Care and support for pupils with special needs in primary education

Last update

Summary:

Pupils in primary education with special educational needs who, for example, have difficulties in keeping up with the normal pace in class can benefit from various support measures. This support:

  • is adapted to the individual needs and learning difficulties;
  • enables pupils to participate in mainstream education alongside their classmates insofar as is possible.

Various measures may be offered to meet pupils' special needs:

  • adaptation of in-class teaching by the class teacher, in cooperation with the school's educational team;
  • implementation of reasonable accommodations which:
    • aim to adapt the learning and assessment methods to the pupil's needs;
    • enable the pupil to assimilate the subjects taught more easily and to do better in assessment tests;
  • participation of the pupil in a development and learning workshop: these consist of targeted activities in order to overcome learning difficulties and language, motor or social and emotional development disorders;
  • in collaboration with the class teacher and the educational team, assistance provided by a specialist:
    • in the classroom; or
    • as a specialised ambulatory intervention organised at the school and taking place during class hours;
  • temporary attendance of lessons on certain subjects in a different class than the regular class (classe d’attache).

In addition to these measures, which may be implemented within the school attended by the pupil, measures also exist at a national level, such as:

  • enrolment in a specific learning workshop;
  • special schooling in a class at a competence centre for specialised psychopedagogy (centre de compétences en psychopédagogie spécialisée).

Schooling in a special education institution abroad may also be considered.

Who is concerned?

Any pupil with special educational needs, who attends primary school.

Pupils with special educational needs are children or young people who, according to the international classifications, have a disability or difficulty or who have significantly greater learning difficulties than the majority of children or young people of the same age. Pupils with high potential may also require specialised care to allow them to make maximum use of their abilities or to reach their full potential.

A pupil's special educational needs may fall within the following domains: motor skills, vision, language, hearing, intellectual abilities, social and emotional development, attention, learning, or autistic spectrum disorder.

How to proceed

First points of contact

The first points of contact for pupils and their parents are the class teacher and the other members of the educational team (teachers and social and educational staff).

Specialised teachers for pupils with special educational needs (I-EBS) 

Specialised teachers for pupils with special educational needs (instituteurs spécialisés dans la scolarisation des élèves à besoins éducatifs - I-EBS):

  • support pupils with learning difficulties or special social and emotional needs within the school;
  • assist the pupils concerned in the classroom;
  • work closely with the members of the support team for pupils with specific needs (équipe de soutien des élèves à besoins éducatifs spécifiques - ESEB) and the competence centre for specialised psychopedagogy;
  • communicate information about the pupils' educational progress to their parents.

Assistants for pupils with special educational needs (A-EBS)

Assistants for pupils with special educational needs (assistants pour élèves à besoins éducatifs spécifiques - A-EBS) assist the I-EBS with their tasks. They may also help the pupils concerned in daily life in order to enable them to take part in all planned activities in every area of school life.

Support teams for pupils with specific needs (ESEB)

A support team for pupils with specific needs (ESEB) operates within each of the 15 regional directorates for primary education. The members of the ESEB support pupils to improve their well-being, their autonomy, their personal development and their participation in school life. They advise parents and teachers and may themselves provide care for the pupils with special educational needs by means of in-class assistance.

At the request of the inclusion commission (commission d'inclusion - CI), they can, within four weeks during school periods, make a diagnosis that provides information on the needs of the pupil in question and the measures to be implemented whilst taking the parents' and teachers' input into account.

Inclusion commissions

The role of the inclusion commissions (CI) of each regional directorate for primary education is:

  • to inform parents about the different support measures available;
  • where applicable, to define the appropriate measures to be offered to the pupil.

These measures are then included in the pupil's individualised support plan which is adopted by mutual agreement between the CI and the parents.

The inclusion commission ensures that the individualised support plan is implemented and reviews the plan on an annual basis with a view to integrating any adjustments deemed necessary to ensure the pupil's academic progress. The CI appoints a reference person for each pupil. This person is the contact person for the pupil and the parents.

The CI can equally contact the National inclusion commission (Commission nationale d’inclusion - CNI) with the parents' consent. Parents may also choose to contact the CNI directly.

The National inclusion commission (CNI)

In addition to the measures implemented within primary schools, the CNI can be consulted regarding:

  • any request for a specialised diagnosis;
  • the implementation of:
    • a specialised ambulatory intervention;
    • special schooling;
    • rehabilitation;
    • therapy and specific learning workshops in a competence centre for specialised psychopedagogy.

In the event that the pupil's special educational needs require specialised care that cannot be provided by one of the centres, the CNI may suggest enrolment in an education institution in Luxembourg or abroad.

The inclusion commissions, the approved bodies that operate in the social, family and therapeutic field and the pupil's attending physician may contact the CNI provided that the parents have given their written consent. Parents and pupils who have reached the age of majority may submit their application directly to the CNI.

Competence centres for specialised psychopedagogy

The competence centres for specialised psychopedagogy are intended for pupils with special educational needs and their parents who would like to benefit from specialised services that supplement the services offered by primary education.

There are 8 competence centres and an agency to meet the range of special educational needs that pupils may have. Their areas of intervention are clearly defined. These centres are:

  • the centre for the development of speech, hearing and communication-related skills – Competence centre for language and hearing therapy (Centre pour le développement des compétences langagières, auditives et communicatives (Centre de logopédie - CL) ;
  • the Competence centre for the development of vision-related skills (Centre pour le développement des compétences relatives à la vue - CDV);
  • the Competence centre for socio-emotional development (Centre pour le développement socio-émotionnel - CDSE);
  • the Grand Duchess Maria Teresa Competence centre for learning development (Centre pour le développement des apprentissages Grande-Duchesse Maria Teresa - CDA);
  • the Competence centre for motor development (Centre pour le développement moteur - CDM);
  • the Competence centre for intellectual development (Centre pour le développement intellectuel - CDI);
  • the Competence centre for children and young people with autism spectrum disorder (Centre pour enfants et jeunes présentant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme - CTSA);
  • the Competence centre for children and young people with high potential (Centre pour enfants et jeunes à haut potentiel - CEJHP);
  • the Agency for the transition to independent living (Agence pour la transition vers une vie autonome - ATVA).

They offer a range of support measures to meet the pupil's needs.

Specialised diagnosis

The competence centres conduct specialised diagnoses that:

  • enable a precise identification of the pupils' special needs;
  • help put adapted measures in place.

Advice

The staff in the competence centres are trained to provide advice and guidance to pupils and their parents, to staff in primary and secondary schools as well as to the approved services and institutions.

Specific learning workshops

The competence centres can offer learning workshops to respond to pupils' specific needs. The learning workshops supplement the mainstream education offer and are held either in one of the decentralised annexes of a competence centre, in a primary or secondary school, or in another suitable location.

Rehabilitation and therapy

Competence centres offer rehabilitation and therapy sessions according to pupils' needs.

Specialised ambulatory intervention (ISA)

In addition to the measures implemented in primary and secondary schools, the professionals in the competence centres provide support in the classroom to pupils with special educational needs, in close collaboration with the primary or secondary school staff.

Special schooling

Pupils with special needs may attend a class at a competence centre, either full time or alternately while attending a primary or secondary school. The classes may be organised either in one of the decentralised annexes of a competence centre, or in a primary or secondary school in the form of 'cohabitation classes'.

Good to know

For more specific information on the support measures available, you can contact the following people or services:

  • the class teachers and/or the other school teachers;
  • the specialised teacher for pupils with special educational needs (I-EBS) of the school;
  • the regional support team for pupils with specific (ESEB);
  • the regional inclusion commission (CI);
  • the regional directorate for primary education.

Who to contact

Department of Primary Education

National Service for Inclusive Education (Service national de l'éducation inclusive - SNEI)

Ministry of Education, Children and Youth

2 of 18 bodies shown

Related procedures and links

Procedures

Links

Further information

Children and young people with special needs

on the website of the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth (MENEJ)

Legal references

Your opinion matters to us

Tell us what you think of this page. You can leave us your feedback on how to improve this page. You will not receive a reply to your feedback. Please use the contact form for any specific questions you might have.

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory.

Did you find what you were looking for?*
How would you rate this page?*
Very poor
Very good

Leave a comment to help us improve this page. Do not provide any personal information such as your email address, name, telephone number, etc.

0/1000

Please rate this page

Your opinion has been submitted successfully!

Thank you for your contribution. If you need help or have any questions, please use the contact form.

Would you like to help us make digital public services more user-friendly by submitting your suggestions for improvement?

Then visit Zesumme Vereinfachen, the online participation platform dedicated to administrative simplification in Luxembourg.

Let's simplify things together

An error occurred

Oops, an error has been detected during your form processing.