Special needs education within the education system - Germany

Co-operation between Sonderschulen and mainstream schools exists independently of the more recent attempts at inclusive teaching described above (see Development of Inclusion section). When a pupil is transferred from one type of school to another, the teachers and head teachers of the schools concerned work together. It is always possible for pupils to return to mainstream schools. The education authority makes the decision on whether to transfer a pupil following a request from the Sonderschule or from the parents or legal guardians. Pupils at special schools for children with learning difficulties can be admitted to a Grundschule or Hauptschule if there is a chance that they will be able to cope with lessons and achieve success. Schools for children with speech defects and children with behavioural problems are conceived as transitional schools and their aim is to alleviate the speech and behavioural problems to such an extent that the pupils can return to a mainstream school.

Recently, diverse forms of institutional and educational co-operation between mainstream schools and special schools have developed. Some of these are part of school pilot projects or action programmes run by the Länder. They range from joint extra-curricular activities and inclusive classes to holding classes on the same premises.

The file attached below contains a diagram and notes outlining the different structures of mainstream educational provision in Germany.

For more information regarding the organisation of mainstream educational services in Germany, please visit the Eurydice information service at:

http://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/doc/Dokumentation/Bildungswesen_en_pdfs/en-2009.pdf
for information in English.

Information in German is available at:

http://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/doc/Dokumentation/Bildungswesen_pdfs/dt-2009.pdf

The Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany 2006:

http://www.kmk.org/dokumentation/das-bildungswesen-in-der-bundesrepublik-deutschland/dossier-englisch.html

Early Years Education includes all institutions run by the non-public and public youth welfare services which cater for children from the time they reach the age of three until they start school. The kindergarten is the traditional form of institutionalised early years education for 3–6 year olds in Germany. Some Länder have care facilities for children between the ages of four month and six years.

Besides the kindergarten other forms of institution and care facilities exist in this sector.

Some Länder have established pre-school classes (Vorklassen) for five-year children who have not yet reached compulsory age but whose parents wish them to be given assistance with their preparation for primary school. Attendance is voluntary.

In case of Special Needs Education, the following types of early years education are provided: (1) Special Kindergarten (Sonderkindergarten) or Support Kindergarten (Förderkinderkarten), which care for and support children with disabilities only; (2) Integrations-Kindergärten which accept disabled and non-disabled children.

In the transition period the aim for disabled pupils is to be trained in a recognised occupation under the dual system, in so far as their learning abilities allow. The school part of vocational training takes place at general vocational schools Berufsschulen or at establishments for the disabled.

If training in a recognised occupation is not possible, disabled young people receive a preparatory training geared to their individual capabilities and skills either for an occupation that will enable them to lead to an independent life or for employment in a workshop for the disabled.

Special Education

The development and organisation of special education in the Länder was harmonised by several decisions adopted by the KMK, particularly by the ‘Recommendations on the Organisation of Special Education’ (Empfehlung zur Ordnung des Sonderschulwesens; Decision of March 1972) and recommendations for all types of special schools (Sonderschulen). The current situation is documented in the ‘Recommendation on Special Education in the Schools of the Federal Republic of Germany’ (Empfehlungen zur sonderpädagogischen Förderung in den Schulen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Decision of 6 May 1994).

Definitions of special needs

Since the school year 1999/2000 all Länder have agreed to accept a joint definition of SNE. Due to the different situations and laws in the Länder, this joint definition has to be fairly broad. SEN means specific support for disabled pupils. The area of responsibility of Special Needs Education in the Federal Republic of Germany with respect to all organisational aspects refers to the special needs within the context of disability exclusively.

Pupils experiencing problems as a result of certain handicaps and/or in need of additional educational support because of problematic situations, as well as pupils with temporary learning difficulties (e.g. slow learners, reading and writing difficulties) are supported by a combination of measures of differentiation within the structure of the general system of support.

Remedial or individual educational programmes based on the general structure, offer and give support for problem situations during the learning process. The Federal Republic of Germany has a comprehensive framework of special measures targeted to additional advice and support for all kinds of situations that might occur in daily school life.

Special education is classified with regard to pupils' special educational requirements into the following categories:

• blind
• visually impaired
• deaf
• hearing impaired
• mental disabled
• physically disabled
• pupils with learning difficulties
• students with behavioural problems
• students with impaired speech
• pupils with a disease

It is necessary to mention that there has been a noticeable trend: in practice, there are many problems in dealing with these categories, as a lot of disabled pupils cannot be clearly classified. An increasing number of pupils must be considered to be multiply handicapped. Thus the Federal Republic of Germany came to an agreement using the term ‘pupil with needs for special education or SEN relating to development’ Schüler mit sonderpädagogischem Förderbedarf. The definition is explained by the recommendation of the KMK in 1994:

’Special Needs Education relating to development is to presume for children and adults who are disabled or who have limited possibilities for education, development and learning. Therapy and social aids from additional external school services could be necessarily included.’

In this definition, the ability of each school to promote pupils' development by meeting the necessary special education tasks and requirements is an important element. This is the key for all didactic and methodical measures as well as the framework of conditions for each individual pupil inside school.

Forms of special education

Inclusive education for pupils with special educational needs
Children and young people with special educational needs can attend mainstream schools provided that the required special educational assistance, practical support and the right physical environment are guaranteed. Special education teachers are deployed at Sonderschulen and at mainstream schools that meet special educational needs, e.g. by providing mobile assistance and advice and co-operative instruction with another teacher in inclusive classes. Apart from the external environment, this also requires qualified special education teachers, individualised forms of planning, carrying out and monitoring the teaching process and coordinated co-operation between the teaching and specialist staff involved. Special educational support is provided during class lessons and, if necessary, alongside lessons.

Special educational support in the form of co-operative measures
Many Sonderschulen and mainstream schools are in the process of developing close educational co-operation. This can greatly benefit both lessons and the general life of the school.
Also, this trend expands the opportunities for changing between school types and educational courses, increases the proportion of joint lessons and encourages the transfer of pupils from Sonderschulen to mainstream schools. By holding special school classes and mainstream school classes on the same premises a suitable basis for co-operation can be created.
Since 1975, disabled pupils have been increasingly included in mainstream schools by school pilot projects. In addition, various forms of co-operation between general schools and special schools have emerged and approaches to inclusive teaching have been developed in educational science. A focus on the institution has given way to a focus upon the needs of the individual.

Formerly, the prevailing concept when making choices for a pupil's school career (i.e. the decision in favour of a general school or a special school) was the need for education at a special school. This has since been superseded by the concept of Sonderpädagogischer Förderbedarf, SEN, meaning education, instruction, therapy and care requirements, depending on an individual's physical disabilities and social disadvantages as far as the institutional setting allows. This development has been influenced by a new understanding of disabilities and educational needs, improved diagnostic techniques, more effective early detection and prevention as well as better overall conditions at general schools (e.g. improved pupil–teacher ratios), more open approaches to instruction and education and, finally, a greater appreciation of the benefits to pupils attending a school close to their home.

Though it is not possible to dispense with Sonderschulen altogether, they should not be the only place of learning available to disabled pupils. The following forms of special education exist today alongside each other:

Special educational support through preventive measures
Preventive measures and interdisciplinary co-operation in early intervention are becoming more and more important. Pupils facing the threat of disability receive preventive assistance to help counteract the emergence of disability. Preventive measures include co-operative advice to teachers, parents and other professionals. Particular importance is attached to interdisciplinary co-operation in the early stages of assistance.

Special educational support in joint education/lessons
The possibility of education with special support in mainstream schools, as mentioned before in co-operation with, or with assistance and practical support of, a specialist teacher or other professionals or in some cases social-worker. Special support is provided inside the classroom, during the class lessons or, if necessary, outside classroom teaching; part-time or full-time depending on the individual, organisational, personal or institutional situation. This form guarantees the right of a local school environment.

Special educational support in special schools

Children and young people whose special educational needs cannot be met within a mainstream school receive instruction either at Sonderschulen, at Berufsschulen with special emphasis on different types of special educational support or at comparable institutions. Under the Hamburg Agreement between the Länder of October 1971 on harmonisation in the school system, the basic school structure which applies to all Länder is such that a clear distinction is made between mainstream schools and special schools (usually known as Sonderschulen but also called Förderschulen, Förderzentren or Schulen für Behinderte in some Länder

Types of special schools

According to the Recommendations on the Organisation of Special Education (Empfehlung zur Ordnung des Sonderschulwesens, Resolution by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder dated 16 March 1972), there are ten different types of special schools:

1. schools for the blind
2. schools for the deaf
3. schools for the visually impaired
4. schools for the hearing impaired
5. schools for the mentally handicapped
6. schools for the physically disabled
7. schools for the ill
8. schools for children with learning difficulties
9. schools for children with speech defects
10. schools for children with behavioural problems

…and institutions which cannot be assigned to individual disability categories.  Some special schools work as all-day schools (Ganztagsschule), others as boarding schools.

Sonderschulen must be able to provide the required technical equipment and special teaching aids. They may turn to external organisations to obtain assistance such as therapy, care and social support. Sonderschulen vary according to the type of special education on which they focus and the educational courses they offer. They provide support to pupils in any developments which may lead to their possible transfer to a mainstream school and to training.

Special educational support within special educational resource centres (Förderzentren)

In the Federal Republic of Germany there is an increasing development of special pedagogical support centres. Several Länder use the resource of special pedagogical know-how by developing special schools into resource centres and giving them an enlarged area of exercise and responsibility.

The aim of special education centres (sonderpädagogische Förderzentren), either as regional or supra-regional institutions, is to meet individual special needs or a range of different needs (e.g. physical and motor development, hearing and sight, and so on) and to guarantee special education in integrative, in-patient and co-operative forms. This form of education is based as near to the home as possible and provided by specialists. Within the scope of the responsibility of special education centres for preventive measures, support is provided even before the determination of special educational needs has taken place, sometimes as early as kindergarten.

The main task of a Förderzentrum is the further development of professionalism and institutional organisation; specifically, how to reconsider conceptions of the traditional special school in order to develop working co-operation between special and the mainstream schools.

The term Förderzentrum has different meanings depending upon the Land it is in. This is due to the Sovereignty of Culture of the German Länder. There are differences in conceptions and aims of a Förderzentrum. Referring to this, the KMK – in their recommendation about Conditions and Locality of Special Educational Support – made proposals concerning prevention measures, joint education in mainstream schools, special schools and inter-school co-operation.

In general, Förderzentren develop from the traditional special schools. Some of them are responsible for a special district or a town (e.g. schools for learning, behaviour, speech and intellectual impairment). Others are responsible for the whole of the Land (e.g. schools for deaf and hearing impaired, for blind and vision-impaired, for physically handicapped students or students with behavioural difficulties) or even for other Länder.

Most of the Länder agree that in the long term inclusion can only succeed if the Förderzentren process expands into more integrative co-operation. This could be the key for overcoming traditional relations between the special schools and mainstream schools.

Special education in the vocational training sector and during the transition to a work environment

Young people with SEN should be given the opportunity to receive vocational training in a recognised occupation requiring formal training (Anerkannter Ausbildungsberuf). Where this does not appear feasible they should be permitted to take up an occupation which is specially designed for the disabled, with the aim of facilitating future permanent inclusion into a work environment. If this is not practicable either, the young person must be prepared for an occupation that has been adapted to his individual capabilities and skills and will enable him to lead an independent life or be prepared for employment in a workshop for the disabled.

Infrequent special educational support in special classes

Infrequent special educational classes are established in specific subject areas of special education and likewise for the educational support of students exhibiting temporary difficulties. These learning groups are taught, supported and cared for by special educationalists. Some of these classes are organisationally tied to primary or secondary schools. Such classes could be, for example: classes for emotionally disturbed students, called ‘observation classes’, (Kleinklassen, Beobachtungsklassen), ‘classes for diagnosis and promotion’ (Diagnose-Förderklassen), ‘classes for pupils with reading and writing disabilities’ (Lese-Rechtschreibklassen), ‘Combined classes’; pupils with speech disabilities and pupils from primary school (Kombi-Klassen); ‘long-term-classes’; a small group of students with delays in their development may repeat one year to 1½ or 2 years (Langzeitklassen).

These infrequent classes had more importance during the transitional period in the further development of special education. Today, in some Länder, there is a critical discussion concerning those forms of special education.

Co-operation with other services/networking

The most important form of co-operative arrangement within the German education system is that between the 16 different Länder. This is an important and necessary situation due to the sovereignty of each of the Länder.

The instrument for co-operation between the Land governments in education is the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK). The KMK is based on an agreement between the Länder and deals with cultural policy matters of supra-regional importance, with the aim of forming a common viewpoint and a common will as well as representing common interests. Resolutions of the KMK have the status of recommendations. It is the political commitment of the competent Ministers to transform recommendations into law, until they are enacted as binding legislation by the parliaments in the 16 Länder.

Most of the Länder have established educational networks around their systems of school, in a community, or Land-wide. The aim is to ensure the best benefits for the pupil with SEN. There is a close co-operation with social services, therapists, institutions for children’s development, associations and so on.

In the last years, on the level of social and emotional problems, there has been established a close co-operation between education and the youth and welfare services. The main emphasis is the unification of resources to guarantee better benefit from the existing resources.

Alongside training within the dual system, training opportunities are also available at full-time vocational schools. Pupils with appropriate school-leaving qualifications are also offered the opportunity to continue their education (at the Fachoberschule or Fachschule). These institutions providing vocational training for the disabled usually have a large catchment area and offer student accommodation. If training in a recognised occupation requiring formal training is not possible, disabled young people receive preparatory training geared to their individual capabilities and skills either for an occupation that will enable them to lead an independent life or for employment in a workshop for the disabled.

Alternative structures in special education

Privately-maintained educational establishments

With 15 per cent of the total number of pupils, the private sector plays quite an appreciable role in special education (Statistic KMK, 2006.). Churches, welfare organisations and other non-public bodies run Sonderschulen, often in conjunction with residential homes. These schools are also subject to state supervision. In their teaching methods, rehabilitation measures and child care and supervision they sometimes pursue their own way to promote special educational support.

Special measures for children and young people with migrant backgrounds

For specific measures of support for children and young people with migrant backgrounds, please see the chapters on primary and secondary education as these children generally attend the Grundschule or the general schools at secondary level. Within the compass of measures for the improvement of linguistic competence in the pre-school sector, the range of methodical instruments for the diagnosis and improvement of linguistic competence is currently being further developed from an academic perspective.
Important instruments in this regard are the assessment of the stage of linguistic competence before school entrance and, if necessary, subsequent language promotion courses. These and other measures are designed to particularly support migrant children and children with deficits in language development as well as to compensate for social disadvantages.