Passend Onderwijs

Abstract

Since 1994, there is a worldwide belief that all children, including those with special educational needs, should be able to attend mainstream schools. This form of education is referred to as inclusive education. The Netherlands introduced the policy Passend Onderwijs (PO) in 2014 to achieve this belief. This study describes qualitative research on PO. Research literature shows the effectiveness of inclusive education in different countries across Europe. This study focusses on the needs to achieve effectiveness through PO. Although teachers support the underlying idea, research shows that they have negative feelings concerning this type of education. This study focusses on the question: What do teachers in mainstream education need to make PO work at classroom level? To answer this question, a semi-structured interview was conducted at elementary schools in the province of Utrecht. This study found that implementation is experienced as negative. The teachers education does not correspond with the practice. Basic knowledge on PO and the specific knowledge on disorders is needed. As is extra help in the classroom. Which can be achieved by co-teaching and support from the internal counselor. A number of preconditions also seem to be important for the effectiveness of PO. Recommendations are to get extra help in the classrooms. Extra money is therefore needed. Also more time can help reduce the frustration and workload. It’s important to listen to the practitioners.