The different types of Special Education
Within primary education, we have two types of special education: Special Primary Education (SPE) and Special Education (SE). Within secondary education, a child can opt for Secondary Special Education (SSE). You can read more about it here.
Types of special education
Special Primary Education (SPE)
SPE provides education to students who have difficulty learning, and do not develop well in regular education. Often this goes hand in hand with another problem. Think of insecurity, or concentration problems. Special Primary Education aims for as many students as possible to move on to regular secondary education after grade 8.
Special Education (SE)
Special Education is for students of primary school age with physical or intellectual disabilities. Or with psychological or behavioural problems. This education is divided into four clusters.
Special Secondary Education (SSE)
This type of secondary education is aimed at students with physical or intellectual disabilities, or with psychological or behavioural problems. This education is divided into four clusters.
Within the SSE, a distinction is made between 2 exit profiles: diploma-oriented and participation-oriented.
Clusters
Special Education (SE) and Secondary Special Education (SSE) are divided into four clusters. The clusters are based on students' issues. These sometimes vary greatly and therefore require different approaches and teaching. Cluster 1 and 2 are organised nationwide for this reason. Cluster 3 and 4 schools are part of the regional Partnerships for Amsterdam and Diemen.
The cluster 1 schools accommodate children who are blind or partially sighted. Yet most children who are visually impaired attend mainstream education. They can then receive additional support. In cluster 1 schools, there are special facilities such as enlargements, extra lighting and digital workbooks and speech computers. Vivis Onderwijs, a national organisation, represents the interests of blind or partially sighted children.
Cluster 2 includes schools for children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, children with severe speech/language difficulties or a language development disorder (LDD) and children with autistic spectrum disorders where the focus is on communication. At cluster 2 schools, the personalised approach is key to making communication as easy as possible for the children. These include speech computers, digital textbooks and a focus on lip reading and speech training. The interests of these schools are represented by the national cluster association Siméa.
Cluster 3 is aimed at children who have great difficulty learning and those with physical disabilities or multiple complex disabilities (i.e. intellectual and physical). This includes schools for children with long-term illnesses and schools for students with epilepsy.
Cluster 4 includes schools for children who are very difficult to raise/educate, children with psychiatric disorders, autistic spectrum disorders or severe behavioural problems and schools affiliated to pedological institutes.
Alternatives to special education
When a child needs additional support, it does not always have to be in a special school. Some possible alternatives are listed below.
Appropriate education means that schools must ensure that children are given a place in education that suits them. Schools offer additional support to children who need it. If very specialised support is needed, special education comes into the picture.
Some Amsterdam schools are a so-called intermediate facility. Intermediate facilities are schools that provide specialist support to students with specific educational and support needs.
This support cannot be offered at a regular secondary education school. Intermediate facilities have an important role in preventing a student from being placed in secondary special education.
Because of their specialised nature, the intermediate facilities have a regional function; a relatively large number of students from outside Amsterdam and Diemen attend these schools. It has been agreed that a stable number of around 700 Amsterdam students will be educated at these joint intermediate facilities. The intermediate facilities offer different levels of regular secondary education.
Practical education is part of regular secondary education. The aim of practical education is to prepare students for work or for intermediate vocational education (MBO). Classes in practical education are small. Each student follows a tailor-made learning route that matches what he or she can do and likes. Students receive a lot of personal attention and guidance.
Practical education focuses on preparing students for key areas of life: living, working, citizenship, learning and leisure. Students thus learn to function as independently as possible in society.
Learning in practical education does not take place in the traditional way. Students in practical education learn not so much from books, but mainly by doing; in other words, in practice. Theory and practice are well balanced. Besides subjects like Dutch, English and Arithmetic, students are practically engaged in subjects like engineering, service and care, green, hospitality and food or logistics and sales. In the upper grades, the internship is an important part of the learning process.
Through close cooperation with intermediate vocational education (MBO), some of the students continue their education there. Another part of the students move on to work immediately after practical school.
