Aude: Capendu inaugurates an outsourced teaching unit within the primary school

Coralie and Jordan were absent, but Pierre, Katherina, Ali, Eleonore and Lola were well of the party, for the inauguration morning of their class. Their teacher, Charline Maggie, who was accompanied by Manon, their instructor-educator, thanked them and recalled that “a child is built, grows, learns by being in relation with other children of his age.”

And to present the “outsourced teaching unit” (UEE) in which these seven children have been evolving since its opening on January 3. A class with eight places, which is not located at the Medical-Educational Institute (IME) of Capendu, but within the elementary school of the village, to allow these children to interact with the pupils of the school establishment.

Dedicated times for progressive inclusion

Charline Maggi explains: “The children in the class do not have the social or cognitive capacities to be educated with children of their age, but there are informal times of recreation and then in the future, of the canteen, which make it possible to create these spaces for socialization. And we practice reverse inclusion, it is the children from ordinary backgrounds who come to the class to participate in educational activities with them.“

The multidisciplinary team of the UEE, which works together with the teaching team of the elementary school, plans in a second time to work on projects of collective inclusion, in particular in plastic arts, in sport, or on a choir time.

“My emotion is great because it is based on the joy that we managed to materialize the design of this outsourced teaching unit, which required deploying a few arguments“, confided to the present assembly Jean-Claude Rouanet, the president of the APAJH of Aude, after having visited the class which he described as real “educational treasure. It is a lacemaker’s job that is done almost for each child with problems or difficulties, with the implementation of a personal support plan, which contains the most appropriate responses to these needs.”

Inclusion in Capendu, a long-term task

A satisfaction also expressed by the mayor of Capendu Claude Busto. The latter said to himself “fulfilled in terms of inclusion, thanks to long-term work“, recalling that the school has had a ULIS class for several years. And to hope that Capendu will be a driving force in this area, and pave the way for other towns and villages.

Also present were Catherine Maire, the director of the IME, Daniel Iché, vice-president of Carcassonne Agglo, and Frédéric Poirier, the secretary general of the economic inspection of Aude, who was accompanied by Catherine Laperouse and Nadège Sedes , national education inspectors. The latter particularly highlighted the commitment of teachers “without which nothing would be possible“.

For her part, Françoise Navarro-Estalle, Aude departmental councilor in charge of disability and president of the commission for the rights and autonomy of people with disabilities, recalled the mobilization of the departmental community in this area, and reaffirmed the presence of the departmental institution alongside the APAJH. Several agents of the Departmental House of Disabled People had also made the trip to attend the inauguration.

The final word was left to the parents of the happy residents of the new class. The dad of Coralie, 10, thanked everyone who participated in the creation of this unit, “which allows [sa] daughter to continue to be in school in a pleasant way“. The mother of Eleonore, 12, has meanwhile addressed her “a thousand thanks for all the children, for their development. That they can have a different insight into society is only happiness for them.” A happiness certainly shared by all present this morning, and closed with a buffet prepared by the young people of the IME, delighted to contribute, too, to this great progress.