Country information for Greece - Systems of support and specialist provision

Shared responsibility between schools, families and other parts of the community is essential to ensure that all learners are encouraged and supported in the education process. Stakeholders from the Greek Ministry of Education, local school boards, schools, KESYs, EDEAYs and the community are all responsible for working together to allow all learners to succeed and schools to be empowered.

In the context of reorganising/reinforcing interdisciplinary support, the dominant structures to facilitate inclusion are :

• Regional Centres for Educational Planning (PEKES)
• Centres for Educational and Counselling Support (KESY)
• Special education schools being converted into Support Centres in mainstream education school networks 
• EDEAY operating at mainstream school level (Law 4547/2008). 

Shared responsibility between schools, families and other parts of the community is essential to ensure that all learners are encouraged and supported in the education process. Stakeholders from the Greek Ministry of Education, local school boards, schools, KESYs, EDEAYs and the community are all responsible for working together to allow all learners to succeed and schools to be empowered.

In the context of reorganising/reinforcing interdisciplinary support, the dominant structures to facilitate inclusion are :

• Regional Centres for Educational Planning (PEKES)
• Centres for Educational and Counselling Support (KESY)
• Special education schools being converted into Support Centres in mainstream education school networks 
• EDEAY operating at mainstream school level (Law 4547/2008). 

Regional Centres for Educational Planning (PEKES) (Law 4547/2018, articles 3, 4, 5):

• monitor, co-ordinate and support the educational work of public and private schools and vocational education and training (VET) workshop centres;
• co-operate with KESYs and other supportive structures in their area;
• support teachers and organise training programmes for them (including in-service training) on contemporary scientific, pedagogical, teaching and evaluation matters;
• promote sharing of good practices among schools and teachers;
• design co-operation programmes among schools, KESYs and KEAs (Sustainability Educational Centres) with the higher education institutions of their area;
• support the planning and feedback evaluation of schools’ educational work at regional level. 

PEKES are staffed by Co-ordinators of Educational Matters. They have the scientific responsibility of their respective specialisation in primary and secondary education, for all schools (general, vocational, special, minority schools) and VET workshop centres belonging to the PEKES’ area. There are also Co-ordinators of Special Education and Inclusive Education Matters, who have the respective responsibilities. 

PEKES co-operate with KESYs, in the following ways:

• implementing compensatory education programmes to address phenomena such as school failure, learner drop-out and school bullying;
• combating all forms of exclusion and discrimination and promoting inclusive education, as well as strengthening and supporting teachers through training;
• organising training programmes for parents to inform them on issues related to their parenting role and related to co-operation with teachers and/or other supportive structures in the local community.

PEKES are part of the Regional Directorates of Education. They are supported in their work by the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP) and the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.

In addition to exploring and evaluating the educational and psycho-social needs, difficulties and obstacles to learning, as described above, KESYs: 

• Plan and implement targeted educational and psycho-social interventions and vocational (career) guidance services for learners and their parents or guardians. Interventions include:
  • formulating the main axes of Individualised Education Programmes (EPE) and the planning and implementation of adjusted individualised or group interventions; counselling and psycho-social support for pupils, teachers and parents; early intervention and empowerment programmes for specific socially vulnerable groups; targeted actions aimed at the personal development of pupils, the strengthening of their self-esteem and the overall improvement of their life quality within and outside the school community. All these interventions are planned and implemented in co-operation with teachers and EDEAYs in each school, where they operate.
  • career guidance services for pupils and their parents, as well as their teachers. These services include: 
    • at group level: planning and implementing career guidance programmes in school units and providing information services on labour market issues and post-secondary and tertiary education programmes. This aims to raise awareness and ensure the learners’ smooth transition into adulthood and the labour market;
    • at individual level: counselling services for vocational guidance issues concerning the development of learners’ personal and professional identity in B and C Lyceum classes, on the basis of their personality;
  • teachers’ advisory support on: 
    • optimal teaching practices to address the needs of learners with disabilities and/or special educational needs;
    • accepting diversity;
    • promoting inclusive practices and collaborative actions to support all pupils; 
    • dealing with crisis situations;
  • parents’ advisory support on school learning, organisation of study at home and co-operation with the school unit.
• Support the overall educational work of all school units in:
  • enhancing learners’ cognitive skills, preventing school drop-out and creating a safe and supportive school culture that favours the psycho-social health and emotional well-being of pupils;
  • formulating the priorities and objectives of psycho-social support for learners and the design of holistic policies and strategies in relation to psycho-social matters;
  • identifying structural barriers to learners’ equal access to learning and implementing scientific, pedagogical, educational and other support measures for all learners in the school community;
  • implementing first or second instance prevention and mental health promotion programmes;
  • strengthening the communication and co-operation of the school unit with the family and the psychological and social support services.
• Providing information and training to the school community on: 
  • innovative national, European or international actions and programmes on psycho-social issues;
  • career guidance and counselling programmes;
  • changes in the educational system. 
  • Training programmes are planned and implemented by Regional Centres for Educational Planning (PEKES) and Sustainability Educational Centres (KEAs).
• Raising awareness in the community through the promotion of partnerships among schools, families, scientific and social institutions, local authorities and universities on issues of diversity, psycho-social health, career guidance and transition to the labour market.

School Networks of Educational Support (SDEYs) (formerly School Networks of Education and Support) are partnerships of mainstream public and private schools in an area supported by the local special school. They support the educational process for groups of general and vocational primary and secondary schools, special schools and VET workshop centres in an area. SDEYs aim for the collaboration and empowerment of school units, inclusion of pupils with disabilities and SEN and support of inclusive classes, individual parallel support and tuition at home (Law 4115/2013). The Director of the Regional Education Directorate establishes each SDEY with an official decision and defines the special school unit which will operate as each SDEY’s Support Centre. 

Interdisciplinary Educational Evaluation and Support Committees (EDEAYs) operate in each school unit. They belong to a SDEY as a competent body for the educational evaluation and support of learners and the overall support of the school community. 

EDEAY is made up of:

• the head teacher of the school unit, who is the co-ordinator of the EDEAY;
• the school or Support Centre’s special education teacher;
• a psychologist from the SDEY’s Support Centre;
• a social worker from the Support Centre;
• the class teacher of the learner or group of learners who need support.

In this way, special educational staff from the special school support pupils in mainstream schools and the whole school community in co-operation with the school staff. This support is further enriched through the interconnection of KESY with the EDEAYs and the School Units.

In schools where there is no EDEAY, a Pupil Educational Support team is set up to fulfil the school needs. Within this framework of support, there is an interdisciplinary approach to inclusive policy. 

Schools’ inclusive capacity has been further reinforced in recent years by placing psychologists and social workers in schools (Law 4485/2017). This was only previously possible within special education settings.Psychologists and social workers are placed in schools which need to support socially vulnerable groups or where it is necessary to implement psychosocial and emotional support programmes.

Last updated 07/02/2020