Appropriate education harms students
In each primary and secondary school class there are on average more than three students who do not receive additional support, but do need it. That is one of the results of the AObsurvey on appropriate education.
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The demand for care has become more complex since the introduction of appropriate education five years ago. Pupils are only referred to (secondary) special education when things really no longer work in 'normal' class. They are unnecessarily damaged by this, say their teachers.
AObmembers express their concerns in one investigation among 5179 teachers and support staff working in primary, secondary and (secondary) special education. “It was already clear that there are problems with appropriate education,” says AObpolicy officer and researcher Cornee Hoogerwerf. "This survey shows how big the problem is."
The threshold for referral to special education is too high
On average, the respondents have 5,2 (primary school) and 5,1 (secondary school) pupils with extra support in the classroom. More than seven out of ten teachers indicate that they have students who do not receive extra support, but actually need it. In primary education this comes down to an average of 3,5 pupils per class and 3,2 pupils in secondary education.
According to 82 percent of the teachers and 70 percent of the respondents with a position in pupil care, the threshold for referral to special education has been made too high by the partnership. “Because special education is so much more expensive, it is deliberately made difficult to obtain a referral,” says Hoogerwerf. Almost 70 percent of the teachers have pupils who would be better off in (secondary) special education, but who cannot go there.
Insufficient expertise
More than half of the teachers say they have the right expertise to guide students with learning difficulties. Half can also handle students with behavioral problems. But the vast majority of teachers (69 percent) do not have the right expertise to provide education to students with intellectual disabilities.
School-wide things are not much better. According to teachers (45 percent in mainstream education), there is insufficient expertise at school to help all students with additional support needs. In both mainstream and special education, respondents with a function in student care are (slightly) more positive about this than teachers.
Remarkable: of all teachers who have completed their studies in the past five years, no less than 62 percent say that the study program paid no attention to appropriate education.
There is not enough time left for the other students
Because teachers spend a lot of time providing extra support, there is not enough time left for the other students. The open responses show that this mainly affects children who do not receive extra support, but have difficulty keeping up. “Under the current circumstances, too many pupils do not benefit from appropriate education,” notes AObpolicy officer Hoogerwerf.
Growing class size exacerbates the problem. Which is according to the AObsurvey in both primary and secondary education averaged 24,2. In 2017, Education Minister Arie Slob informed the House of Representatives that the average group size in primary education was 23,1 pupils.
The extra hands in the classroom are disappearing like snow in the sun due to the increasing teacher shortage
According to the respondents, fewer large classes, establishing a maximum number of special needs pupils per group and more hands in the classroom increase the chance of success of appropriate education.
With the current teacher shortage, this is not going to happen for the time being. In the open comments to the survey, teachers indicate that the extra hands in the classroom disappear like snow in the sun due to the increasing teacher shortage. Supporters were asked in the survey whether they ever stand alone in front of the class when no substitute can be found for a teacher. This is regularly or even structurally the case for 30 percent of educational support staff in mainstream education. This percentage is 17 for employees in student care.
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