FZH – Förderzentrum Herzogenaurach Förderschwerpunkt geistige Entwicklung Das FZH stellt sich den Partnern vor A School for children with special educational needs Our school is located in Herzogenaurach, near Nürnberg in Bavaria and is for pupils with learning difficulties. Bavaria is one of the 16 Federal states of Germany. Pupils are with us for up to 12 years and are aged from 6 to 19 years. The school has three levels: – Primary level for 4 years – Secondary level for a further 5 years – Vocational training for the last 3 years We have 8 classes totalling 65 pupils all having mixed abilities both physically and mentally. Some pupils will need more personal assistance than others. The government curriculum emphasises three development areas, which are: – Personal identity – Social integration – Living skills The school has a range of staff which includes: – Head of School and Teachers with different qualifications – Classroom assistants – Students on practical training experience – Administration personnel Our day starts at 8 o’clock in the morning. The pupils are either from our town or the surrounding villages and have a school bus service. They are with us until lunchtime after which they can attend the next door afternoon care facility until 4 o’clock. Primary education The first day at school is normally at the age of 6. In Germany this is a special day for every pupil when parents and relations attend. It is traditional that the child will have been given a ‘Schultüte’, a cone-shaped bag containing sweets and small presents. The children are introduced to the school staff, the organisation and their classroom and encouraged to become part of the school community. Communication and language is a most important early subject for children many of whom have speaking difficulties or are unable to speak. They learn the use of sign language, picture symbols, electronic media and facilitated communication. We aim to teach communication with other people, not only at home or school, but in the wider community. Different levels of teaching give the pupils learning experience with the use of experiencing with all their senses Learning by doing Pictures and text Movement and sport are used for the pupil to experience different ways of moving, being moved and social organisation. This helps develop motor skills, social interaction and improve personal confidence. The pupil begins to learn to become physically independent as far as possible as a foundation for later adult life. Even from the first day we incorporate the teaching of personal skills, which in the beginning will include eating, dressing, personal hygiene and daily routines. In arts and crafts pupils are encouraged to be creative by learning the use of their hands and simple tools such as pencils, brushes, scissors. These aid their fine motor skills. Reading, writing and arithmetic ability is essential for social integration and is taught according to the pupil’s abilities. We start with pre-reading and pre-numeric skills. Once a week the primary pupils meet for a song and dance session to encourage their social skills as in turn-taking, role playing, co-operating with others and listening. Going outside the school is also an important part of learning in the real world. Visits are made to local town facilities such as small shops, the ice cream parlour, nearby playgrounds or a farm. And there are visits to local children’s cultural events where pupils from other schools are met. Celebrations are also part of the pupil’s social activities. This could be their own birthdays, national festivals, Christmas, Easter and so on. Family and friends are invited. We promote an active co-operation with the parents, by inviting them to school events and a regular parent’s breakfast. The parents can see what their children do and meet other parents informally. Twice a year, the parents are invited to an evening presentation of class work. They are also offered an opportunity for a private meeting with their teacher to discuss the pupil’s twice yearly assessment. In addition as in all German schools there is a committee of pupil’s parents in which each class is represented. This group has a legal status and duties for the interests of the pupils in the school. Children having the necessary ability can attend regular primary school. In this case one of our teachers will attend on a weekly basis to advise the regular teacher and possibly assist the pupil. The pupils have now completed 4 years of primary education centred round the classroom atmosphere. Secondary education At this time their personality is changing as they enter and experience their teens and there is a greater interest in things other than what is taught at school. New subjects include learning what goes on outside school, such as pedestrian and cycling codes, the use of public transport and behaviour in public. For example, the police help them to pass a simplified national cycle test. They learn how to use the media, such as radio, television, computers and newspapers. It is important that they learn the money system, from recognising the coins and notes to buying things, paying for them and receiving change. Visiting experts are introduced to bring outside technical variation to their learning: training for the cycle code or experience of other languages for instance. The pupils are introduced to the new subject of cookery and domestic science to progress their personal skills learned at primary level. Project work is used to gain the experiencing of collecting information, its assembly and creating a practical means of presentation a particular subject. A Recent example has been a theatre project where a play was developed with the staff and then the costumes, stage sets and make-up all made. The play was performed at school and later for a teacher training group. External training is introduced to take the pupils to local town facilities such as the local library, museums, and so on. The state district runs twice a year a sports day for special schools. Our school attends and pupils compete in games, sports and athletic events. The event is organised with parents, local people or students and others. We look to work with other regular schools in co-operation projects where common activities can be made. Projects mainly develop music, art and craft skills and have included a programme which ending with an art exhibition. Vocational training After 9 years of schoolwork the pupils start their vocational training in common with all German schools. Our curriculum is for three years during which they are to be treated as young adults and helped to plan their future career. This training is a bridge between school and work. Initially internal work experience is nominated for one day of the week when simple business activities are formed. This could be a bicycle repair service, gardening for the school, or running a small catering service. The second stage is to attend external work experience which might be with a local business or a sheltered workshop. Their vocational trainer will help to assess the suitability of the work and review how progress is being made. In the local training flat the pupils learn for a few days how to live on their own. They have to cook for a proper diet, shop for their daily needs, maintain the flat and of course have breakfast and be on time to attend school. The teacher is there to assist but only if really necessary. It has to be remembered that some of the pupils have not before lived away from home. They need to learn how to make use of leisure time, by planning what to do, what is the cost, and how to behave. This helps to develop an understanding of friendships and group activity when away from home and possibly how to handle difficult situations. The pupils have to learn about public life, that is not only what society can do for them but what they can do. Themes include the political system and the use of public services. They also have to learn about themselves, what is personal identity particularly in the roles of men and women, the formation of relationships and partnerships. Together with this, sexual education, personal health and the avoidance of recreational drugs is taught.