Definition of Target Group(s)

Under the Intercantonal Agreement on Cooperation in Special Needs Education (Special Needs Education Agreement) all children and young people (0-20 years of age) with special educational needs living in Switzerland are entitled to special education measures. In addition, the cantons have introduced numerous instruments in recent years which allow examination of the individual level of achievement of the pupils. These include for instance orientation and benchmark tests or standardised performance measurements. The results of this positioning serve inter alia as the basis for targeted individual support of learners. Cantons which have signed the Intercantonal Agreement on Harmonisation of Compulsory Education (HarmoS Agreement) will in addition draft individual, supportive positioning guided by the national education standards (basic skills) and the language-regional curricula. This positioning will make statements about where a pupil stands in relation to the learning objectives and where any support may be required. Support measures may also be offered for specific target groups:

Transition from compulsory education to vocational and professional education and training

The vocational and professional education and training of people with special educational needs and the integration of people with disabilities into the world of work are a core topic. Alongside the national offices (Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology, Federal Social Insurance Office) and the cantons, the National Association of Institutions for People with Disabilities (INSOS) is also strongly committed to professional integration. It offers training courses, additional programmes and support measures for young people with special educational needs and disabilities in the transition from school to VET and to the world of work.

Children from socially disadvantaged families and/or children with a migrant background

Recent years have seen a growing realisation that early support can partly offset the negative consequences of social disadvantages for the personal and school development of the child and thus help improve equal opportunities. At local level, initially in larger towns and cities, an increasing number of projects are specifically directed at children aged from 0 to 4 (or until the start of pre-school) from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and their parents. In 2011 the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Social Affairs (SODK) adopted recommendations for the cantons on early childhood care.

Under the HarmoS Agreement implementation of earlier compulsory education is geared at permanently improving the chances of academic success for all pupils, especially those who are from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) has drawn up recommendations for the education of children from a foreign language background. The targeted principles are based on the best and earliest possible integration of children with a migrant background into the education system, ensuring the maintenance of their native language and culture. The EDK’s national strategy to develop language teaching provides for support for the mother tongues of children with a migrant background in lessons in the language and culture of origin. Cantons who sign the HarmoS Agreement, undertake to support language and culture of origin courses which are religiously and politically neutral. Based on the Federal Act on National Languages and Understanding between the Linguistic Communities the Confederation can grant the cantons financial assistance for projects to support national languages in teaching and promote the knowledge of speakers of other languages in their mother tongue (lessons in the language and culture of origin).

Specific Support Measures

Transition from compulsory education to vocational and professional education and training

As regards VET, the Vocational and Professional Education and Training Act (VPETA) regulates the three or four-year Federal VET Diploma and the two-year Federal VET Certificate. The two-year Federal VET Certificate course in particular is directed at young people with special educational needs. For young people with greater educational needs the National Association of Institutions for People with Disabilities (INSOS) also offers practical training which is heavily focused on the individual abilities of the young people. In addition to this VET offers diverse support measures for young people with special educational and developmental needs such as remedial courses, individual support or an extension of the period of training.

Under the Vocational and Professional Education and Training Act (VPETA) the cantons are required to prepare young people who have not reached the required level of academic achievement after the end of compulsory education for VET programmes (Article 12 VPETA). As a “bridge” between lower and upper secondary level the cantons offer young people without a follow-up solution various measures to prepare for employment. These include bridge-year courses at school, combined programmes of school and work experience, and integration courses for young people from a foreign-language background.

The Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) project “Interface between compulsory schooling and upper secondary level“ covers the transition from school to the world of work. The aim of the project is to increase the share of pupils with an upper secondary level leaving certificate, avoid time wasted as a result of switching apprenticeships and recognise problem groups at an early stage. The EDK has published corresponding recommendations.

The VET Case Management procedure involves measures for young people whose entry into the professional world is at risk. The aim is to achieve successful vocational and professional education and training for young people. To achieve this, the process of helping for young people at risk to help themselves is being stepped up and made more effective by coordinating the activities of all stakeholders. The Case Management procedure is being implemented by the cantons.

Children from socially disadvantaged families and/or children with a migrant background

Childcare institutions and programmes provide care first and foremost, but increasingly also offer specific support to assist the development of children growing up under difficult conditions in particular. Numerous measures aim to increase the number of children from disadvantaged families in childcare institutions. An overview of practical projects in the field of early childhood support may be found on the Swiss UNESCO Commission website on early childhood education in Switzerland. 
There are also a range of programmes explicitly aimed at the target group of foreign-language children and young people:

• Einführungsklassen/integration classes: depending on the canton newly arrived foreign-language pupils are taught for a limited time (usually one year) in classes for speakers of foreign languages and prepared for attendance of mainstream schools. The pupils can also attend mainstream classes and claim specific services such as additional teaching in the local teaching language, introduction to the culture, homework assistance.

• Lessons in the language and culture of origin: the latest research into language acquisition by bilingual and multilingual children proves that good skills in their first language have a positive impact on learning other languages and on the shaping of identity and orientation in the social environment. Most foreign-language children and young people attend optional lessons in the language and culture of origin, which is offered and financed by state or non-state maintaining bodies of the migrant communities and occasionally by cantons/school communities and charities. The cantons which have signed the HarmoS Agreement support such lessons in organisational terms.

• German as a second language: lessons in German as a second language (Deutsch als Zweitsprache, DaZ) are directed at children and young people in German-speaking parts of Switzerland who do not have German as their first language and have little or no knowledge of German. Teaching in German as a second language supplements mainstream teaching and is intended to serve language promotion, integration and improvement of school performance. The French-speaking cantons offer teaching in French as a second language (“Français langue seconde”).

• Bridging solutions: special training programmes are available to facilitate the transition from lower secondary level to vocational training or secondary schools for new immigrant pupils. Specific integration programmes give young people support in finding careers and integrating into the world of work.

Legislative References

Interkantonale Vereinbarung über die Zusammenarbeit im Bereich der Sonderpädagogik [Intercantonal Agreement on Cooperation in Special Education]

Interkantonale Vereinbarung über die Harmonisierung der obligatorischen Schule [Intercantonal Agreement on Harmonisation of Compulsory Education]

Bundesgesetz über die Landessprachen und die Verständigung zwischen den Sprachgemeinschaften [Federal Act on National Languages and Understanding between the Linguistic Communities]

Bundesgesetz über die Berufsbildung [Federal Act on Vocational and Professional Education and Training]