•Northern part of Belgium
•More than six million inhabitants
•Capital: Brussels
•Flanders = Flemish Region + Flemish Community
Flandersin Belgiumand Europe
Flanders asa federatedstate
–3 regions
–3 communities:french, dutch andgermanresponsablefor education
Flemish education
•Flemish Minister for Education:
responsible for education policy from nurseryto university level inclusive
•But! The Federal authorities hold the powers:
–to determine the start and end of compulsory education
–to establish the minimum conditions for obtaining a diploma
–to determine education staff pensions
School population in education per levelof education (2010-2011)
Education in Flanders:general principles
•Compulsory education
•Freedom of education
•Educational networks
•Financing education
Compulsory education
•Principle: right to education
•Start: 1 September of the calendaryear in which the child reachesthe age of 6
•End: at the age of 18 or 30 Juneof the calendar year in which the childreaches the age of 18
•Full-time compulsory education until 15 or 16
•Compulsory education ≠ compulsory school attendance home education is possible
Freedom of education
•Constitution: freedom of education
•Every natural or legal person hasthe right to organise education andestablish institutions for this purpose
•School boards
•Parental freedom of choice
Educational networks
•3 educational networks :
–GO!
Community education
neutral (a-religious)
–publicly funded, publicly run education
provincial education
municipal education
–publicly funded, privately run schools
mainly Catholic organisations
specific instructional methods Steiner, Freinet, …
Financing education
•8.86 billion euro (2007)= 40 % of the Flemish budget
•Costs of schools:
–staffing costs: paid by the Ministry of Education and Training
–Operating costs: through financing or funding of schools
Structure of education
Structure of nursery andprimary education
•Mainstream nursery and primary education
–nursery education (2.5 to 6 years)
–primary education (6 to 12 years)
=> certificate of primary education
Full-time secondary education
•Stages: 1st to 3rd stage (4th stage: BSO)
•Types of education (from 2nd stage onwards):
–general secondary education (ASO)
–technical secondary education (TSO)
–secondary arts education (KSO)
–vocational secondary education (BSO)
•+/- 250 courses of study
•From 2nd stage: final choice of subjects with acommon and an optional part
•Diploma of secondary education gives unlimitedaccess to higher education
Part-time secondary education
•Part-time secondary (from 15 or 16 years)
–part-time vocational secondary education
–apprenticeship VIZO-Syntra
–recognised part-time training programmes
Act on ‘learning and working’
Organisation of specialeducation (nursery, primary and secondary education)
•Since 1970 adapted to the training and education needsof disabled pupils
•Offered in special schools=> Pupils with disabilities aremainly in special education (more than 4% of all pupilsare in special schools). Nursery: 0,78%, primary: 6,79%,secondary: 4,24%
•Number of pupils in special education last 20 years: +40%
Special education characteristics (nursery, primaryand secondary education)
•very flexible structure
•small groups
•individual action planning
•paramedical help
Special education - admission
•Only after a multidisciplinary examination (medical,psychological, social and educational)
•Certificate = issued to the parents
by pupil guidance centres (CLB’s) or some other centres
allows them to enrol their child in
a special school of their choice
Structure of special nursery,primary and secondary education
•Special nursery, primary and secondary education
There are 8 types of special education
Each type is characterised by its
own target group, objective
and its didactic contents
Structure of special nursery,primary and secondary education
•TYPE 1 : pupils with a mild mental disability (= notorganised at nursery level)
•TYPE 2 : pupils with a moderate or serious mentaldisability
•TYPE 3 : pupils with serious emotional
and/or behavioural problems
•TYPE 4 : pupils with serious physical
disability, mostly motor deficiencies
Structure of special nursery,primary and secondary education
•TYPE 5 : pupils who have to stay in a hospital or othermedical institution for a longer period of time
•TYPE 6 : for the blind and partially sighted
(= visual impairment)
•TYPE 7 : for the deaf and hard of hearing
•(=hearing impairment)
•TYPE 8 : for pupils with serious learning
difficulties ( = not organised
at nursery and secondary level)
Structure of special nursery,primary and secondary education
•Special secondary education: 4 categories
•Category 1 (OV1):
–General social skills training =>sheltered living environment
–organised in the types 2,3,4,6 and 7
–20% of special secondary education
•Category 2 (OV2):
–General social skills training + working skills training
=> sheltered living and working environment
–organised in the types 2,3,4,6 and 7
–at least 4 years, divided in 2 phases
–15% of special secondary education
Structure of special nursery,primary and secondary education
•Category 3 (OV3):
–General social skills training + vocational training (assistant level)=> regular workplace (LSE)
–= organised in the types 1,3,4,6 and 7
–minimum 5 years / 28 different courses of
study based on professional qualification
profiles
–3 phases : observation-training-
qualification+ 1 optional phase: integration
(individual transition- lowers the threshold
to enter the labour market)
–= 60% of special secondary education
Structure of nursery and primaryeducation
•Category 4 (OV4)
–acquisition of the same knowledge and skills as in regularsecondary education => higher education or regular workplace
–= organised in the types 3,4,5,6 and 7
–= 5% of special secondary education
Structure of nursery and primaryeducation
•Category 4 (OV4)
–acquisition of the same knowledge and skills as in regularsecondary education => higher education or regular workplace
–= organised in the types 3,4,5,6 and 7
–= 5% of special secondary education
Integrated education (GON)
•GON= Designed (1986) for pupils with an admissioncertificate for special education that are able to attendmainstream education with support from a school forspecial education (first type 4, 6 and 7 – later (1994) alsotype 1, 3 and 8)
•Mainstream school is assisted by teacher from specialschool with supplementary hours and an integrationallowance (transport costs)
•Integration plan is made /pupil with details about type ofhelp from teacher (pupil oriented – teacher oriented-parent oriented), material support and adaptations (e.g.SOL: braille conversions for T6), changes to curriculum(e.g. replace subjects/parts of subjects)
•Common curriculum and certification
Integrated education (GON)
•Exists in elementary eduction, secondary education andin higher education
•Support= mostly 2 supplementary hours + integrationallowance for 2 years - sometimes 4 hours/week for
entire level
•11.677 pupils in GON in 2010-2011 – strong growth inlast 10 years (2000-2001: 1.755 pupils in GON) - Growth= mainly pupils with autism
•Pupils of integrated education: percentage in nursery,primary and secondary education is limited : 0,95%
Inclusive education (ION)
•ION = Designed (2002) for pupils with anadmission certificate to special education of type2 (moderate or severe mental impairments), whoattend mainstream (primary or secondaryeducation) with support from a school for specialeducation
•Individual curriculum and alternative certification
•Project for 100 pupils every year (fixed number) –first it was fixed at 50 (2002-2008) secondaryeducation = minority (17%)
Inclusive education (ION)
•Most pupils in ION in secondary education are inBSO (vocational)
•Support= 5,5 supplementary hours (6 years) +integration allowance of 250 euro
•Integration plan is made /pupil
Changes
•GON and ION: scientific evaluation andresearch (results: fall 2012)
•Changes > ratification of UN convention onrights of persons with disabilities:
Facilitating mainstream schools to provideeducation for pupils with SEN + implementing art24 of UN convention to ensure the right onenrolment in mainstream education
Special education: more clearly defining specialeducation: e.g.: new specific type 9 for pupils withautism, clearly define other types
Future: Learning support
•Describes learning support in mainstream & specialeducation
•Replaces current typology in special education (8 types)
•The learning support matrix:
–4 levels of learning support
–4 clusters/target groups
•www.ond.vlaanderen.be/leerzorg