Reflection on the theme evening tailored education.
On October 7, 2020, the teachers collective organized a theme evening 'Tailored education' together with Ouders & Onderwijs. Teachers and parents joined forces. They spoke with members of the House of Representatives about what tailored education has brought us in recent years.
A report
Start theme evening ‘Tailored education’
Precisely at 7:30 pm we were all ready for the theme evening ‘Tailored education’. But unfortunately the technology did not do what we expected. This caused a tumultuous start with rapid adjustments. After a short break we could really start. First the presentations of Edith Hooge from the Education Council and Guuske Ledoux from the National Coordination Organization for Educational Research (NRO) on the evaluation of tailored education. Sharon Martens from the teachers collective and Lobke Vlaming from Ouders & Onderwijs then presented the outcomes of their evaluations among teachers and parents. Present parents and teachers could ask questions via the chat.
Main point
Although the conclusions of the various studies differ from each other, there is an important main point to indicate: a lot of hard work and effort has been shown in recent years. But in fact, not much has changed for the student and the teacher. Tailored education has still not landed sufficiently in the classroom and with the student.
Education spokespersons
The most important part of the theme evening was a consultation between parents, teachers, and five education spokespersons from the House of Representatives: Kirsten van den Hul (PvdA), Lisa Westerveld (GroenLinks), Rudmer Heerema (VVD), Paul van Meenen (D66), and Peter Kwint (SP). The discussion was kicked off by a short response from these spokespersons on the previous presentations. A nice conversation followed: parents and teachers showed their involvement with interesting responses and questions. Lobke and Sharon brought in the questions from the chat. We spoke about what can already be improved and what really needs to change after the elections in March 2021.
Legal position
Among other things, we spoke about the legal position of parents and the right to education. Some members of parliament are clearly in favor of the right to education. They see this as one of the points to realize in the new cabinet period. There was also much attention for strengthening the teacher and reducing class sizes. These points also had the support of the present members of parliament.
Coalition agreement
Finally, the members of parliament were asked to indicate what must be included in the coalition agreement if they are to sign it. For example, Van der Hul and Kwint mentioned equal pay for all teachers (eliminating the pay gap). Van Meenen agreed and additionally mentioned more say for teachers and duty of care for all students. Member of parliament Heerema wants, among other things, more attention to education deployed outside regular education and to address the reserves of the partnership tailored education. Finally, Westerveld concluded her speech by putting the child at the center.
Respect
With respect for each other and with the same goal in mind, we spoke about tailored education and what is needed for it. It became a nice and valuable evening! And if all plans of the education spokespersons come true, we have something beautiful to look forward to! Let’s hope so! We will continue to commit ourselves together; parents, teachers, and education spokespersons of the political parties.
Thank you all! This leaves us wanting more… Towards the elections in March, the teachers collective and Ouders & Onderwijs will organize an education debate. You are warmly invited!
Questions and more information
For questions about, for example, tailored education, you can call our advice point at 088-6050101. Our staff are available on weekdays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm or via vraag@oudersenonderwijs.nl
Watch again
Curious about what was discussed exactly during the theme evening? Below you can watch the theme evening (in parts) again.
The full conversation
The evening in a nutshell
The closing statement
FAQ Inclusive Education.
Inclusive education means that every child receives education that matches their abilities and qualities. Since 1 August 2014, the Law on Inclusive Education has been in force, regulating this. According to this law, all children have the right to good education, including children who need extra support. The law gives schools the responsibility to ensure this.
According to the duty of care, a school is obliged to ensure that a student who needs extra guidance and support gets a suitable place. This applies to students who are already at school and students who are being enrolled. The school, in consultation with the parents, seeks a suitable place. This can be:
- the own school;
- another regular school if the school of choice cannot provide the necessary help;
- a school for (secondary) special education.
A child can go to school from the age of 4. From 3 years old, parents/guardians can enroll their child in writing at a school. If the child needs extra support, they indicate this at the registration. The duty of care then starts immediately, even if the child is younger than 4 at the time of registration. The school then investigates whether they can provide the necessary support, possibly with extra support from the collaborative association. The school then has 6 weeks to decide whether your child will be admitted. Sometimes, the school needs more information to assess this. The period can be extended once by 4 weeks.
If children are enrolled before they turn 3, we refer to it as pre-enrollment, and the duty of care does not apply.
The school first examines whether they can offer a suitable program themselves. They do this based on the Equal Treatment Act on the grounds of disability or chronic illness. (Wgbh/cz). Three factors play a significant role:
- the (im)possibilities of the child;
- the (im)possibilities of the school;
- the parents’ wishes.
If the placement poses an undue burden on the school, they have a reason to refuse admission to the student. In that case, the school must find another school that can admit your child.
In order to actually offer all students a good educational place, regular and special schools in primary and secondary education form regional cooperation partnerships together. The cooperation partnership makes agreements about the support that regular schools provide, which students get a place in special education, and about the distribution of support resources.
Schools for special education (so) are for students who are physically, sensory, or intellectually handicapped, and for students with mental health problems or behavioral problems. For these students, there are schools divided into four clusters:
- Cluster 1
Schools for blind or visually impaired students;
- Cluster 2
Schools for deaf students, hard of hearing students, students with severe speech difficulties, and students with communication problems;
- Cluster 3
Schools for students with physical and/or intellectual disabilities, very difficult to teach students, and long-term ill students with a physical disability, students with epilepsy, and multiply handicapped students who are very difficult to teach;
- Cluster 4
Schools for students with severe behavioral problems and/or psychiatric problems.
Read more about special education
Special primary education (sbo) provides education to students who do not develop optimally in regular education. This concerns milder problems than the problems students in special education face.
Schools are obliged to draw up a development perspective (OPP) for all students in (secondary) special education, practical education, and special primary education. Drawing up a development perspective is also mandatory for students receiving extra support in regular primary and secondary education. No development perspective is needed for students receiving support from the regular (primary) support offer, such as guidance with dyslexia or short-term remedial teaching.
The development perspective consists of two parts. The part focused on long-term development and the exit profile, and the action part that deals with individual support. Regarding the first part, the school must engage in ‘consensus-oriented consultation’ with parents. The intention is for parents and the school to agree on that part together, but it is not compulsory. As for the action part, parents have had the right to approve since August 1, 2017. This means it cannot be determined if parents do not agree with it.
A statement of eligibility is requested for students for whom the support in regular education is not sufficient. The statement can be requested at the start of the school career if it is immediately clear that the child is best off starting at a special school. A statement is also requested if only after some time in regular school, it becomes apparent that a separate school is a better place. For placement in (secondary) special education, special primary education, practical education, and transitional facilities, a statement of eligibility is necessary. For educational support support (LWOO), no statement of eligibility is required, but a ‘LWOO indication’ is given. The process is the same as when applying for a statement.
Read more about rules, registration, and admission to special education
In the school support profile, the school board records at least once every 4 years what support the school can offer to students who need it. It also describes the school’s ambitions for the future. This profile is drawn up by teachers, school management, and the board. Based on the profile, the school identifies what expertise may need to be developed and what that means for the (training of) teachers.
The collaboration agreement specifies how inclusive education is implemented in their region. This agreement is drawn up at least once every 4 years. The agreement serves as a model for the school support profiles of the participating schools.
Before the agreement can be established, the collaboration agreement conducts agreement-based talks with the municipality(ies). The support plan council (OPR) must also approve the agreement.
FAQ Inclusive education.
Inclusive education means that every child receives education that suits their abilities and qualities. The Law on Inclusive Education has been in force since August 1, 2014, regulating this. According to this law, all children have the right to good education, including children who require extra support. The law gives schools the responsibility to ensure this.
According to the duty of care, a school is obliged to ensure that a student who needs extra guidance and support gets an appropriate place. This applies to students already at the school and those being enrolled. The school, in consultation with the parents, looks for a suitable place. This can be:
- the current school;
- another regular school if the chosen school cannot provide the necessary help;
- a (secondary) school for special education.
A child can start school at 4 years old. From 3 years old, parents/guardians can enroll their child in writing at a school. If the child requires extra support, they indicate this upon enrollment. The duty of care then comes into effect immediately, even if the child is younger than 4 at enrollment. The school then investigates whether they can provide the necessary support, possibly with additional support from the collaboration network. The school has 6 weeks to decide whether your child will be admitted. Sometimes, the school needs more information to assess this. The period can be extended once by 4 weeks.
If children are enrolled before they are 3 years old, we refer to it as pre-enrollment, and the duty of care does not apply yet.
The school first investigates if they can offer a suitable solution themselves. This is done based on the Equal Treatment Act on the grounds of disability or chronic illness. (Wgbh/cz). Three factors play a significant role:
- the (im)possibilities of the child;
- the (im)possibilities of the school;
- the parents’ wishes.
If the placement constitutes an undue burden on the school, they have a reason to not accept the student. The school must then find another school that can admit your child.
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