«Many are at their limit»

"I am Vice President of the Basel Voluntary School Synod, the professional association of teachers and specialists with over 4,000 members. Last late summer, the majority of them launched a popular initiative that caused quite a stir: Basel teachers wanted to abolish integration, according to the media. The opposite is the case: we want to strengthen inclusive schools - by providing urgently needed relief for mainstream classes.

Four children per class are considered to have behavioural problems. We don't have enough resources to cushion this. The children are the ones who suffer.

We are calling for special education classes to be introduced in mainstream schools in Basel. For children who learn better in small groups and those whose behaviour goes beyond the scope of a regular class. The aim of the remedial class would be for children to stabilise and return to their mainstream class in the long term.

Many teachers are at their limit. In Basel-Stadt, the resources that schools have for integrative support are often not nearly enough to cope with the associated challenges. A survey conducted by our association shows that one of the biggest stress factors is dealing with behavioural problems.

We are increasingly dealing with children who are developmentally delayed in the socio-emotional area and are at the level of a toddler in kindergarten. They throw themselves on the floor and scream when they are overstimulated, hit or kick when they encounter resistance. I observe this kind of behaviour right through to primary school.

Here, too, more and more children lack strategies for dealing with frustration, anger or distraction. Most of them come from socially disadvantaged families. At my level, many have no or no diagnosis that would enable them to access additional resources.

As a special needs teacher, I accompany my class from the first to the third primary level. In the first class, I can support the teacher with five weekly lessons of integrative support; in the third class, it's three. According to studies, 20 per cent of children are considered to have behavioural problems, up to four children per class. We don't have enough resources to cushion this. The children are the ones who suffer. The ones whose needs go beyond the scope - and the less conspicuous ones who miss out.

In most cases, these are ready-to-go children who are weaker at school and need a little more support, or cognitively fit foreign speakers who do not understand everything in German. However, children often do not report a need for support on their own; they are dependent on the teacher or special needs teacher recognising it. That's difficult to do when you're constantly absorbed in putting out fires elsewhere."