School options for children with special needs

The municipality of Copenhagen has special offers for children with the following conditions:

• physical developmental disability
• autism / ADHD
• mental retardation
• socio-emotional difficulties
• general learning difficulties 
• reading difficulties
• speech or language difficulties
• hearing loss
• congenital brain injury 

Whenever possible, we try to keep the child in a safe environment in an ordinary class at the local district school. The child will be offered support in terms of differentiated teaching and supplemental education or training in teams with the support of the school's resource centre. 

To ensure the best outcomes, we encourage close cooperation between the parents and child's school. 

Special education assistance 

For a child to be entitled to special education in an ordinary school, a special class or a special school, he or she needs at least 9 hours (12 teaching lessons) of support per week. 

Assessing your child’s need for special education 

The interdisciplinary support (Den Tværfaglige Support) will access your child's need for special education. Recommendations for special education will be made together with the parents and the responsible psychologist. It is responsibility of the headmaster at the district school to send the child's assessment to the relevant authorities.  

After the assessment is made, the parents will be notified of the decision by post. There are three possible decisions: 

• If your child is offered a place in a special school (the page is in Danish), the transition from the ordinary school/day care to the special school will be arranged 
• If your child is offered flexible schooling (skoleflex-tilbud), this will be established together with the resource centre of the district school according to your child’s specific difficulties 
• If your child is not offered a place in a special school or class, your local area office will be contacted in order to find an alternative solution. 

Complaints about decisions on special education

Complaints must be submitted to the municipality at least four weeks after you have been informed of the decision. The municipality will then be able to reconsider the decision. If the municipality maintains the decision, the case files along with a statement will be sent to the Complaints Board (Klagenævnet).