Support for learning in comprehensive school
Your child has the right to receive support for learning and school attendance whenever it is needed. The aim is that in comprehensive school each pupil receives support for learning and school attendance proactively and at the right time. Support for learning and school attendance is arranged primarily within your child’s own teaching group through various flexible arrangements, unless it is clearly in your child’s best interest to transfer to another group or school.
Teaching arrangements that support learning
Teaching arrangements that support learning apply to all school activities and provide the basis for taking pupils’ needs into account. These arrangements include a wide range of methods to enable pupils to learn and attend school.
Examples of teaching arrangements that support learning include:
- supporting safety and attachment to school
- a clear structure
- flexibly formed teaching groups and differentiated teaching
- language-aware teaching
- inclusive teaching arrangements and pupil-centred approaches
- giving positive feedback and guiding towards desired behaviour
- the support of teaching assistants in participation in lessons.
Group-level support measures
Group-level support measures are the right of all pupils and are the primary form of support. Group-level support is directed at the entire teaching group and no separate decision is made for an individual pupil. Group-level support is implemented flexibly and systematically.
Group-level support measures include:
- general remedial teaching provided by the teacher
- remedial teaching of the language of instruction provided by the teacher
- teaching provided by a special needs teacher alongside other teaching.
Individual support measures
Individual support measures complement the pupil’s support if group-level support measures have not been sufficient. Individual support measures are planned according to the pupil’s personal needs and are the subject of a plan and a decision based on an assessment of support needs. Individual support measures are arranged primarily in the pupil’s own school, taking the pupil’s best interest into account.
Individual support measures include:
- teaching by a special needs teacher partly in a small group and alongside other teaching
- teaching by a special needs teacher or a special class teacher in a small group
- teaching by a special class teacher in a special needs class
- individual interpretation and assistance services as well as assistive devices.
Use the service
Instructions
Contact your child’s teacher or the school’s special-needs teacher for more information on support for learning and school attendance. You will find the contact information in Wilma.
Payment information
The service is free of charge.
Service background and legislation
All pupils are entitled to group-specific forms of support, which are based on planning and anticipation. The aim is to support the pupil's learning as early as possible and at a low threshold. Group-specific forms of support are:
- general remedial teaching to address support needs and challenges identified early at the group level
- remedial teaching in the language of instruction if the pupil does not have sufficient skills in the language of instruction to complete the required syllabus
- instruction provided by a special education teacher alongside other teaching that takes into account the needs of the entire teaching group
If group-specific forms of support are not sufficient, the pupil is offered pupil-specific support measures. They are regular and based on individual support needs. Pupil-specific support measures in basic education are:
- special education teacher's instruction partly in a small group alongside other teaching
- special education teacher's or special class teacher's instruction in a small group
- special class teacher's instruction in a special class
- pupil-specific interpretation and assistant services
Special education teacher's instruction provided partly in a small group means that the pupil is in an ordinary class, but in some subjects, they study partly in a small group led by a special education teacher.
Special education teacher's or special class teacher's instruction in a small group means that the pupil is in a small group led by a special education or special class teacher for more than half of the instruction in one or more subjects. In other subjects, the pupil is in an ordinary class.
Special class instruction means primarily full-time teaching in a special class in all subjects or areas of activity. However, the pupil can participate in general teaching in some subjects, if possible.
Pupil-specific interpretation and assistant services are support services that allow pupils to participate in education in general and help them achieve the objectives set in the curriculum. They are only used when other measures are not sufficient.