The Norwegian Education Mirror 2022
Pupils in special education
Pupils who do not get satisfactory results from their ordinary subject education provision have the right to special education. Normally, schools must survey, evaluate and possibly try out new measures within the framework of ordinary education before a statement on special education is made. The overall education provision will usually include both special education and ordinary education.
The number of pupils in special education is stable, at around 8 per cent
In the 2021-2022 school year, nearly 8 per cent of pupils (49,000 pupils) in primary and lower secondary school received special education support.
In total, 10 per cent of boys and 5 per cent of girls receive special education. Boys make up 68 per cent of the pupils who receive special education. This figure has been quite stable over time. The number of boys receiving special education in primary and lower secondary school is somewhat lower than the number of boys receiving special education in kindergarten (read more about this in the 'Kindergarten' chapter).
The number of pupils in special education varies more between municipalities in a county than between counties. For the counties, the range is from 9 per cent in Møre og Romsdal, Troms og Finnmark and Nordland to 7 per cent in Oslo and Viken. Within Møre og Romsdal, for example, this figure varies between municipalities between 5 and 22 per cent.
Three times as many pupils receive special education support in Year 10 as in Year 1
The number of pupils in special education increases throughout the school grades. In Year 1, 3.5 per cent of pupils receive special education support, while that figure in Year 10 is 10.5 per cent. This pattern has persisted over time. There is a lower proportion of pupils in Year 8 in special education than in Year 7, and this can be related to the fact that many pupils change schools from primary school to lower secondary school. Different schools may have different practices for making special education statements.
Special education
Before schools can make a statement as to whether a pupil should receive special education, the educational psychology services must prepare an expert assessment which decides whether the pupil has benefited from the ordinary education provision, and which special educational provision the pupil should have. The pupil's degree of benefit will have an impact on how much special education the pupil receives.
After the statement about special education has been made, the school will prepare an individual learning plan (ILP). An ILP will show the aims of the education, what it should contain, and how it should otherwise be conducted.
Over half of special education statements are for more than 190 hours a year
For some pupils, a few hours (or less) of special education over the course of a week can be enough, or practical help in the form of e.g. an assistant or extra teaching resources might be enough. For other pupils, their entire array of lessons may have to be arranged separately. Over half receive 190 hours or more of special education support in a school year, which means that more than 30 per cent of their lessons are special education support.
More receiving special education support in their ordinary classes
48 per cent of pupils who receive special education support mainly have it during ordinary classes, while 39 per cent mainly receive special education support in separate groups. Only 13 per cent receive special education support mainly alone. The number of pupils who receive special education support during class has risen from 28 per cent in 2013-2014. This increase has been a desired development, as it is an aim that all children and pupils should be able to experience good adaptation, and an inclusive community in ordinary school provision (Report to the Storting 6 (2019-2020)).
The way in which special education is organised depends, among other things, on how many pupils in special education there are in the school, along with the number of available teaching personnel. This is again linked to school size. Several medium-sized schools mainly give special education support in ordinary classes, while large schools mainly give special education support in separate groups. This can be because large schools often have more pupils with similar needs. In separate schools for special education, 69 per cent of pupils receive the main part of their teaching in separate groups.
Separate schools and special education departments are most usual in large municipalities
Over 4,400 pupils, which is 9 per cent of pupils receiving special education, go to separate schools for special education, or to schools with permanent special education departments. In Oslo, this figure is 22 per cent. Many of Norway's largest municipalities have a high proportion of separate schools and permanent departments for special education.
There is a total of 49 separate special education schools, and 323 schools with permanent special education departments. Separate special education schools are more common at secondary school level than at primary school level. The number of pupils in permanent special education departments has been relatively stable over the past 5 years.
A further 2,000 pupils with special education statements are placed in alternative education arenas one or more days a week with a teaching plan linked to e.g. outdoor activities or work on a farm or a car workshop.
Private schools have a higher proportion of pupils in special education
The number of pupils receiving special education support is higher in private schools than in public schools. The proportion in private schools is 10 per cent, while it is 8 per cent in public schools.
There is little research to explain why there is a higher incidence of special education support in private primary and lower secondary schools than in public primary and lower secondary schools. One reason can be that parents with children who have special needs, or children with special education statements, more often apply to private schools with alternative pedagogies.