Czech Republic - Country Background Information
- Describing the forms of education in the country
- Identifying an ‘inclusive setting’ in the country
- What an ‘official decision of SEN’ means in the country
- What ‘out-of-education’ means in the country
What are the typical age ranges for the ISCED levels?
| ISCED LEVEL 02 | ISCED LEVEL 1 | ISCED LEVEL 2 | ISCED LEVEL 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-6 | 6-11 | 11-15 | 15-19 |
Educational institutions established by non-public entities (i.e. entities other than the Ministry of Education, other ministries, regional or local authorities). They must be registered in the Register of Schools and School Facilities maintained by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
Child/learner population counted for each relevant question.
All data on private education is included.
A learner with special educational needs is understood as a person who, in order to fulfil their educational opportunities or to exercise or enjoy their rights on an equal basis with others, needs the provision of support measures. Support measures are understood as necessary adjustments in education and school services corresponding to the health status, cultural environment or other living conditions of the learner. Learners with special educational needs have the right to the provision of support measures free of charge by schools and school facilities.
Criteria for an official decision of SEN:
- The legislative basis is provided by Act No. 561/2004 Coll. (School Act), Decree No. 27/2016 Coll. and Decree No. 72/2005 Coll.
- Based on pedagogical diagnostics, the school may provide support measures at the first level without an official decision from the school counselling centre.
- If the support is not sufficient, it will recommend to the legal guardians to use the counselling assistance of the school counselling centre.
- When assessing a learner's special educational needs, the school counselling centre shall base its assessment on the nature of the learner's difficulties, special pedagogical and psychological diagnostics, information on the learner's previous education, on the first level support measures, the conditions of the school, and an assessment of the health status by a health service provider, if necessary.
- Before issuing a recommendation, the school counselling centre will discuss the draft recommended support measures with the school, the adult learner or the learner's legal representative, and if this will lead to meeting the learner's educational needs, it will take their expression into account.
- The school counselling centre will issue a report and recommendations. The school is provided with only a recommendation, which is prepared for the purpose of determining support measures. The recommendation also contains a description of the learner's special educational needs, a proposal for the procedure for providing support measures, etc.
- The school provides support measures immediately after receiving a recommendation from the school counselling centre and after the learner or their legal guardian has given written informed consent to their provision at the school or school facility.
School counselling centres provide psychological and special educational support to learners, their legal guardians, and schools in accordance with Decree No. 72/2005 Coll., on the provision of counselling services in schools and school counselling centres. The provision of these services is subject to two conditions: (a) a written request submitted by an adult learner or the legal guardian of a minor, and (b) their informed consent.
The counselling service aimed at identifying a learner’s special educational needs or exceptional giftedness results in the issuance of a report and a recommendation. The content and structure of the report and recommendation are defined in Decree No. 27/2016 Coll., on the education of pupils and students with special educational needs and exceptionally gifted pupils and students. This decree also includes a description of support measures and other necessary information for the education of students with special educational needs and exceptionally gifted students.
A child, pupil, student, or their legal guardian may request a revision of a report or recommendation issued by a school counselling centre within 30 days of receiving it. Schools, educational institutions, public authorities, and the Czech School Inspectorate may also initiate a revision under specific conditions. The revision is assessed by the Review Office of the National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic.
The Review Office issues a revision report within 60 days. This report may include a new report or recommendation, which replaces the original. It is sent to the concerned parties, including the original school counselling centre, the school or institution (with limited data), and, where applicable, the authority for child protection.
Until the revision report is issued, the original report and recommendation remain in effect.
How the multi-disciplinary team is comprised in the country:
Team in school counselling centres:
- Psychologist: Diagnoses learning and behavioural issues, provides interventions, counselling and support for learners.
- Special Educator: Assesses and supports pupils with specific disabilities (e.g. speech, hearing, vision), provides interventions.
- Social Worker: Assesses social context, provides legal and social counselling, coordinates support services.
- Prevention methodologist: Co-ordinates school-based prevention of risk behaviours, supports school prevention staff, and collaborates on regional strategies.
Professional counsellors can also work in schools. These include psychologists, special educators, educational counsellors, and prevention methodologists.
A complete list of standard activities of these workers is given in Decree No. 72/2005 Coll.
The main legal documents used in the country to outline the support that the child/learner is eligible to receive are:
- Act No. 561/2004 Coll., on pre-school, primary, secondary, higher vocational and other education (the Schools Act)
- Decree No. 27/2016 Coll., on education of pupils and students with special educational needs and exceptionally gifted pupils and students, as amended
- Decree No. 72/2005 Coll., on the provision of counselling in schools and school counselling centres
How the document is used as the basis for planning in the country:
All support has to be in line with the above-mentioned legal documents.
The formal, regular review process in the country:
The school, in co-operation with the school counselling centre, the learner, and the learner’s legal guardian, continuously evaluates the implementation of support measures. The counselling centre must assess the effectiveness of the measures within a timeframe appropriate to the pupil’s special educational needs and the validity of the recommendation.
The centre specifies the validity of the support measure in its recommendation, usually up to 2 years, or up to 4 years in justified cases. The date for reassessment is included in the report and recommendation. For certain support measures, such as a teaching assistant, additional teaching staff, a Czech Sign Language interpreter, or a transcription assistant, this evaluation must take place no later than one year after the recommendation is issued. When evaluating recommendations for assistants, interpreters, or transcription services, the counselling centre must also assess whether the recommended number of hours corresponds to the pupil’s actual needs.
If the school determines that the current support measures are insufficient or no longer meet the pupil’s educational needs and potential, it must without delay recommend that the adult pupil or the pupil’s legal guardian seek assistance from the school counselling centre. The same applies if the school finds that the support measures are no longer needed.
The Czech Republic uses the same definitions as ISCED:
[…] education that is institutionalised, intentional and planned through public organizations and recognised private bodies and, – in their totality – constitute the formal education system of a country. Formal education programmes are thus recognised as such by the relevant national education or equivalent authorities, e.g. any other institution in cooperation with the national or sub-national educational authorities. Formal education consists mostly of initial education […]
Vocational education, special needs education and some parts of adult education are often recognised as being part of the formal education system. Qualifications from formal education are by definition recognised and, therefore, are within the scope of ISCED. Institutionalised education occurs when an organization provides structured educational arrangements, such as student-teacher relationships and/or interactions, that are specially designed for education and learning.
(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2011, International Standard Classification of Education ISCED 2011, p. 11).
How specific cases – such as home-educated children/learners – are considered:
Based on Act No. 561/2004 Coll., on pre-school, primary, secondary, higher vocational and other education (the Schools Act) children/learners of compulsory school age (ISCED 0 for five-year-olds, ISCED 1 and 2) must have an appropriate school where they sit verification examinations. Those children/learners are included in the statistics. Home education is one of the options for fulfilling compulsory schooling, provided certain legal conditions are met.
Children/learners who are considered out of formal education (meaning those not in formal education as defined by ISCED):
Education is compulsory from age 5 (final year of pre-primary – ISCED level 0) to age 15 (end of lower secondary – ISCED level 2). A child’s legal guardian is legally required to enrol them in a registered school (or registered pre-primary school) within their catchment area. The local municipal office must provide the catchment primary (or pre-primary) school with a list of children who are required to enrol, well before the enrolment date. If a child is not enrolled, it constitutes an offence by the legal guardian under the law - every child must receive a formal education.