Building the Inclusive School (Ecole inclusive) for Pupils with Special Needs

Rationale

France's legal architecture for inclusive schooling rests on two foundational statutes: the loi n. 2005-102 du 11 fevrier 2005, which established the right of every child with a disability to be enrolled in the ordinary school, and the loi n. 2019-791 du 26 juillet 2019, which reinforced that right by creating the PIAL (poles inclusifs d'accompagnement localises) to pool human support across schools. The national competency standard requires every teacher to know their pupils and to take account of diversity (competences communes 3 and 4), and the 2025-2029 framework makes ecole inclusive its fifth strategic axis. Yet many ordinary-class teachers report feeling unprepared to differentiate for pupils with a PPS, a PAP, or a PAI, or to collaborate effectively with AESH staff. This course fills that gap by giving teachers the legal literacy, the practical differentiation tools, and the appraisal-evidence strategy they need to meet their statutory duty and to score well at the career interview.

Part I: Foundations (Lessons 1-4)

Lesson 1. The right to schooling in the ordinary setting. What the loi de 2005 changed.

The lesson opens with the text of article L. 112-1 of the Code de l'education as inserted by the loi n. 2005-102: every child with a disability has the right to be enrolled in the school nearest to their home. Participants examine the pre-2005 situation (special schools as the default) and the paradigm shift toward mainstreaming. The lesson traces the three principles the law established: accessibility, compensation, and participation. Participants analyse a case study of a pupil with a motor disability whose family was told the school could not accommodate them, and they identify the legal arguments the family could invoke. The session closes with a mapping of the 2005 law onto the current ecole inclusive apparatus. Participants can afterward explain to a colleague or a parent the legal foundation of the right to ordinary schooling and cite the specific article.

Lesson 2. The 2019 reinforcement and the PIAL logic. Pooling human support at the scale of a territory.

This lesson examines the ecole inclusive provisions of the loi n. 2019-791 and the circulaire de rentree 2019 that launched the PIAL. Participants learn that before 2019, AESH hours were allocated per pupil, creating rigidities and inequities; the PIAL pools support across a group of schools so that an AESH can move flexibly where need is greatest. The lesson presents the three levels of PIAL (1: simple coordination; 2: shared AESH; 3: full pooling) and asks participants to identify which level operates in their own academie. A group exercise requires participants to design a weekly AESH schedule for a PIAL serving one college and three primary schools, balancing the needs of six pupils with different PPS allocations. Participants can afterward describe the PIAL logic to a colleague and identify the level of pooling in their own territory.

Lesson 3. The MDPH, the PPS, and the teacher's role. Reading and applying a projet personnalise de scolarisation.

Participants receive an anonymised PPS document and learn to decode its sections: the commission's decision, the compensation needs, the human aid allocation, the adapted materials, and the schooling timetable. The lesson explains the role of the Maison departementale des personnes handicapees (MDPH) and the equipe pluridisciplinaire d'evaluation. The teacher's duty is not to write the PPS but to implement the pedagogical adaptations it prescribes and to participate in the equipe de suivi de la scolarisation (ESS). Participants practise extracting from a PPS the three most important adaptations for classroom practice and drafting a note for the ESS meeting. The lesson closes with the distinction between the PPS (for disability, under loi 2005) and the PAP (for long-term disorders, under the 2015 decree). Participants can afterward read a PPS, identify the key pedagogical requirements, and prepare for an ESS meeting.

Lesson 4. PAP, PPRE, PAI: choosing the right plan. Distinguishing the four adaptation tools.

French schools use four distinct plans: the PPS (disability), the PAP (plan d'accompagnement personnalise for long-term disorders such as dys), the PPRE (programme personnalise de reussite educative for temporary academic difficulty), and the PAI (projet d'accueil individualise for medical conditions). This lesson provides a decision tree based on the pupil's condition and the duration of need. Participants work through six case studies and select the correct plan for each, justifying their choice with reference to the legal criteria. The lesson also covers the overlap situations: a pupil may have both a PPS and a PAI, or a PAP and a PPRE. Participants can afterward distinguish the four plans, advise a colleague on which plan applies, and locate the template documents on eduscol.

Part II: Core Practice (Lessons 5-10)

Lesson 5. Working with the AESH. Roles, boundaries, and co-construction of support.

The accompagnant des eleves en situation de handicap (AESH) is the teacher's partner, not a substitute teacher. This lesson defines the AESH's three missions: assistance in daily life, assistance in access to learning, and assistance in social participation. Participants examine the arrete that defines AESH duties and discuss common boundary violations (the AESH doing the pupil's work, the teacher leaving the AESH alone with the class). A role-play exercise has the teacher and the AESH plan a mathematics lesson together, deciding which tasks the AESH will support and which the teacher will lead. The lesson also covers the AESH's working conditions, the reference teacher, and the annual entretien professionnel. Participants can afterward establish a clear working agreement with their AESH and avoid the most frequent role-confusion problems.

Lesson 6. From PIAL to PAS. The transition to poles d'appui a la scolarisation and what it means locally.

The research brief flags that the PIAL apparatus is in transition toward the PAS (poles d'appui a la scolarisation). This lesson presents what is known from ministry communications: the PAS will absorb the PIAL function and add a second level of expertise, with a pole coordinator and a team of specialist teachers who can advise ordinary-class teachers. Participants examine the proposed PAS architecture and compare it with their current PIAL experience. The lesson acknowledges that the operational name and precise configuration may vary by academie and that the transition is not yet complete. Participants are guided to consult their EAFC plan academique de formation for the local timeline. Participants can afterward describe the PAS model to a colleague and identify the contact person for the pole in their department.

Lesson 7. The enseignant referent and the equipe de suivi de la scolarisation.

Every pupil with a PPS has an enseignant referent who coordinates the ESS meetings and ensures continuity across school changes. This lesson explains the referent's role: they do not teach the pupil but follow their schooling pathway, convene the ESS at least once a year, and write the compte rendu. Participants learn what the ordinary-class teacher must prepare for an ESS: a brief written note on the pupil's progress, the adaptations that worked, and the difficulties encountered. A simulation has participants role-play an ESS meeting with the referent, the parents, the AESH, and the teacher. The lesson closes with the teacher's right to request an ESS if the plan is not working. Participants can afterward prepare effectively for an ESS meeting and communicate with the enseignant referent.

Lesson 8. Differentiating instruction for a heterogeneous class.

This lesson moves from legal and structural knowledge to pedagogical practice. Participants learn the three tiers of differentiation: content (what the pupil learns), process (how the pupil learns), and product (how the pupil demonstrates learning). The lesson presents concrete examples for a primary French lesson (reading a text at two levels of complexity) and a secondary history lesson (providing a timeline scaffold). Participants design a differentiated lesson plan for a class that includes a pupil with a PPS, a pupil with a PAP for dyspraxia, and a pupil with a PAI for severe allergies. The lesson emphasises that differentiation is not individualisation for every pupil but strategic variation that makes the common lesson accessible. Participants can afterward plan a lesson that includes at least two differentiation strategies and justify them with reference to the pupil's plan.

Lesson 9. Specific learning disorders (troubles dys) in the ordinary class.

Dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysorthographia, dyscalculia, and dysphasia are the most frequent reasons for a PAP. This lesson gives teachers a working knowledge of each disorder's classroom manifestations and the evidence-aligned accommodations. For dyslexia: font choice, audio support, extra time. For dyspraxia: adapted handwriting tools, oral assessment options. Participants receive a one-page summary card for each disorder and practise applying accommodations to a real lesson. The lesson stresses that the PAP is a pedagogical document, not a medical prescription, and that the teacher has the professional autonomy to adjust accommodations as needed. Participants can afterward identify a pupil who may need a PAP, propose appropriate accommodations, and implement them without lowering expectations.

Lesson 10. Autism spectrum pupils and reasonable adjustments.

The national autism strategy (2018-2022 and its successor) has made the inclusion of autistic pupils a priority. This lesson presents the triad of difficulties (communication, social interaction, flexibility of thought) and the corresponding classroom adjustments: visual schedules, social stories, sensory breaks, and predictable routines. Participants watch a video case study of an autistic pupil in a CE2 class and identify the adjustments the teacher made. The lesson also covers the distinction between the autistic pupil who has a PPS and the one who does not, and the role of the ULIS autisme where it exists. Participants can afterward set up a structured classroom environment that reduces anxiety for an autistic pupil and communicate effectively with the family about the adjustments.

Part III: Application and Mastery (Lessons 11-15)

Lesson 11. Attention, behaviour, and the pupil in difficulty.

Not every pupil who struggles to attend or to regulate behaviour has a diagnosed disorder. This lesson distinguishes between the pupil with a PPS for a behavioural disorder, the pupil with a PPRE for temporary difficulty, and the pupil who may need a medical evaluation. Participants learn the concept of the fonction executif and how to support executive-function deficits with checklists, timers, and chunked tasks. The lesson also covers the PPRE as a tool for the pupil in difficulty who does not have a disability: the teacher writes measurable goals, implements targeted support, and reviews progress after six to eight weeks. Participants can afterward design a PPRE for a pupil with attention difficulties and distinguish between a pedagogical response and a referral to the MDPH.

Lesson 12. Accessible materials and universal design of lessons.

Universal design for learning (UDL) is the principle that materials and lessons should be accessible from the start, not adapted afterward. This lesson presents the three UDL principles: multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression. Participants audit a lesson they currently teach against the UDL checklist and identify one change that would make it more accessible without singling out any pupil. The lesson also covers digital accessibility: using the accessibility checker in Word, providing alt text for images, and choosing fonts that are legible for dyslexic readers. Participants can afterward redesign one lesson using UDL principles and produce a materials checklist for their team.

Lesson 13. Assessing and validating progress for pupils with a PPS.

The PPS may specify adapted assessment conditions: extra time, a scribe, oral rather than written assessment, or reduced task length. This lesson explains the legal basis for these adaptations and the teacher's duty to implement them without lowering the standard. Participants examine the distinction between adaptation (changing the format) and exemption (removing the requirement), and learn that exemption from a domain of the socle commun requires a decision by the ESS. The lesson also covers the livret scolaire unique for pupils with a PPS and how to report progress that may look different from that of peers. Participants can afterward set up adapted assessment conditions for a pupil with a PPS and write a meaningful comment on the livret.

Lesson 14. ULIS and coordinated inclusion. How a unite localisee works with ordinary classes.

The ULIS (unite localisee pour l'inclusion scolaire) is a device, not a place: pupils are enrolled in an ordinary class and receive additional support from the ULIS coordinator. This lesson explains the ULIS organisation: the coordinator teaches small-group sessions, works with ordinary-class teachers to adapt lessons, and tracks each pupil's progress toward the goals in their PPS. Participants examine a typical ULIS timetable and discuss the coordination meeting that should happen weekly between the ULIS coordinator and the ordinary-class teacher. The lesson also covers the ULIS for specific disabilities (ULIS TFC, ULIS autisme, ULIS troubles des fonctions motrices). Participants can afterward collaborate effectively with the ULIS coordinator in their school and understand the ULIS pupil's dual belonging.

Lesson 15. Documenting inclusive practice for appraisal. Evidencing competences 3 and 4 at the rendez-vous de carriere.

The final lesson prepares participants to present their inclusive practice at the career interview. Participants learn the four-level grid (a consolider, satisfaisant, tres satisfaisant, excellent) and the descriptors for competences 3 and 4. They examine sample appraisal reports and identify the evidence that would move a teacher from satisfaisant to tres satisfaisant. Each participant drafts a written portfolio entry describing a specific inclusive practice they have implemented, using the STAR format (situation, task, action, result). The lesson closes with a peer-review exercise in which participants give feedback on each other's entries. Participants can afterward produce a portfolio entry that demonstrates their competence in ecole inclusive and prepare for the appraisal interview with confidence.

This syllabus was designed from primary-source research of this nation's official teacher requirements and passed independent verification. The full course, its lessons, assistant, and materials are live for enrolled educators.