Special classes/units refer to some form of partial integration arrangements for some learners with SEN [special educational needs] within mainstream schools. These are often seen as a form of ‘special school’ within the mainstream school, particularly when they are called ‘special units’. Enrolment is often similar to that for special schools. It is evident that, in these cases, special units act as a resource directed mainly to the learners and not the school staff (European Agency, 2019b, p. 22).

(See also ‘Special (pre-) school / unit’)

SEN is a construct that countries usually define within their legislation. These definitions are then used to identify, assess and make provision for learners with different needs – including recognised disabilities – in different ways (Watkins, Ebersold and Lénárt, 2014). Special or ‘additional’ needs should not be seen as the result of ‘in-child’ factors, but rather ‘a discrepancy between what a system of schooling ordinarily provides and what the child needs to support their learning’ (Rouse, 2008, p. 6, cited by Soriano, Watkins and Ebersold, 2017, p. 22).

(See also ‘Official decision / statement of special educational needs (SEN)’)

The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) defines special needs education as:

Education designed to facilitate learning by individuals who, for a wide variety of reasons, require additional support and adaptive pedagogical methods in order to participate and meet learning objectives in an education programme. Reasons may include (but are not limited to) disadvantages in physical, behavioural, intellectual, emotional and social capacities. Education programmes in special needs education may follow a similar curriculum as that offered in the parallel regular education system, but they take individual needs into account by providing specific resources (e.g. specially-trained personnel, equipment or space) and, if appropriate, modified educational content or learning objectives. These programmes can be offered to individual students within already-existing education programmes or as a separate class in the same or separate educational institutions (UNESCO/UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2012, p. 83).

Specialist / multi-disciplinary assessment teams are teams of professionals from different specialisms (educational, psychological, social, health, etc.). They assess a learner in different ways and then contribute to a broader, multi-disciplinary assessment information that will inform decisions about their future learning.

Professional learning route preparing teachers or other educators for a learner and teacher support role in inclusion.

This covers different types of specialist provision services, specifically:

• in-school provision, which ensures assistance to learners who are in mainstream classrooms, or partially out of mainstream classrooms (special classes, units, programmes, inclusion classes, and parallel support, i.e. one-to-one provision by specialised staff);
• external provision to schools aiming to empower them to act inclusively (resource centres, networks of special schools, networks of mainstream and special schools);
• external provision to schools through individualised support to learners enrolled in mainstream settings (physiotherapists, speech therapists) with the support of education, health or welfare authorities;
• external provision to learners, such as special schools dedicated to learners requiring intensive support, under the responsibility of education, health or welfare authorities (European Agency, 2019b, p. 10).

(See also ‘External specialist provision’)

Specially-trained personnel who work for the identification/assessment, education and effective care of learners with additional support needs. These may include the following professionals: special education co‑ordinators, special educators (special education teachers), learning support assistants (teaching assistants), educational psychologists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists (speech pathologists), school assistants (care assistants/school escorts), social workers, etc.

‘Specialist teachers’ refers to all educational professionals collaborating directly with others to enhance the learning and participation of learners at risk of exclusion, marginalisation or drop-out and learners identified as having special educational needs. Specialist teachers have qualifications in education with a specialisation in special and/or inclusive education.

This refers to policy-makers, education professionals, school leaders, learners/peers, families and the members of the community (European Agency, 2019b).

Standardised assessment is the collection of quantifiable information about a pupil’s achievement that relates to a fixed test with a scale of possible scores. The test and scoring scales are standardised by trialling them with a large number of pupils so they are reliable (i.e. will produce the same results consistently over time) and valid (i.e. measure what they are supposed to).

Standards are statements of desired outcomes for the education system, which are agreed upon by key stakeholders.

This ‘usually refers to decision-making that takes into account the actions and reactions of other … agents. Its essential feature is the recognition of the direct interdependence between one’s behaviour and that of others’ (Encyclopedia.com).

Within the education field, financing mechanisms may incentivise unwanted strategic behaviour. For example, ‘financial constraints may lead to strategic behaviour where schools directly link the support learners may need with an official decision’ (European Agency, 2022e, p. 12). ‘Similarly, parents may also demonstrate strategic behaviour that is not in line with the policy’ (Meijer, 1999, p. 20). ‘These forms of strategic behaviour may result in less inclusion, more labelling and rising costs’ (ibid., p. 12).

‘A plan that is intended to achieve a particular purpose’; ‘The process of planning something or putting a plan into operation’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

Text information which has been organised with an established reading order and headings using software functions such as applying styles or tagging.

Are intended for audiences that do not understand the language used in a dialogue.