Inclusive School Week 2024

©Direction de la Communication/Stéphane Danna

The second Inclusive School Week will be held in 2024 to promote acceptance and support for pupils with disabilities.

From 15 to 24 January 2024, approximately 1,400 children in total, including pupils from 78 classes in the Principality and children who attend the Prince Albert II Leisure Centre, will take part in workshops focused on physical, sensory and cognitive disabilities. Activities at the schools and the Leisure Centre are organised by Monegasque and French non-profits, as well as the Department of Social Welfare and Social Services and the Princess Grace Hospital (CHPG).

The first Inclusive School Week, organised by the Department of Education, Youth and Sport (DENJS), was held in January 2023. Pupils at the Ecole de la Condamine, a pioneer in organising this awareness-raising campaign, took part in workshops offered by the DENJS and CHPG that focused on welcoming all children — including those with differences — at school.

The DENJS uses age-appropriate approaches to raise awareness among pupils at all levels about the daily struggles of peers with a disability. By helping them better understand disability and adopt appropriate behaviour, the Department also hopes that pupils will play a role in building more inclusive schools.

The event is a reminder of the importance of making an education accessible to every child, regardless of their difficulties or disability. An inclusive school is one that welcomes all pupils and ensures that the support they receive — educational, in particular — results in their well-being and success.

Everyone at an inclusive school is involved: pupils, whether they have a disability or not, teaching staff, the other adults in the education system who work with children and, of course, families.