Pathways to Inclusion

Newsletter 3

Table of Contents
p.2 1. Introduction p.3 2. State of Play p.5 3. Next steps p.7 4. Other news

APRIL 2011

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1. Introduction
Time flies by. The Pathways to Inclusion project is halfway through already. The Progress report has been submitted to the European Commission and we took the time to reflect on what has been done so far. During the previous months, we as a partnership - met a lot of motivated people in Europe, willing to work on a high quality and inclusive education system, in order to reach a society where equal opportunities are guaranteed for all. The will and the capacity to achieve this goal, are available. What we need now, is a long term network, bringing together the knowledge and the stakeholders in the field. The P2i project is working hard to develop such a network as its next main objective. In this third newsletter, we are happy to inform you on the progress of P2i, but also on general changes and developments, since the project doesnt exist in a vacuum. Section 2 of this newsletter gives you an overview on the State of play of the project. In section 3 (Next steps), you will find the activities to be done in the next coming months. In the last section (Other news), information is given on the recent developments in the education system in Portugal and Slovenia, as well as the key points related to education during the Hungarian Presidency, which runs from January 2011 until June 2011.

Luk Zelderloo Phil Madden Secretary-General Chair of the Standing Committee EASPD on Education of EASPD

Goedele Avau Project manager P2i EASPD.

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2. State of Play
2.1 Project meeting 4, 17th-18th March 2011
The fourth project meeting of P2i took place in Sintra (Portugal) on the 17th and the 18th of March 2011. This meeting was chaired by Mr. Phil Madden, Chair of EASPDs Standing Committee on Education. Since we were at the midterm of the project, we took the time to agree on a clear action plan for the main deliverables of the project: the web based knowledge centre and the stakeholder network. The partnership also discussed further ways of using the data already collected concerning the situation of inclusive education in the partner countries. In addition to this, we got the opportunity to meet pupils with disability and their teachers during two school visits, organised by the Portuguese partner in the project.

2.2 Barometer assessment of Inclusive Education in the partner countries (written by Dr. Johannes Schdler, ZPE Universitt Siegen, Germany)
Conceptual aspects of the research activities It is a major objective of the P2I-project to provide a systematic overview on the situation and developments on Inclusive Education in participating countries. Led by the Centre for Planning and Evaluation of Social Services (ZPE) at the University of Siegen (Germany), in the first part of the project a research methodology was developed to serve this purpose. The methodology has been based on four major points of reference: The prescriptions on inclusive education of Art. 24 of the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPwD) ; The Salamanca Declaration of 1999 and professional state of art on learning and education of children with disabilities; The need to add regional and local data to national data to produce a richer picture; The political potential of the Open Method of Coordination in development of social progress and coherence in Europe The UN CRPwD, which has been ratified by a large number of European countries and also by the European Union, provides a clear human rights framework with which to assess and combat discrimination in all areas of life. The clear and detailed criteria of Art 24, which is specifically concerned with education, make it possible to analyse and assess the degree of inclusiveness of current education policies in the participating countries. Education in international law is seen as a dimension of economic, social and cultural rights. As long as institutionalised practices are not directly discriminative the UN CRPwD does not demand immediate redress, but does require a progressive overcoming of segregating systems in all states which have ratified the Convention. These states have to take appropriate measures and use effectively all available resources to fulfil the inclusive demands of the Convention. Whether or to what extend inclusive education of children with disabilities is implemented depends on the political will and the educational policies of governments and other political actors. Laws, structures and practice have to be changed, resources have to be provided or shifted, conflicts have to be solved etc. There is also an international monitoring process. States that have ratified the Convention have to report to the UN every two years on progress and action plans. From a Pan European perspective, it is clear that systematic comparison and reporting between member

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states according to agreed criteria can excite public and political attention. The Open Method of Coordination creates a dynamic of organic change.. As a significant contribution to this, the P2I-project has developed the concept of a Barometer on Inclusive Education in participating European countries. It will be completed by August 2011. The barometer will provide a clear comparative overview on the present position on inclusive education in partner countries National and European P2I-Barometer Assessment The instrument conceptually follows the idea of an information based rating on inclusive education of persons with disabilities and/or special educational needs in participating European countries. The objective is to use available data to identify tendencies and produce information that is relevant for policy makers and all other stakeholders to promote the implementation process of inclusive education. The assessment instrument is focussed at the national level and is structured in three parts: Statutory legislation and prescriptions (A), Situation in practice (B) and Progression of Implementation (C). These three parts are covered by a questionnaire based on the criteria, in Art 24 (inclusive education) of the UN CRPwD. The national experts of the P2i consortium completed a questionnaire, collated data, and gave key references and comments, involving other national experts as appropriate. Data sources were official government reports, official statistics, scientific studies or other reliable sources. Finally, the national experts were asked to rate the situation of inclusive education in respective countries on a four-step-rating-scale. The information was put in the form of a comparative barometer of national conditions of inclusive education.The national reports can already be downloaded from the project website (www.pathwaystoinclusion.eu). The completed barometer will be accessible by August 2011. The barometer on inclusive education addresses the national level of participating countries. At the same the project recognises there will be differences from region to region within participating countries. To complement the national data P2I developed another tool to get more in-depth-information by addressing the local level. Local Research Activities The research instruments consisted of a statistical tool, a written questionnaire and expert interviews. In addition, the so-called Peter, Paul and Mary-tool was developed and used to get information on institutionalised patterns of typical educational careers of children with particular types of disability and/or special educational needs. The focus was on local schools and other non-school educational services. In the P2i-project all partners selected a local region that could be regarded as typical for their country and where they had good field access for research activities. Using the same methodology, activities were conducted in 2010 in local districts of all participating countries. The reports of the local studies are available on the project website. A synoptical assessment is currently being prepared and will be used to enrich the overview provided in the barometer assessment of national situations.

2.3 National seminars

Between January and March 2011, a seminar on Inclusive Education took place in each partner country. At these seminars the P2i project and the preliminary research outcomes were presented. Some of the conclusions, coming out from these events, are presented here: The participants welcomed the idea of a regional seminar and were in favour of a follow-up in the coming year. There is a need to ensure that existing best practice, both nationally and throughout Europe, is shared and widely disseminated. The training course, organised by the consortium, was highly welcomed (see 2.4 below).

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There must be greater parental and family involvement in school life. Supports and training for principals and teaching staff providing inclusive education need to be further enhanced. There is still a discrepancy between the legislation and its practical implementation. The full reports are available at www.pathwaystoinclusion.eu.

2.4 Training Course Building a School for All

Within the scope of P2i, the project consortium is organising a 6-days training course offering a framework for the further development and promotion of inclusive education, as well as hands-on experience in the planning of such an approach starting from the actual situation. Target group: school heads and middle management educational guides and counsellors inspectors administrative staff external support staff for education and social work When: 3rd to 8th October 2011, Lisbon 23rd to 28th April 2012, Prague Registration and grant application: As this course has been officially validated by the European Commission, it is possible to apply for a grant in order to cover the course fee and your travel costs. Due to the high number of applications, the registration for the course in Lisbon is now closed. Confirmations of grant assignments are expected by June. For the course in Prague, registration is still open. More information on the procedure to follow, can be found in the leaflet on the P2i website: http://pathwaystoinclusion.eu/activities/training-course-building-a-school-for-all For further information please contact Mr. Karel Casaer at karel.casaer@easpd.eu

3. Next steps
3.1 Website and knowledge centre
At this moment a project website (www.pathwaystoinclusion.eu) is on line, containing detailed information on the project, its outcomes and on the events taken place. Within the next following months more work will be done on the development of a separate Knowledge Centre on Inclusive Education. This Knowledge Centre will contain information on legislation, practice and progress regarding inclusive education, as well as models of good practice and useful links. It will be an ongoing process, continuing after the projects lifetime. A first version is expected to be online by this summer.

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3.2 Network of stakeholders

At this moment, the project consortium has established a database of people who have shown interest in the project. They all receive the newsletter and information on the events organised during the course of the project. The database will be the basis for a stakeholder network on Inclusive Education. This network will consist of individuals committed to contribute to a digital platform where stakeholders can exchange information on inclusive education. It will be a web of contacts, which is strongly interlinked with EASPDs Standing Committee on Education. We would like to involve at least the following stakeholders: Persons with disabilities and their representatives Families and their representatives Universities and teacher training centres Education providers: from mainstream as well as special settings Authorities In exchange for their support, they will have full access to the Knowledge Centre. They will receive a newsflash on a regular basis and they will have access to a wide network of experts for exchange of good practices and other information. They will also receive all relevant EASPD information related to education. If you would be interested in becoming part of such a network, we kindly ask you to contact goedele.avau@easpd.eu

3.3 Development of a tool for self-evaluation

In the next coming months the consortium, lead by Fontys OSO, will produce a checklist which is complementary to the Index for Inclusion (developed by the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education). It will show where specific organisations are in their journey towards inclusion and where they would want to be in the future. Such a tool will help headmasters, in mainstream schools as well as in special schools, to consider what more they need to do to promote opportunities for pupils with special educational needs and to achieve inclusive education for all. In a later stage a SWOT analysis and translations in the different partner languages will be made. For more information on the Index for Inclusion, we refer to http://www.csie.org.uk/publications/index-early-summary.shtml

3.4 Final conference, Debrecen, 13th-14th September 2012

On the 13th and the 14th of September 2012 the final conference of P2i will take place in Debrecen, Hungary. This event will be the follow-up of our initial conference in Dublin, November 2009: Salamanca, 15 years on Inclusion, a School for All . The project achievements will be presented and Inclusion will be looked at from a lifelong learning angle. More information on the programme, possible attendance grants and registration will follow soon.

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4. Other news
4.1 Recent developments in the education system in Portugal
(written by Mr. Miguel Valles, CECD Mira Sintra, Portugal)
The current economic crisis in Portugal has major implications for the inclusion of pupils with special needs at several levels. Schools School group areas are being enlarged and are including more schools under the same management team. Where this year we have around 1500 pupils/school group area, we will have +4000 pupils/ school group area in the near future. Many school group areas with good practices in the inclusion of SEN pupils and a long experience with partnerships with special education schools will be eliminated. Teachers will have a heavier teaching component inside the classroom, many subjects will be reduced (arts and crafts, physical education, technological and visual education) and there will be larger classrooms. These subjects are the ones that have traditionally included many SEN pupils, often with an individualised curriculum. City Hall, Municipalities and local power The ministry of education (ME) is attributing more responsibilities to local power in the financing of non-teaching staff and school buildings and equipment. However the transfer of responsibility is not being accompanied by transfer of funds. Some municipalities have already stopped some funding for schools. Resource Centres for Inclusion The new financial system proposed by the ME does not take into account the true financial cost of organisations which support inclusive schools. Organisations are still trying to negotiate this financial model. If we reach no consensus in this matter, organisations will stop supporting schools with their professionals in the next school year. Amongst other things the proposed model assumes a completely unrealistic workload of support for transition into adulthood. In conclusion, there is a real risk that most schools will lose the support from these specialised professionals. Furthermore, the current successful projects are at risk of discontinuation.

4.2 Recent developments in the education system in Slovenia

(written by Ms. Barbara Hegedu, CUDV Draga, Slovenia)
At the moment Slovenia is adopting amendments to education legislation, which is changing towards an inclusive system. The key act that lays down the education of children, minors and young adults with special needs and sets out the methods and forms of carrying out education, is the Placement of Children with Special Needs Act (2000). Under this Act, children with special needs are placed either into education programmes with special teaching and additional professional help, adapted education programmes, or special education programmes. The Elementary School Act (1996) and the Placement of Children with Special Needs Act (2000) have replaced a system of classifying people with special educational needs into groups solely based on the impairment with a system based on educational needs. The legislation thus replaced distinct forms of education with inclusive and more flexible schooling arrangements for persons with special needs; the placement of persons with special needs in education programmes; a programme with adapted teaching and additional professional assistance for kindergartens and regular schools;

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the possibility of moving between programmes with different standards of knowledge; and the implementation of adapted programmes in regular schools. This gave more children with special needs the opportunity to attend regular schools. The Placement of Children with Special needs Act is currently being revised with an intention to further inclusion. And what are the experiences and perspectives in the field of inclusive education in other European countries? Where do European documents and guidelines stand? These issues were discussed at the Providers Forum on Inclusive Education which took place in November 2010 in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The event was organised by EASPD, SOUS (Association of Slovenian Organisations for Training Persons with Special Needs), CUDV Draga and the Sonek Association (Cerebral Palsy Association of Slovenia). The discussions, lectures and models of good practice were based on the European legal framework for inclusive education and on the results of the initial P2i conference in Dublin (November 2009). The oncoming changes in the field of disability and social security legislation were mentioned and some concrete examples of inclusive education in Slovenian mainstream schools were presented. We all agreed that every child has the right to inclusive education. With the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Slovenia signed and ratified a document of commitment which is legally binding; therefore one school for all is a legal and moral obligation of the state. We must find the way and the means to achieve inclusion in real life and we hope that the revision of key acts will bring at least some slight changes towards an inclusive education system in Slovenia.

4.3 Priorities of the Hungarian Presidency in the field of education

(written by Ms. Beta Orosz, ALLL, Hungary)
The Hungarian Presidency is convinced that education and training will have a significant role in the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy. In the field of education and training, the following priorities are on the agenda: reinforcement of the role of education and training in the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy reducing the number of early school leavers promoting learning mobility policy measures to ensure equitable access to high quality early childhood education and care, and establishing European cooperation the concept of active citizenship, related policies and school practices, valuing diversity in higher education within the agenda of modernising higher education, supporting talented children. During the Hungary Presidency two events have focused on the education of pupils with special needs. Special emphasis was on the topic of early childhood education and care for all. The Excellence and Equity in Early Childhood Education and Care conference in February addressed in particular the issues of equitable access to quality early childhood education and care, the structure, governance and funding of these education and care systems, comprehensive pedagogical frameworks and staff competences, and the need for partnership with parents and the local community. Participants also had the possibility to visit Hungarian institutions of early childhood education and care. One of these institutions was the Early Intervention Centre Budapest (http:// www.koraifejleszto.hu/). The main objective of this centre is to provide services for children (aged 0-6) with delayed or impaired development as well as children at risk and their families by a group of specialists (paediatricians, special teachers, physiotherapists, integration specialists).

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A second event under the Presidency was the MIPIE Conference (Mapping the Implementation of Policies for Inclusive Education) which was organised by the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education on 9-11 March 2011 in Budapest. The aim of this event was to identify how the necessary information can be collected, in order to give European policy makers the possibility to map developments in the implementation of legislation and policy for inclusion. Recently, the Presidency Conference New challenges in the European Disability Strategy 2010 2020 took place in Hungary on 19-20 April 2011. During that conference, Mr. Luk Zelderloo, Secretary-General of EASPD, represented EASPD and the entire P2i partnership and spoke about Inclusive Education and the challenges for the future.

Where to find more information: www.pathwaystoinclusion.eu

EASPD European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities Oudergemselaan / Avenue d Auderghem 63, B-1040 Brussels Tel: +32 2 282 46 12 | Fax: +32 2 230 72 33 | E-mail: goedele.avau@easpd.eu | Website: www.easpd.eu

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.