1.2 Purposes of education
1.2.1 Aims, objectives, values, principles
1.2.2 Special programmes
1.2 Purposes of education
See section 1.2 of the mainstream Spain Archive.
1.2.1 Aims, objectives, values, principles
Historical background
Special education was first legislated for in Spain under the 1970 General Act on Education.8 Until then, special education had been marginal and was not provided for by the authorities. Under the 1970 Act, an education system parallel to the (ordinary) mainstream system was created in schools and special education units, targeted at those students considered to have special needs.12
Subsequently, the 1978 Constitution7 guaranteed all Spanish citizens the right to an education and entrusted public authorities with the implementation of a policy providing for the treatment, rehabilitation and integration of people with special needs in all areas of life.12
In 1978, the National Special Education Institute (INEE) drew up a National Plan for Special Education. This addressed the principles of educational mainstreaming and personalised attention that should prevail in all public action taken in relation to persons with some kind of special need.12
There is additional, specific legislation, which aims to ensure that as many students as possible with special educational needs are integrated into the mainstream education system. This process began with the 1982 Act on the Social Integration of the Handicapped6 and the 1985 Royal Decree on the Organisation of Special Education,5 which introduced mainstream provision for such children.9
The 1982 Act6 expanded on the original precept of the Constitution (and INEE's National Plan for Special Education) by stipulating a series of measures regarding the personal, social and occupational attention to be available for those with special needs. Such measures included the basic guidelines to be followed in the field of education, to ensure that students with special educational needs were provided with the opportunity to attain, as far as possible, general educational goals.12
The 1985 Act5 introduced the placement of no more than two students with special educational needs per class, and the maintenance of a ratio of 25 students per teacher in groups with students with special educational needs.16
Legislation
LOPEG, the Organic Act 9/19953 on participation, evaluation and administration of educational establishments, sets standards for the organisation and operation of governing bodies in public sector establishments, and is the main body of current legislation governing the organisation of special education in Spain. It establishes a series of organisational and planning measures to develop a programme for the academic integration of students with special needs in ordinary, mainstream schools.14,12
LOPEG3 established that all publicly-funded schools would be required to offer education to students with special educational needs. Integration currently includes pre-compulsory, primary, and compulsory secondary education, upper secondary bachillerato education, specific vocational training and higher education. In Spain also, intellectually high achieving students are included within the framework of students with special educational needs, see below.16
Since the introduction of the above legislation, specific actions which have been introduced have included:
- the establishment of multi-professional teams to assess individual student need;
- the appointment of additional support staff to schools; and
- the development of "Individual Development Plans" (or Individual Curricular Adaptations, ACIs) to allow for the adaptation of the curriculum for some students.12 LOPEG3 makes a distinction between students with special educational needs due to socially unfavourable situations, and those with physical, mental or sensorial disabilities or severe behaviour problems. What is termed, 'compensatory' education is targeted at the first group of students and the second are the target of special education.12 In the second group, six categories of disabilities are distinguished: mental, severe personality disorders, autism, sight, hearing, motor, or multiple impairment.) Both groups of students are defined as having special educational needs. The term in Spain is used to describe students who, for a period during or throughout their schooling, require specific special purpose educational support and attention as they suffer from physical, mental or sensory disabilities, have severe behavioural disorders or are in underprivileged social or cultural circumstances.16
With regard to support for students with SEN in schools, Spanish Autonomous Communities follow two alternative models:
- Some Autonomous Communities have established ‘childhood orientation departments’ in primary schools. These usually include a specialist SEN teacher who is a specialist in therapeutic pedagogy, and another specialist in hearing and language. At district level there is a group of experienced teachers or psychologists, each of whom is in charge of providing support to primary and secondary schools. There are eight recognised categories of SEN: motor impairments; hearing and vision or sensory impairments; generalised developmental disorders; behaviour disorders; language delay and language developmental disorders; exceptionally gifted children; social needs; and school and vocational training. 35
- Autonomous Communities which follow the second model have established ‘early intervention’ district teams. These are responsible for the assessment of children aged 0-6 and provide support to mainstream teachers, teachers specialising in therapeutic pedagogy and teachers specialising in hearing and language. 35
Gifted students
Additional legislation was passed in 1996 with specific regard to intellectually gifted students.1 The Order of April 1996 provided regulations regarding the flexibility of the compulsory period of schooling for such students. As a result, in cases where students are identified as being exceptionally gifted, the education authorities (the Ministry of Education and the appropriate Autonomous Community) may decide that the duration of compulsory education (usually ten years) can be adapted (usually reduced) for such students. This usually involves either the early commencement of compulsory education and/or a reduction in time spent in a specific education cycle. Such a reduction can extend to a maximum of two years. Decisions on curricular adaptation for gifted students depend on assessment results. That is, should students not obtain their set objectives, any proposal to reduce the length of time spent in a specific cycle of education can be annulled.12
1.2.2 Special programmes
See section 1.2.2 of the mainstream Spain Archive.