For the start of the 2023-2024 school year, the CDA has introduced a prevention programme in the area of phonological awareness and alphabetic written language acquisition, PIPAS.

The aim of the PIPAS prevention programme is to enable pupils with reading and writing difficulties to catch up and follow the regular school programme more easily. The programme also enables the early detection of any reading and/or writing disorders, thereby facilitating specialist treatment at regional or national level.

The class teacher identifies the pupils who could benefit from the PIPAS programme. Generally, the specialised teacher for pupils with special educational needs (I-EBS) and/or the professional(s) from the support team for pupils with special educational needs (ESEB) work regularly (several times a week) with the pupil(s) concerned. Support may take the form of 1-to-1 coaching or small groups. The use of the programme is not linked to a fixed period of time, but follows a precise sequence. As soon as the person in charge notices that the pupil no longer needs the support, it can come to an end.

The PIPAS programme consists of an IT tool that makes it easier to prepare sessions and monitor pupils’ progress, and a toolbox containing all the teaching and support tools needed to carry out the sessions. No additional equipment is required.

The PIPAS programme is the result of ongoing work by two CDA staff members: Danielle Weyrich, a teacher, and Nathalie Braas, a speech and language therapist. PIPAS has been developed over several years. In January 2020, an analysis of the files of pupils with written language difficulties submitted to the CDA showed that most of the pupils reported were attending cycles 3 and 4. The importance of prevention in the field of learning difficulties is therefore not negligible. The aim is to help pupils as early as possible. As a result, the idea and concept for the PIPAS prevention programme have taken shape. Between February 2021 and July 2023, three phases of implementation in schools in three different regions, evaluation and adaptation followed.

Since the start of the 2023-2024 academic year, PIPAS has been available to I-EBS and ESEB professionals. Before using the programme on a day-to-day basis, advanced training is essential to ensure that it runs smoothly.