Special Needs

Integrated support / Special Needs

Individual support for every child

Our NOAM school psychologist makes sure that students with special requirements get the best possible support.

Integrated support (IF)

Integrated support lessons for regular students with learning difficulties in school are aimed at encouraging and motivate them. The goal is for students to be able to keep up in lessons alone again. IF takes place in individual or group lessons.

Students are registered for IF by a teacher or the school leadership team. They are taught in parallel with class material, making sure they have a deep understanding. Gaps are closed and uncertainty eliminated, until the student can keep up independently with the rest of the class.

German as a second language (DaZ)

Students who come to NOAM from abroad are entitled to two German as a second language lessons a week. During these lessons students gain a foundation in the German language. Foreign students are entitled to German as a second language lessons at NOAM during their first five years of residence in Switzerland.

Support for gifted students

Gifted students are often under-stretched during the normal school day. This can lead to behavioural problems. This programme is for students who have been officially declared and documented as educationally gifted. The programme mainly involves project work. Students are expected to catch up any class work they have missed independently.

Special Needs

Students who cannot be helped any further by integrated support (IF) can apply for Special Needs education. Students are accepted into the Special Needs programme on presentation of official certification and with the permission of the authorities.

The Special Needs programme is financed by the Canton of Zurich, with a financial contribution for every student. This means that the Special Needs programme is responsible to the canton and must comply with its rules both financially and in terms of content. We are inspected every two years by a supervisory committee.

Special Needs students at NOAM are integrated in the normal school and feel part of their class. Our Special Needs team ensures that each student receives the most efficient support and encouragement in line with their individual requirements. This takes place within the classroom, with individual or group teaching. This always aligned with the individual student. Class teachers and remedial teachers work closely together.

Therapies available to all NOAM students

(Financed and run by the canton)
  • Speech therapy
  • Dyslexia therapy – testing by speech therapists
  • Psychomotor therapy
  • Psychotherapy