Abstract
The system of support measures, which are conditioned by the diagnosis of a student's special educational needs and the subsequent recommendation from a school counseling facility, has now been working in the Czech Republic for five years, but regarding socially disadvantaged students this system is associated with a number of uncertainties. The paper, based on the analysis of data from the Statistical Yearbook of Education, points to the following main findings: A) Of the estimated 35,000 socially disadvantaged pupils, less than half underwent appropriate diagnosis and setting of support measures.
B) In the category of diagnosed students with social disadvantages, boys are disproportionately overrepresented - for girls, social disadvantage is significantly less perceived as a source of their educational needs. C) In comparison with the rest of the elementary school population, students with social disadvantages significantly more often attend schools established by the region (= schools for students with disabilities) - that points to the fact that there is clearly an insufficient differential diagnosis between social disadvantage and disability.