Clear timelines for early assistance to pupils

Helping without waiting for diagnosis: clear deadlines for early support for students

I propose that a pilot project be launched at European Union level to ensure that pupils with learning difficulties receive initial pedagogical and, if necessary, temporary support from a pupil’s assistant within five working days of the school’s recorded need for assistance. Assistance would be provided even when the school is still considering contacting the Pedagogical Psychological Service (PPS) without waiting for formal evaluation conclusions or documents.

The 2022 Recommendation of the Council of the European Union on Pathways to Success and the 2026 publication of the European Commission on early identification of pupils’ needs underline the importance of timely support, but do not set a specific deadline for its provision.

I propose that, in case of lack of pupil assistants in schools, municipalities should have a funded reserve of temporary pupil assistants, from which they could promptly assign an employee to the school.

Four weeks later, the teacher, educational support professionals and parents would evaluate the effectiveness of the support. The project would be tested in several EU countries, assessing the availability and timing of assistance.

Such an initiative would help to ensure that a child with learning difficulties receives the necessary support at the earliest possible stage, without waiting for his or her difficulties to become greater.

Sources:

Council of the European Union (2022). Pathways to success: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32022H1209(01)

European Commission (2026). Pathways to School Success: Early Identification of Learner Needs. https://doi.org/10.2766/4889157