About upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities
Upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities is a four-year programme for pupils between the ages of 16 and 20 who have an intellectual disability or an acquired brain injury. Upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities consists of national programmes and individual programmes.
About upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities in easy-to-read Swedish
Prepares you for life after school
Education in upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities is designed to develop your ability to learn and use your skills, both independently and with others. It also aims to provide social interaction. Upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities is flexible so you can develop to your full potential based on your circumstances and the objectives of the programme.
The programme can lead to work or further studies at Komvux (municipal adult education) or a folk high school.
Who can attend upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities?
Upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities is intended for individuals who have completed compulsory school or compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities and are not capable of meeting the grading criteria due to an intellectual disability or a brain injury.
The municipality where you live decides whether you can attend an upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities. To determine whether you should be given a place there, the municipality conducts an investigation with an educational, psychological, medical and social assessment.
National programmes
There are nine national programmes in upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities. All of these are vocational programmes. This means that they are designed to prepare you for a job. The programme for aesthetic activities and the programme for society, nature and languages also prepare you to continue your studies at a folk high school or the like. You can also take a national programme as an apprentice. With this, at least half of the programme takes place at one or more workplaces.
In a national programme in upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities, you study 2,500 credits in various subjects. You are entitled to 3,600 hours of contact time spread over four years.
Everyone who attends upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities takes certain subjects. These subjects are
- English
- Aesthetics
- History
- Physical education and health
- Mathematics
- Natural science
- Religious studies
- Social studies
- Swedish or Swedish as a second language.
In addition to the subjects that everyone takes, each programme includes program-specific subjects. These are the subjects that distinguish the programme from other programmes. Each programme also has a specialisation component where you can either continue with a subject you have already studied or choose a new subject.
The programme also includes an individual option. The school decides which subjects you can choose from within the individual option, but everyone is entitled to study one level of physical education and health and one level of home and consumer studies.
Upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities is regulated by a curriculum. All subjects have a subject syllabus, which describes what the subject covers and what the pupils should be able to do once they have studied the subject.
Individual programmes
If you are not able to follow a national programme, you can take an individual programme. An individual programme also lasts four years and consists of subject areas. The individual programmes include the following subject areas:
- Aesthetics
- Home and consumer studies
- Physical education and health
- Nature and the environment
- Individual and society
- Language and communication.
If it suits you, you can also do a placement.
A subject area can include elements from more than one subject. Each subject area has a subject area syllabus that describes the purpose of the programme and the objectives for what you should learn, referred to as intended learning outcomes.
In an individual programme, you can combine subjects from national programmes and subject areas. It is the headteacher who decides which combinations you can make.
An individual study plan
All pupils in upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities have their own study plan. This contains information about
- which programme you are enrolled in
- the subjects or subject areas you are studying
- whether the programme is full, reduced or extended
- which subjects are included in the full programme
- which subjects are outside the full programme, if you are following an extended programme
- which subjects are included in the reduced programme and which subjects have been removed, if you are following a reduced programme.
Assessment and learning in upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities
At school, you will receive regular information about what you have learned in relation to the intended learning outcomes.
The teacher, you and other pupils can provide feedback to help you progress in your learning. You also have meetings with your teacher, where you discuss how to progress in your studies based on an assessment of what you need and what you already know. It is important that you gain an understanding of your own learning and your development needs.
Parent-teacher conferences in upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities
At least once a semester, you, your teacher and your guardian meet to discuss how things are going at school and how you are getting on. This is called a parent-teacher conference. The meeting is intended to give you an idea of how your knowledge level has developed and how you have developed socially.
During the meeting, you will discuss how the school can support and stimulate your development and learning. The meeting gives you and your guardian an opportunity to influence and take responsibility for your schooling. If you need particular adaptations and special support, you can discuss this at the parent-teacher conference.
Diploma project in upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities
All pupils on the national programmes in upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities carry out a diploma project. This project is intended to demonstrate that you are able to perform common tasks in a professional field. For this reason, the project should be done towards the end of your studies. It should tie in with the programme objectives and your education. The teacher will assess the project and decide whether it has earned a passing grade or not. If you pass, the project is given a grade of E. If you fail to achieve the objectives, the teacher will not assign a grade.
Grades in upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities
If you are enrolled in a national programme, you will receive a grade after each completed level in a subject. Each subject has set grading criteria which must be met.
You can receive a grade between A and E, with A being the highest grade and E being the lowest grade. If you do not meet the requirements to earn a grade of E, no grade will be assigned.
In the individual programmes, the teachers do not give grades. Instead of grades, your teachers assess and evaluate your knowledge levels based on requirements for basic and more advanced proficiency. This enables the teacher to adapt the requirements to your circumstances.
Upper secondary school certificate
Once you have completed a national or individual programme, you will receive an upper secondary school certificate for upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities. This describes what knowledge and experience you have gained from the upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities and contains information about
- the programme
- the subject areas or subjects you studied
- your grades
- your workplace-based learning (APL) or placement
- your diploma project.
Workplace-based learning (APL)
Workplace-based learning (APL) involves on-the-job training at a workplace, outside of school. During APL, you gain vocational skills, learn the culture of the profession, and become part of a workplace community. This is why APL is an important component of education in all national programmes.
All pupils on a national programme are required to spend at least the equivalent of 22 weeks in the workplace.
On-the-job training at a workplace
Apprenticeship in upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities
You can be enrolled in a national programme in upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities as an apprentice. If you are doing an apprenticeship, you spend at least half of your school time training at one or more workplaces. An apprenticeship is equivalent to the corresponding training you would receive at school.
Mother tongue
If you have a mother tongue other than Swedish, you may be entitled to mother tongue tuition in upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities. If you belong to a national minority, you have a special right to study your mother tongue.
Continuing your studies after upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities
After completing upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities, you can continue your studies at Komvux (municipal adult education) or at certain folk high schools. However, an upper secondary school certificate from upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities does not qualify you to continue your studies at a university or university college. If you lack basic qualification, universities and university colleges can assess your prior learning. This involves assessing knowledge and competence you have acquired outside of formal studies.
Other ways of becoming qualified
Upper secondary school introductory programme
If you completed compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities but do not wish to continue your studies at upper secondary school for pupils with intellectual disabilities, you can take one of the introductory programmes. These programmes are designed for individuals who are not qualified to be admitted to a national vocational programme. They are called vocational introduction, individual alternative and language introduction.
Vocational introduction
Vocational introduction is a vocational programme that makes it easier for you to enter the labour market or be accepted into a national vocational programme.
Individual alternative
The individual alternative programme prepares you for further studies or for the labour market. The programme is designed around you and your needs.
Language introduction
Language introduction is a programme focusing on Swedish for those newly arrived in Sweden. After language introduction, you can continue on to another programme, such as another introductory programme.