All pupils are guaranteed the right to education that respects their individual educational needs. Pupils with special educational needs are guaranteed the right to free of charge provision of support measures, including counselling assistance to schools and schools, provision of education and school services in construction and technical premises, etc.
First-level support measures can be provided by schools themselves when identifying pupils with special educational needs or at risk. This may include a pedagogical support plan, pedagogical intervention, modifications in methods or the organization of teaching or assessment, the provision of counselling services by an educational advisor, a school prevention methodology, a psychologist, a special pedagogue, a school speech therapist or a social pedagogue.
If the support measures at first instance are judged to be insufficient, the school will recommend legal representatives to seek counselling services from the SPS, i.e. a pedagogical-psychological counselling centre or a special pedagogical centre. The Decree on the provision of counselling services in schools and school counselling facilities sets out the standard activities and the division of competences of individual SPAs.
Pedagogical-psychological counselling centres provide counselling services especially to pupils with learning or behavioural disorders, with insufficient knowledge of the Czech language, gifted or exceptionally gifted. Pedagogical centres can provide counselling services to pupils with mental, auditory, visual or physical disabilities, speech impairments, autism spectrum disorders or multiple disabilities. Each special education center specializes in a different type of disability.
The provision of psychological, special pedagogical or speech therapy counselling services in the SPZ requires the written consent of the legal representative of the underage pupil or adult pupil. The advisory service in the SPZ shall be provided without undue delay, but no later than three months from the date of receipt of the application, Crisis advisory intervention shall be provided without delay.
The SPZ will assess the pupil's special educational needs, based in particular on special pedagogical or psychological diagnostics, etc., and may recommend supportive measures in the second to fifth grades, depending on the nature of the special educational needs. It can be a modification of the content of education, the subject of special pedagogical care, personnel support, individual educational plan, aids and more. Before recommending support measures, the SPZ also ascertains material and personnel security at the school.
The recommendation shall be issued within 30 days from the date of completion of the assessment of the pupil’s special educational needs, but no later than 3 months from the date of receipt of the application for the provision of advisory assistance to the SPZ. That period shall be extended by the time necessary to arrange for the assessment of the essential facts to be carried out by another expert in order to determine the support measures. The legal representative shall also receive a report containing the conclusions of the examination.
The legal representative, pupil, school or school facility may, within 30 days of receipt of the recommendation or report, request a revision pursuant to Section 16b of the Education Act, namely the revision workplace of the National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic.
The school is obliged to provide support measures without delay after receiving the recommendation of the SPS and the written informed consent of the legal representative of the minor pupil or adult pupil to provide them.
EU citizens have access to education and school services under the same conditions as Czech citizens.
Under the same conditions as EU citizens, other foreigners have access to basic education (including institutional and protective education), school catering and leisure education without the need to prove their right to stay in the Czech Republic. Only foreigners legally resident in the Czech Republic have access to pre-school, secondary, basic arts, language and higher vocational education (including institutional and protective education) and school services. In compulsory pre-school, primary and secondary education, foreigners are entitled to free language training in the Czech language. In pre-school and primary education, citizens of the Czech Republic with similar needs for inclusion are also entitled to this right.
Education of pupils with special educational needs takes place primarily in mainstream schools.
Schools or classrooms, departments and study groups may be established for pupils with mental, physical, visual or hearing impairments, severe speech impairments, severe developmental learning disabilities, severe developmental behavioural disorders, co-disability with multiple impairments or autism.
Only a pupil may be assigned to such a class, study group or department or admitted to such a school if the SPZ finds that, due to the nature of the special educational needs or the course and results of the provision of support measures to date, the support measures alone would not be sufficient to fulfil his or her educational opportunities and exercise his or her right to education.
The condition for inclusion is a written request from the legal representative of the minor pupil or adult pupil, the recommendation of the SPS and the compliance of this procedure with the pupil's interest.
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