region or the municipality. If the region is recommended, PPR must outline the reason for this. The statement must include an estimation of the municipality's possibilites to meet the needs of the child, in terms of availability of facilities and/or needed expertise.

The region is responsible for organising and providing special education within the mainstream education system for pupils and students below the age of 18, who reside in the region and who have been referred to special education by the municipal council. The region also decides on the content of the educational programme, based on consultations with the municipality and upon specific request from the municipality.

Some Danish regions offer educational-psychological counselling also to parents, whose child has been referred to extensive special educational assistance, provided by the region.

Development of mainstream educational services

Official guidelines for special needs education in the Folkeskole outlines the importance of inclusiveness and differentiated teaching. High priority is given to enhance educational inclusiveness in the Folkeskole in order to limit the segregation of pupils with special needs.
Current legislation on special education in the Folkeskole was introduced in 2000. The educational-psychological advisory services play an important role in promoting inclusiveness in mainstream schools.
A child is put forward for an educational-psychological assessment procedure if it is assumed that he or she has special needs that cannot be met with in a mainstream school class, or if the general well-being or social situation of the child is of concern. Special education will be initiated only if it is not possible for the child to follow an educational programme in the mainstream class.

Differentiated teaching

Teaching in the Folkeskole is organised so that it corresponds to the needs and prerequisites of the individual pupil. The use of differentiated teaching methods is promoted, not only by the individual teacher in his or her classroom, but as an overall principle of the school.
It is very important to try out all possibilities to meet with the pupil's needs in the mainstream classroom - including differentiated teaching - before he or she is referred to special education. Differentiated teaching methods should be practised in relation to contents, time, teaching methods and materials as well as all pedagogical and special educational provisions offered at the school.
According to law, special educational support should always be initiated within the framework of a mainstream educational programme. The responsible parties must seek to organise the support so that it does not bring along unnecessary changes and interventions into the pupil's school life.

Assessment

If a pupil's needs are considered to require resources and support provisions that are not available within the mainstream school, the school will put the pupil forward for an educational-psychological assessment procedure, upon consultation with the parents and the pupil. If the parents do not want an assessment for their child, the head teacher must state very strong reasons for doing so without their acceptance.
In January 2009 some procedural changes were proposed to the Folketing regarding referral to special education. It is being suggested that the educational-psychological advisory services may be omitted if special education is given in individual subjects. This decision should be taken by the school leader.

The parents and the pupil can also apply directly to the local PPR for educational-psychological counselling. Special educational assistance is provided for the child on the basis of:

• the assessment procedure
• proposals from PPR
• if needed, a written report

If the PPR advisory services find that the pupil needs special educational assistance, they will prepare a more detailed proposal to the head teacher of the school. If it is found that assistance is not needed, PPR will inform the head teacher and offer to discuss further the situation and needs of the child with the teachers who have notified him or her for assessment.

The proposal of the PPR is followed up by a written report if necessary. Parents are always entitled to request such a report.
The PPR is obliged to consult relevant external experts during the assessment procedure, i.e. professionals from the social and health service sector, regional advisors and knowledge centres. The PPR will then draft the proposal for assistance in consultation with the parents. In case of disagreement between the parents and the PPR, the advisory services must inform the head teacher and state whether they find it "imperative" to initiate special educational assistance for the child. On the basis of this, the head teacher decides if the child should be referred to special educational assistance or not. Consent from the parents is needed, unless it is stated "imperative" to refer the child to special educational assistance.

Compulsory final examinations for all

Act No. 313 of 19 April 2006 introduced compulsory final examinations at the end of 9th grade in the Folkeskole. The change was made to ensure that all young people have a good academic foundation when they leave the Folkeskole. Thereby, they will also have the best basis for completing secondary or youth education.
The introduction of compulsory final examinations means that all pupils in the Folkeskole must take seven examinations at the end of the 9th grade.

A school cannot obtain general exemption from the participation in the final examinations for all pupils. However, in special situations the principal can decide to exempt a pupil from taking one or more of the examinations. This concerns pupils for whom taking the examination is found inappropriate due to severe disabilities or insufficient knowledge of the Danish language. The decision presupposes that it has been considered whether the pupil can take the examination under special conditions. The decision is further made on the basis of an educational and psychological evaluation of the pupil and in consultation with the parents.

Complaints

Parents can file a complaint with the municipality against the decision of the head teacher. The final decision lies with the municipality. Parents can bring forward the municipal decisions concerning special educational assistance, rejections or revocations to a complaint's board dealing with extensive special educational assistance. The same goes for the region's decisions on the content of the educational programme.

If the child is proposed to receive special educational assistance in a special school, the parents are entitled to receive an alternative proposal for teaching in the mainstream school - to be given either in the mainstream classroom or in a special class.
The decision, concerning children with severe physical and/or intellectual special needs, can be complained against to an impartial complaints board, appointed by the Ministry of Education. This access to a complaints procedure has been extended as part of the local government reform. Recent estimations from Autumn 2007 shows that 313 complaints had been received at the complaints board - all concerning public schools. It should be noted that the complaints board suggests that most of the incoming complaints are solved by settlement between parents and the municipality.

The agreement in 2008 between the organisation for local governments in Denmark and the Government initiates an analysis of the special needs area. The analysis must include the content, scope and resources within the area. The intention is to reduce the increase in special needs education. The analysis is initiated but not yet finalised.

Pupils with special needs in free private independent schools

Free private independent schools are obliged to offer special education and special educational services to the pupils corresponding to the services offered in the Folkeskole. The Government offers grants towards the free private independent schools. The annual budget includes special grants connected to education of pupils with a disability as well as bilingual pupils.
The Danish Educational Support Agency administrates the aid scheme on special conditions for applications, deadlines, documentation etc. The schools apply for support, and the decision of the Agency is communicated to the school, which then informs the pupil and the parents.

The support is used to compensate for the specific educational consequences of a disability (or bilingual background). This takes place in the form of special education, support education in Danish of bilingual pupils and coverage of extra expenses for special education, practical support, aids and transportation of pupils with severe disabilities.

Complaints procedure of special education in free private independent schools

The Agency administers the special educational assistance agreements for pupils with disabilities at free private independent schools, vocational training, general and vocational upper secondary education and further and higher education. The Agency's decisions can be complained against to an impartial complaints board – (Ankenævnet for Uddannelsesstøtten). In such cases an expert appointed by the Disabled Peoples’ Organisations, Denmark (DPOD) will attend. The complaints board can change the decision of the Agency completely or partly. The chair of the complaints board must be a judge and a legal judgment of the claim from the pupil will be made.

Transition Period

45 municipal Youth Guidance Centres provide guidance to young people up to the age of 25 years. The 45 centres cover the 98 municipalities in Denmark, each centre covering a “sustainable” area in terms of the number and variety of youth education institutions as well as geographical distance.

As early as during the last year of primary education (6th grade), individual pupil plans are developed in the form of ideas about what should happen after compulsory education or the voluntary 10th grade following compulsory education.

In Denmark this transition plan is drafted partly on the basis of the so-called "Uddannelsesbogen" (the Educational Record) and the "Uddannelsesplanen" (the Educational Plan). This latter presents a kind of portfolio, which is created in the 6th grade and contains summaries of individual dialogues between the counsellor and the pupil on topics such as when and where the educational programme will be completed, aims of the programme and how to best achieve progress.

The Educational Record contains necessary documentation about the counselling process and the pupil's choices during this process. The course of choosing a youth educational programme or employment after schooling is also reflected in the Educational Record.

The Educational Record deals with issues such as the pupil's strenghts, interests, expectations to the future and requirements for development. The pupil's efforts during a certain time span may also be stated as intermediate aims in the Educational Record.
The pupil's wishes and expectations, as stated in the Educational Record, are not binding for his or her future choices. They are meant to serve as guidelines for defining important issues in relation to the transition from school to further education or employment.

On the basis of the Educational Record the pupil will prepare an Educational Plan in the 9th grade. This may be repeated in the 10th grade. The Plan will show the pupil's aims and objectives in relation to further education or employment. The reason why it could be drafted again during the 10th grade is that compulsory education finishes after the 9th grade.

To strengthen pupils’ abilities to choose a programme for further education or employment, educational, vocational and labour market relations are taught as a subject during the last years of schooling. Furthermore, all pupils are offered vocational training. Young people with special educational needs are offered a more comprehensive vocational training programme than others, and they might also be offered a work-training programme of longer duration during their last years of schooling. This will be arranged either for two whole days per week, in which case the pupil will attend school for the remaining three days, or it can be for five afternoons per week, so that the pupil attends school each day from 8 a.m. to 12 approximately. The pupil will receive non-tariff based remuneration, i.e. a so-called financial reward for participating in the work-training programme. This kind of work training is known in several European countries as "the Dual System".

Furthermore, each municipality can offer all pupils the possibility to participate in a bridge-building programme in the course of the 9th and 10th grade. These are programmes combining guidance and teaching. They aim at providing the young person with better possibilities and motivation in order for him or her to choose and accomplish a youth education programme and to develop professional and personal qualifications. In Denmark youth education programmes cover:

• General upper secondary education
• Vocational upper secondary education (e.g. vocational education and training, agricultural education, social and health education)

The duration of these bridge-building programmes varies from 1 to 4 weeks. They comprise elements from various types of schooling as mentioned above, or they can be organised so that pupils attend courses at production schools or labour market introductory courses.

New Upper Secondary Education for Young People with Special Needs

Major reforms and innovations have been introduced in the education system, in particular concerning the organisation, structure and management of the education system.
In June 2007 the Act on Education for Young People with Special Needs was passed. It addresses mainly young people who are mentally handicapped or people with special needs, who are not able to complete a mainstream education programme. The main purpose for the young person is to attain personal, social and - to the best extent possible -vocational competencies in order to be an active and independent citizen in adulthood.

This education is a legal right and is offered after compulsory primary and lower secondary education (the Folkeskole). It comprises 3 years of training and can be attended until 25 years of age. The programme should be finalised after five years. Details of the programme are planned in co-operation with the young person, their parents and the Youth Guidance Centres (Ungdommens Uddannelsesvejledning).

Since this youth education programme is fairly new, the full extent is not yet known. It is expected to take in approximately 2.3 percent of a youth year group or almost 4,100 young people. The authority, responsibilities and financing of youth education for young people with special needs are assigned to the municipalities. The municipalities are also responsible for social welfare services and job creation programmes; thus they will be able to co-ordinate effors to improve participation in public life for young people with special needs. As of 31 May 2008, 790 students had initiated a programme of education for young people with special needs.

Aims and purposes of each education programme at each level

The objective of educational programmes for young people with special needs is to ensure that young people who are mentally handicapped or people with special needs who are not able to complete a mainstream education programme attain personal, social and vocational competencies in order to be an active and independent citizen in adulthood and, if possible, complete further education and enter the labour market.  Participants receive a paper of competencies upon finalisation of the programme, outlining the competencies acquired during the course.

Curricular policies, educational content and teaching and learning strategies

Planning of education courses for young people with special needs should – to the full extent possible – consider the individual's qualifications, maturity and interests and should consist of one planned and co-ordinated course.
Legal framework of education (in particular, new legal provisions). Act no. 564 of 6 June 2008 on Education for Young People with Special Needs.

Objectives and principal characteristics of current and forthcoming reforms. The Act on Education for Young People with Special Needs was implemented on 1 August 2007.

Adjustments might be needed, thus it has been decided to evaluate the Act no later than in the school year 2011/2012. Until then, education programmes will be monitored and evaluated frequently.

Special needs education for adults

Special needs education for adults is offered to people with physical or mental disabilities. Special needs education for adults consists of planned, targeted and progressive efforts with the aim to compensate – through education – for the consequenses of a disability. Participants learn strategies and methods that enable them to a larger extent to take part in society on equal terms as people without disabilities.

Education is primarily offered at special schools for adults and at institutes for people with speaking, hearing or vision impairments. The institutions are either owned by the local authorities or run by regional authorities in agreement with the local authorities. Furthermore, private institutions may have an agreement with the local authorities and thereby offer special needs education to adults. Teaching may also take place at the participants own home, at work, etc.

Teaching adults with dyslexia

Teaching of dyslexic adults is adapted to people with basic difficulties in acquiring written language skills. The aim is, through specially organised teaching, to help participants overcome the difficulties and improve their options to solve tasks requiring written language skills.
Teaching of adults with dyslexia is planned, targeted and progressive. It is a means of supporting participants’ possibilities to take advantage of compensation strategies and methods to participate successfully in jobs, education and society.

Teaching for adults with dyslexia includes a state-financed teaching programme offered by an adult education centre (VUC). In accordance with an operational agreement with VUC, teaching for dyslectic adults is also provided by:

• Institutions that provide labour market education programmes (AMU)
• Institutions for vocationally oriented education
• Adult education associations and day folk high schools
• Folk high schools, home economics schools and trade schools
• Production schools
• Language centres
• Social and healthcare training schools (SOSU)
• The Forestry College
• Educational institutions with basic maritime education programmes
• Educational institutions with teaching programmes for adults with special needs

Teaching for dyslectic adults can be provided locally in public and private companies, in associations and in academic organisations.

Teacher Training – basic and specialist teacher training

Special education legislation outlines the qualifications required from the educators and teachers involved. For teaching infants, teachers must have completed initial training as teachers or educators as well as a special one-year course in special education at the Danish University of Education.

Special needs assistance in primary and lower secondary school up to the 10th grade is provided by teachers with specific course training. Special needs assistance in pre-school classes may be provided by social educators with similar pre-requisites. The same applies to special needs assistance in subjects or areas with coordinated education pursuant to the Act on the Folkeskole.
Special education follows the basic principle that if the teacher is responsible for all teaching of one or more pupils, he or she must have completed a course of education qualifying him or her to the given task. If teaching is a supplement to mainstream teaching in one or more subjects, there are no particular qualification requirements. It is not formal, but real qualifications that are important.

Development of inclusion

As mentioned earlier, teaching is fundamental in Danish primary and lower secondary schools. Each school is responsible for the variation in teaching methods, teaching materials, subjects etc. In order to meet each pupil’s needs and abilitites, the school principal ensures that each teacher provides adequate challenges to all pupils, irrespective of their varying capabilities and needs. Obligations concerning differentiated teaching concern pupils with special educational needs as well as all other pupils. The concept of differentiated teahing constitutes the overall framework and does not specify the actual measures adopted. In effect, the individual teacher is granted substantial autonomy in providing differentiated teaching.

If differentiated teaching is not sufficient, pupils can remain in a mainstream school class and receive special education in one or more subjects as a supplement to ordinary teaching. A pupil may receive special education to substitute participation in ordinary education in one or more subjects. Alternatively, teaching may be provided in a special class, either in mainstream or special settings. Finally, the pupil may attend either a mainstream school class or a special class and be taught in both types of classes.
A concrete assessment will decide whether a child’s development requires special consideration or support. Section 3 in the Act on the Folkeskole states that this decision must be made upon educational and psychological counselling and upon consultation of the pupil and his/her parents.

Teacher(s) in mainstream settings generally discover a given pupil’s special needs. The educational-psychological counselling services look into the nature of the needs and make proposals for remedying it. The school headteacher decides whether a pupil is referred to special education.

Quality indicators for SNE

Teaching should enable pupils to acquire the forms of cognition and working methods of the individual subjects. They should be given the opportunity to practise and develop acquired knowledge and skills through interdisciplinary topics and issues.
The class teacher has the main responsibility for supporting the subject-specific and social development of the pupils and must ensure overall coherence and progression in teaching. The Act on the Folkeskole outlines the class teacher's coordinating role in organising teaching, including interdisciplinary teaching and teaching in mandatory subjects.

The organisation of the teaching, including the choice of teaching and working methods, teaching materials and the selection of subjects must meet the aims set by the Ministry of Education. These should be diverse and correspond to the needs and abilities of the individual pupil. The head teacher ensures the class teacher and other teachers in the class plan and organise their teaching in order to challenge all pupils. Every school year teachers and pupils cooperate continuously in each subject to determine and meet the objectives of the pupil. The work should be organised in due consideration of the objectives set out.  Whenever possible, working methods and selection of subjects take place in cooperation between teachers and pupils.

The concept of differentiated teaching as laid down in the Act on the Folkeskole implies that teaching should be adapted to the individual pupil to the greatest extent possible. The split into a basic and advanced level was eliminated with the Act of 1994. From the 1st – 10th grade teaching may be organised in groups in the classroom or between different classes, where this is practical and sensible. At all grade levels, pupils must be taught together for the major part of the school day.

Information Technology (IT) must be integrated in all subjects at all grade levels. This means IT is fully integrated into mandatory subjects and the three optional subjects. Pupils are given the possibility to acquire basic knowledge in the IT area. The integration of IT is written into the curriculum guidelines. From the school year 2006-2007 written pupil appraisal plans are produced for all public schools.

The pupil appraisal plan should be prepared once a year and should comprise all subjects where the pupil receives instruction. It should be short and precise in order to be a useful and easily accessible tool for teachers, pupils and parents. The pupil appraisal plan must include information on how assessment, appraisal and evaluation of the benefits of education has been conducted throughout the year. It should be clearly outlined how the teacher and the pupil intend to follow up on the achieved results and educational goals for the period ahead must also be described.

In addition to basic skills, the Folkeskole is required by law to help promote each individual pupil’s personal and social development according to his or her capability. Working methods are modified towards the pupil’s attainment of greater self-reliance and maturity. This aspect of pedagogic policy requires close cooperation between school and home, and an ongoing dialogue is sought between teachers, parents and pupils.

The Act is very clear on this point, requiring that pupils and parents be regularly informed of the pupil's benefits of schooling. ‘Regularly’ means at least twice a year and refers explicitly to information about the pupil’s personal and social development as well as academic attainments.

A series of national tests were introduced in spring 2007 in order to provide teachers with a tool for better the overall assessment of the pupils' academic level. The tests are individual and computer based and take approx. 45 minutes.

The national tests are innovative as they are constantly adapted to the level of the individual pupil. If the pupil answers the first question correctly, the following question is automatically made sligthly more difficult. If the answer is incorrect, the next question is automatically made sligthly easier. Therefore, all tests will differ. When the test is completed, the computer will print out a text describing the pupil’s academic level in the subject tested, exempting teachers from correcting the test assignments.

The teacher will inform the pupil of the results and these will be included in the on-going interviews between the teacher and the pupil regarding future goals for education. The school will inform the parents of the pupil's test results, not in form of a grade but a written description of the results: a 1-2 page computer printout of the results following the completion of the test.

The implementation of written pupil appraisal plans and national tests have implied continous discussions about advantages and disadvantages. The idea of both tests and appraisal plans is to provide the teacher with an effective tool to help teacher, parents and the pupil focus on the pupil's specific needs. The discussions have raised doubts as to whether the test and plans works the way they are supposed to.

Online Literature from the Danish Ministry of Education

Below is a list of foreign language publications dealing with the different levels of the Danish education system and with other educational issues.
http://www.eng.uvm.dk/service/Publications.aspx

For more information about the education system in Denmark you can access the new Eurydice database