Teacher training - basic and specialist teacher training - Denmark

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.