Spain plans two class places for special-needs pupils
Two class places for one pupil: Spain plans to count children with special educational needs twice when setting the size of mainstream classes. The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport has included the change in a draft decree reported from Madrid on 20 October. It wants to approve the decree before the general election on 29 November.
The measure was part of a bill to cut class sizes and teaching hours. That bill fell when parliament was dissolved ahead of the early election. The ministry now wants to bring the measure in by decree.
Smaller classes and extra staff
Under the draft, a pupil with special educational needs would generally count as two places towards a mainstream class’s maximum size. Education authorities would provide schools with staff and materials to support those pupils, within their powers and available budgets. Where a school cannot meet the proposed class limits because of its particular circumstances, the authorities would have to provide extra staff.
The draft would cut the maximum class size in the second stage of early-years education from 25 children to 20, and in the final stage of secondary education from 35 students to 30. For the first stage of early-years education, it proposes four children per teacher from birth to age one, six from one to two, and eight from two to three.
Space for younger children and plans for heat
Centres for children up to age three would need at least 2 square metres of classroom space per place. The draft also sets requirements for a 30-square-metre multipurpose room and a play area of at least 75 square metres.
Once approved, the decree would require early-years, primary and lower-secondary schools to adapt their indoor temperatures for comfort and prepare plans for extreme heat and other climate risks. Those plans could change how schools use their time and rooms, or adjust physical and outdoor activities.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com