ABSTRACT
Denmark is one of the smaller countries in the North of Europe which has taken a lead in its democratic response to the political wishes of parents and educationalists in the early 1960s with respect to integration. One of the most fundamental principles of the educational policy in Denmark is that everyone, regardless of sex, social and geographical origins and regardless of physical or mental handicap, should have the same access to education and training. All children in Denmark of compulsory education age, from the ablest to the slowest learner, are taught at primary and lower secondary schools. The primary and lower secondary education provided by the Folkeskole is placed under the authority of the local governments and is free of charge. The well-developed primary school system must therefore be extremely flexible and variable in its special pedagogical programme.
