Special needs education within the education system - Slovenia

Special needs education within the education system 

Children with SEN have the option to attend:

• Regular schools and nursery schools

• Schools offering the adopted programmes

• Units at  regular schools which follow the adapted programme 

• Units at specialised institutions.

The majority of children attending specialised institutions have one or more other deficiencies aside from their main disability. Thus, they require specially adapted forms of work, health-care and rehabilitation, neither of which can be provided during integration into regular schools.

A large majority of children with SEN attend regular schools, where they are provided with additional professional assistance as decided by the guidance commission. The latter can take the form of additional hours of assistance to overcome the deficiencies, barriers and/or disorders (e.g., deaf pupils receive the help of a surdo-pedagogue) or the form of learning assistance with the objective to facilitate learning for a specific subject. A permanent or temporary assistant can be assigned to pupils with heavier or severe physical impairments, depending on the severity of their impairments, so as to assist them during lessons or with other activities during school time. 

The groups of children with SEN integrated in regular schools are as follows:

• Children with deficiencies in specific fields of education who could be very successful with adjustments and additional assistance;

• Children with emotional and behavioural problems; excluding children, who, in addition to their emotional and behavioural deficiencies, have additional problems (mental problems, reduced cognitive skills) and attend schools within a specialised institution; mainly such problems are the result of a disorderly domestic environment.

• Children with a long-term illness who, during their hospital treatment, attend the hospital school – a unit of a regular school, located in the same city as the hospital;

• Children with speech and language problems provided that such deficiencies are not too severe (autism); in such cases children attend specialised institutions for the deaf or schools offering an adapted programme. 

• Children with physical disabilities attending education at an institution which corresponds to their intellectual abilities; if their movement is heavily restricted or they suffer from any other deficiency that requires medical rehabilitation, or they are integrated into specialised institutions.

• The majority of deaf children or children with hearing impairments, and blind children or children with visual impairments; only children, who suffer from an additional deficiencies beside their main disability are integrated into specialised institutions.

Children with complex or severe mental problems attend schools with adapted programmes that provide education at a lower level and special education programmes. Formal recognition of practice based on the formation of groups, following the adapted education programme(s), within regular schools is increasing.

Pre-school children have the option to attend nursery schools, providing adapted programmes adjusted to specific deficiencies within specialised institutions. However, they may also decide to attend regular nursery schools where they are provided with assistance from a relevant professional. Pre-school children with complex deficiencies can access development units within nursery schools that have been recognised in practice as an effective treatment for this group of pre-school children. The education process within these units also involves a physiotherapist, a work therapist and the occasional involvement of a psychologist. The prescribed maximum number of children in such groups is limited to six, while the group must be constantly supervised by at least two professional members of staff.

Pupils with SEN are also provided with the option to opt for basic school education provision at their place of residence. Through the education a child must acquire the same education standard as required by the programme of the public school. The decision on education at the place of residence is adopted by the commission that examines the child and assesses that, due to deficiencies, barriers or disorders, a pupil can not attend education at school. Parents are required to ensure suitable learning and teaching conditions at their home. Assessment and evaluation of the pupil is organised at a school, and/or institution, where the pupil has been registered. Resources for education are provided from the state budget, whereas the Minister of Education adopts the decision on the allocation of funding for each individual school year. 

The number of children assigned to regular schools and nursery schools, in cooperation with specialised institutions upon their first examination by the commission is constantly increasing. Specialised institutions organise continuous teacher training programmes and provide practical advice for work with children with SEN. Mobile teachers from specialised institutions and schools with an adapted programme provide for children with special needs in regular schools – individual and professional group aid for overcoming deficiencies, barriers and disorders.

The Basic School Act (1996, last revised in 2008) allows pupils’ transfer between programmes. Basic school pupils can transfer from the adapted education programme to the education programmes with professional support, offered at regular schools. Permanent or temporary transfers of pupils in specific subjects or subject groups are also possible. Children, attending special programmes may, occasionally, also participate in the adapted programmes.