In Ostend, primary school OLVO Vuurtoren has been working on inclusion for some time through the Onwijs Onderwijs project. The school tries to keep students with diverse needs in the classroom as much as possible, with tailor-made guidance.
Director Jan De Wit notices that the needs in the neighborhood are evolving rapidly. “About four years ago we started looking at what is going on here: more diversity, more children with SES characteristics. We were looking for tools to deal with this better as a team,” he says.
Care coordinator Benoit Delaere also sees how important adapted support is. “We have many more children with specific challenges and many foreign-speaking students. That is not self-evident, but we try to adapt our school in such a way that it still works,” he explains. “We have a sensory room where children can relax when things get too much in the classroom.”