STU school in Sønderborg Denmark

‘Our work is highly appreciated by the ‘municipality’

 

 

 

Last week Acato started again. Thanks to the voluntary efforts of our teachers and the volunteers the whole school has been tidied up again for the new season. Here and there I have heard that the layout is a bit different. So that it is more pleasant and clear for the pupils. A lot of work was also done during the holidays by the way. Space has been created by removing an old piece of furniture from the previous tenant. And thanks to the muscles of a student, among others, there is now a beautiful printing press there.

 

Acato provides education, care and guidance to children and young people with an autism spectrum disorder in a way that is almost nowhere to be found. To put it differently: Young people who are not welcome anywhere find a safe place at Acato.

 

Acato exists because of the commitment of volunteers. In Germany, this is called ehrenamtlich. That sounds so nice. Something to do with honour, I suppose. Ehrensache after all means matter of honour. It is a matter of honour to volunteer for something beautiful.

 

‘Our work is highly appreciated by the ‘municipality’, the headmistress of the school I visited said to me today.

How wonderful that must be. Not having to fight to exist. To be appreciated.

Acato exists because of the honourable commitment of people who sacrifice their free time out of love for the children. Acato can only exist as long as these people continue to do so.

 

I dedicate today's story to all Acato employees and volunteers who, against all odds, give their time and energy to this school for children who get no chances at the official schools .

 

 

STU-Ulkebøldam

 

Today I paid a visit to the STU Skole (Specially Organised Youth Education) in Sønderborg. This STU Skole has been in existence since 2007.

The enthusiastic and warm-hearted director Annette Hansen showed me around.

 

 

In Denmark, children have compulsory education from the age of 6 to 16. After nine years they can choose to continue or go on to a tenth grade. After that there is the possibility of one or two years of further education to prepare for university or higher education, or you can start vocational training. If all this is not possible, there are two possibilities. The FGU, (preparatory basic education for a maximum of two years) to prepare you for vocational training, or if you have a disorder: the STU, a special three-year youth course to prepare you for work if possible but more so, to prepare you for an active and fulfilling life as an adult.

 

At the STU-skole children come who have completed the compulsory 10-year basic education. This can be at the Folkeskole or at the Special education.

The STU-skole is meant for children between the ages of 16 and 25 and can be attended for a maximum of 3 years (possibly with interruption). It is a kind of special secondary education.  The offer is focused on independence and development.

 

Denmark strives for inclusive education. Schools must provide extra support. This can be done with extra classes and adapted teaching time. The school organises this in consultation with the parents. No special examination is needed for this. Only when things really don't work out and special education comes into the picture, an official referral is needed. In Denmark, the kommune, the municipality, is responsible for the care and the referral.

 

The STU skole in Sønderborg is part of the local FGU (school for preparatory primary education) but is separately funded. When the director of that school asked Annette if she wanted to start a STU-skole, she said: "On one condition. That school is only for these children (childen with a disorder like autism and ADHD and ADD etc)'.

I asked, of course, 'So not inclusive?'

Annette replied, 'No! I want peace for these children. I want to give them a safe place where they can grow up with other young people.’

‘And it's going fantastic!’ she adds. ‘Because we have a lot of structure. And it's quiet here.'

 

The school has two locations. The location I visit has different offerings. The other location has a large kitchen to learn and a large garden where they work and learn. They grow vegetables and flowers there. But there is also taught Danish, math, English, social studies, culture and IT.

There are now 47 pupils totally. The school has grown considerably in recent years. 

 

 

 

We walk around the grounds. They are on the outskirts of Sønderborg in a green setting. They have a large garden and quite a bit of land attached to it.

Every day starts at eight with a two-and-a-half kilometre walk. There are four pupils per teacher. The walk is meant to have a chat with the pupils and to hear how they are doing. Whether the day has started well for them.

 

In the canteen there is a large screen showing the timetable for the day for each individual child. What strikes me immediately is that there is one subject per day, per child. Children are inside for a maximum of six hours. A total of 27 hours a week. Because each subject has a different colour, it is immediately clear which children go to which teacher that day. 

 

 

 

There is glass art, steel, wood, working with textiles, general education, gardening, maths, Danish and catering in the other department. I also see beautiful paintings hanging in the corridor. Other subjects are possible. Annette says things that we also say at Acato: 'If a group of pupils wants music, I arrange a teacher from another school, for example. But everything happens here. The students themselves choose which subjects they want to do.’ They can change after three months. Annette also has a recognisable opinion on this: 'You choose for yourself. If you don't want to do certain subjects, that's your own choice.’ It's our slogan at Acato.

There is no therapy and no treatment. There are only the teachers.

 

Annette says she has a very good relationship with the municipality. There is a special STU consultant with whom she keeps in touch. There is intensive reporting. The pupils spend 27 hours at school. The teachers are there for 37 hours, so they have plenty of time to report.

The funding comes from the municipality. Annette sends an invoice per pupil every month. On average, the school receives 25,000 euro per pupil per year (Acato has to provide care and receives an average of 14,000). But the school also receives money for work. This year, for example, the steelworking class built the bicycle racks on behalf of the municipality in connection with the Tour de France, which had its grand opening in Copenhagen this year and also passed through Sønderborg. The municipality paid the school for this and now the school will spend it on the yearly school trip. The glass class makes clowns out of glass for sale. Part of the proceeds go to the hospitals for the Danish clinic clowns.

The pupils themselves also take care of the maintenance of the school and have, for example, built the garden houses or parts of them. And when such a house is finished, there is a party in the garden with Danish hot dogs.

 

The students at this school learn how to cook and take care of themselves. There is a mini appartment to learn how to clean up and do the laundry. There is a small kitchen to learn how to cook for themselves. There they take turns to cook for the class of four. They have to do everything. Shopping, cooking, setting the table, cleaning up.

There is also a large kitchen where they help to prepare lunch for the whole school every day.

 

They learn to take the bus independently or sometimes get apprenticeships.  

And then? When they are finished here? In Denmark there is the possibility of working with support from the government. That is called a flexjob. Then the municipality pays part of the salary. Suppose someone goes to work for a carpenter all week. But the effectiveness of his work is only 50%. Then he gets the full salary, but half is paid by the employer and the other half by the municipality. By the way, the municipality has to make sure the pupils get a job.

 

Appartment to practice
 

 

The school, like the Doucecroft school in Colchester, breathes space and peace. Each day ends in the classroom with a fifteen minutes discussing about the day. ‘How did you think it went today?’

Every year, a group of students graduate, just like in regular schools with a graduation party and the traditional graduation cap.

 

What do I take away from this nice visit?

 

Inclusive? No! Rest and peaceful surroundings! I can only agree.

Every day only one subject.

The morning walk. Walking and talking is much better than sitting opposite each other, is my experience.

The school produces and earns money for extra’s, for example for outings.

 

And what I also find very special:

A constructive collaboration with the municipality, in which the municipality has executive tasks. The municipality really knows the young person, because the development of the particular student is evaluated by them. And then the municipality will take care of the follow-up.