The Swedish school system

1
The Swedish school system
The over all vision of educational policy in
Sweden is a school for all. State schools for
deaf pupils and those with hearing impairment
remain under a separate agency.
2
The Swedish Institute for Special Needs Education
- a new national authority to coordinate
government support in respect of special needs
education for children, young people and adults
with disabilities
3
The Swedish Institute for Special Needs
Education is to

• organise and participate in competence
  development
• disseminate information
• organise and contribute to special needs
  education development
• collect and disseminate research
• produce and develop educational materials
• conduct special needs education reviews in
  certain resource centres

4
Our support in special needs education issues for
the disabled is provided to those with overall
responsibility for

•  
• pre-schools
• education of children and young people in the
  state school system
• their equivalent in independent schoolsand to
  children and young people with disabilities and
  their parents

5
Overall aims
The Swedish Institute for Special Needs Education
shall provide effective support in matters of
special needs education for local authorities,
other organisations and independent schools under
state supervision. This support should
facilitate the work of these organisations in
providing education, pre-school education and
care of school children which is of equal value.
6
The term disability includes both physical
disabilities and medical, psychological or
neurological conditions, along with severe
difficulties in reading and writing/dyslexia and
severe learning disabilities.
7
Key operational areas
The need for support on the part of pupils and
organisations is the key to our operations.

• severe or unusual disabilities support for the
  whole working team/special needs teachers/head
  teachers
• minor or common disabilities support via
  general competence development and provision of
  information
• production of educational materials for children
  and young people with various disabilities
• organisation/participation in development
  initiatives based on experience and research

8
Organisation

• Director-General is the head of the Swedish
  Institute for Special Needs Education 
• board comprises representatives for the
  government, county councils and municipalitys
• five regions centred on Umeå, Stockholm, Örebro,
  Gothenburg and Malmö 
• four resource centres with national
  responsibility 
• educational materials units for development and
  production  
• head office in Härnösand

9
The regions

• are responsible for providing support, primarily
  to pre-school and school staff and to
  decision-makers
• organise and participate in competence
  development
• have management responsibility for development
  initiatives
• disseminate information
• work together with the local authorities, special
  needs schools, county councils, teacher training
  providers and disability organisations
• organise and participate in national
  projects/initiatives

10
Four national resource centres

• Resource Centre Vision children and young
  people with impaired vision and children and
  young people with impaired vision and other
  severe learning disabilities
• Resource Centre Deafness/Hearing children and
  young people who are deaf or hard of hearing with
  severe learning disabilities
• Resource Centre Deafblind children and young
  people who are deafblind from birth
• Resource Centre Speech and Language children
  and young people with severe language problems

11
The resource centres

• provide individual assessment and training visits
  for children and young people
• provide information and educational support for
  parents, teachers and other staff
• arrange temporary placements for pupils

12
Educational materials

• Customisation and development of educational
  materials for pupils with impaired vision,
  physical and severe learning disabilities and for
  pupils who are deaf/hard of hearing
• publication of a comprehensive educational
  materials catalogue featuring all products
• compilation of lists of educational materials on
  the market which fulfil the needs of certain
  pupils
• provision of production support for publishers
  and producers