SPECIAL EDUCATION SYSTEM IN LATVIA

Pre-school education up to 5 years Pre-school education 2 years Basic education 9 years Special needs education a g e Vocational secondary education 4 years Vocational education and training 3 years Secondary education 3 years

Comprehensive schools Primary -37Basic-354Secondary-362Special education-61 Total-814

Amount of students in Latvia 2011\2012 school year PrimaryBasic Secondary schools Special education schools and classes Total

 Special education creates possibilities and conditions for students with special needs, appropriate education in every school at the same time to provide psychological and medical correction What is special education in Latvia?

 Weak eyed\the blind  Partially deaf\the deaf  Diseased in mind  Language disorders  Learning dissabilities connected with memory  Students with psyhoneurosis deseases Students with special needs in Latvia in context

 That parents have possibility to choose the school very close to their neighbourhood  It is not allowed to make a selection of students  It is not allowed to send down students from school till the age of 18 The law of education predicts

 Special or general education schools where are provided special programms or special correction programms  Students can study at home with a help of teacher. Where are studying special education students

 Speech therapist  Psychologist  Special pedagogue  A nurse  Physiotherapist  Social employee The staff of support in schools with special programm

 61 special schools  8 regional inclusive education support centres Latvia has

 Pedagogical medical commision functions, recommending for students having functional disorders education programm and support activities appropriate to their abilities, health status and development level  Consultive support covering regional municipalities  Methodogical and consultive free of charge support for educational Inclusive education support centres provide (IESC)

 Methodogical and consultive free of charge support for educational institutions, parents, specialists and other persons regarding the ensuring of appropriate education for students with special needs  Suppervision of the pedagogical process organizing within the education institutions for students having functional disorders  Promotion and development of cooperation with family doctors, socila srevice institutions and public organizations  Working in unified databases with State’s  Pedagogical medical commission

 At home  Care centres  Special schools  Comprehensive school with a special educations classes  Comprehensive school, general education class Possible model for students where to study

 Long term disease children  Special needs children  Disable  Children who are not ready to take up general education  Children with slower thinking  “ silent” children  Children with low social skills from social risk families Children who have the biggest problems in getting education

 look after these children by involving different specialists  stimulate parents visit ped-med commisions  schools are looking for possibilities to accept special education programms  make essential staff at every school  think how to include these students in comprehensive schools What to do

 Motivated conversations with parents  Schools provide after school activities by learning  Learn students how to study  Teachers work in different way  Difficulties with management of the lesson  More time for lesson preparation  More attention to these students during the lessons  Knowledge about work by these children  Less paid for teachers + -