Education can give young people a good start. But the education system alone is not able to meet the needs of school pupils with serious behavioural problems or even those of highly gifted children. In cases like this, they need help from other sources, from social assistance providers to cultural organisations.
17 May 2004
The Education Council supports the specialist teams that have already been established sporadically, where schools and assistance providers work together to help young people with behavioural problems. The education system should play a central role in this and retain responsibility for school pupils for as long as possible. Schools also need to be given a significant say in the composition of the teams. Using a system of ‘drawing rights', for instance, they should be able to claim the services of experts such as social workers, youth psychologists and community police officers.
Develop an ‘eight-to-eight' facility
There are hundreds of young people with serious behavioural problems who do not belong in special education or in the youth justice system. A special facility should be developed for this group: the ‘eight-to-eight' facility. This is a facility that provides these young people with teaching in a clear and supervised regime. Pupils continue to live at home while attending the facility. Existing regional cooperation between schools could decide which pupils would be eligible, preferably on a voluntary basis.
Encourage excellence
There are currently few facilities or partnerships between schools and/or other organisations specifically for pupils who excel academically or in the arts, sports or business. The government must take concerted policy and funding action for this group,
with the aim of giving schools more freedom to award exemptions from certain classes, subjects or examinations, and to offer alternative examinations. The ‘LOOT' school model could serve as an example for this. LOOT schools offer specialised facilities, teachers, exemptions and adapted timetables for pupils talented in the sports.