Wolfsburg on the way to becoming an inclusive (education) city
The fundamental attitude of the administration is the creation of an inclusive educational landscape.
The city of Wolfsburg actively supports inclusion in educational institutions along the educational biography. Education is open to everyone along the educational biography. This set of values (Wolfsburg's understanding of education), which is supported by the city of Wolfsburg, will trigger far-reaching change processes in the coming years. To implement the strategic goals in the area of inclusion and the associated change processes, a cross-departmental project "Inclusive (Education) City" was initiated in 2012, which is based in the Wolfsburg Education Office.
Gradually, strategically important fields of action are being addressed in sub-projects as part of a targeted overall process toward an inclusive (educational) city.
The development of inclusion in Wolfsburg starts with the daycare centers and the general education schools. A key feature of the development of inclusion is the associated paradigm shift. It is not the individual who has to adapt to existing systems (e.g. daycare, school, university), but the systems have to change so that everyone has a place in them. This may involve a change of attitude among the actors in Wolfsburg's educational landscape, which is both a challenge and an incentive.
Thus, inclusion is the recognition of diversity (heterogeneity) in education and upbringing. Difference is normal - disability, impairment, social or cultural background is seen as enrichment. Everyone benefits equally from being included in society. Enabling active participation in society, recognizing and removing existing barriers is the goal of inclusion.
-
Strategic goals of Departments I and II
We understand inclusion to mean the comprehensive and unrestricted participation of people in social life, and we are working towards this goal.
- We operate in complex structures with complex tasks that we meet flexibly.
- We will use our resources across the board to shape the new challenges.
- In a self-learning organization, we work in project-oriented structures.
- We involve the people of Wolfsburg in our processes.
- We start with jointly agreed focus topics.
-
Enrollment
The registration process for school enrollment takes place at Wolfsburg's elementary schools as early as 15 months before school enrollment. If your child is of compulsory school age, you will have received a letter from the school division in January containing the registration form and a digital flyer with the registration times for the individual schools.
In Lower Saxony, and thus also in Wolfsburg, inclusive schooling was introduced with the 2013/14 school year. All students, even those with different learning requirements, are taught together in the general school. Legal guardians of children with special educational needs have the right to choose for their child between attending a general school and a special school, if a special school is available (in Wolfsburg: special school for mental development GE and physical-motor development KME). The need for special educational support can be met at both types of school (regular school and special school). The individual steps for applying for special educational support are illustrated here.
Openly discuss your child's need for support when registering at school and during the school enrollment examination at the health office.
-
School integration management (SEM)
...is a project with selected pilot schools in Wolfsburg, which pursues the goal of showing children and adolescents with or after health-related stress ways to learn successfully.
...is based on the vision of full participation of children and adolescents with health problems in education and an improvement of equal opportunities with regard to the achievement of educational qualifications (prevention of dropouts).
...was developed as a framework concept from practice for practice and contains instruments, procedures and information that are necessary to direct the perception of school staff to all absences, but especially to excused absences, and to let possible action processes follow. Schools can adapt the developed tools according to their needs.
...contains various steps that enable an early structured and coordinated approach to absenteeism with sick leave and excuses.
...is coordinated as a project within the Strategic Education Management of the City of Wolfsburg.Contact
Cordula Lüken (Project Management)
Phone: 05361 28-1745
E-mail to Ms. Lüken- SEM framework concept
- Brief overview SEM
- SEM - Information for parents/guardians
- SEM - Information for teachers
- SEM - Information for children and young people
-
Wolfsburg School Principals' Resolution of 05.07.2012
As school principals in Wolfsburg, we want to take on the challenge of implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in such a way that we become an inclusive educational city. The goal of our school work is to:
To optimally support and challenge every child in Wolfsburg to become a self-confident, curious personality who is motivated to shape the future that lies ahead! We need everyone on this path - we don't want to give up on any child. We want to shape this process towards an inclusive city of education together, and in doing so we do not want to exclude or leave anyone behind.
No child in a Wolfsburg school should be discriminated against or shamed. On the way to an inclusive city of education, we need and expect the support of the administration and politics, especially the provision of human and material resources, as well as the offer of accompanying and supporting training measures.
-
Education report 2014 with focus on inclusion
Iris Bothe (City Councilor for Youth, Education and Integration), Prof. Dr. Hans Döbert (Berlin) and Guido Stolle (Education Office) presented the second Wolfsburg Education Report on April 28, 2015.
What is the state of education in Wolfsburg? You can find an overview of the key findings and resulting recommendations on pages 22 to 32.
The new education report updates the data from the first education report in 2011. A new and overarching focus topic is inclusive education. In addition, higher and further education as well as non-formal and informal education are also considered.
-
Regional agreement
- Regional agreement on the joint education of children with (threatening) and without disabilities in Wolfsburg daycare centers
- Guidelines for ensuring the curative education support and care of children with disabilities in the event of short-term absence (max. 2 weeks) of the curative education specialist
- Sample template Documentation for continued operation of integration group in the event of short-term (max. 2 weeks) absence of the curative education specialist
-
6th Forum Inclusion
"Action not waiting - what to do when you reach your limits?"
The cooperation of GEW, Stadtjugendring and the education office of the city of Wolfsburg again enabled a further training on inclusion through a specialist day for the multi-professional teams of Wolfsburg schools, daycare centers and youth facilities on May 9, 2019 in the Haus der Jugend.
A lecture and 6 workshops provided plenty of material for an intensive exchange among the 130 teachers, pedagogues and educators who had come together to learn what contribution they can make to ensure that inclusion succeeds in their institutions.
In his presentation, Jörg Bratz, principal of the elementary school "Grundschule am Lerchenberg" in Wesendorf, made it clear that inclusion can only succeed if institutions address challenging behavior conceptually. He presented his school's approach to meeting the challenges by implementing Haim Omer's concept of "new authority".
In more in-depth workshops, the participants of the symposium were able to learn about the school development process that this concept has led to and how the way teaching is organized has changed. The children are given more responsibility for their own actions/learning, no child is shamed and the relationship with the individual child is the focus of all activities.
The offer of the school from Wesendorf was supplemented by the workshops of the pedagogues of the support center of the AWO Braunschweig Lotte Lemke. The participants could choose between topics such as "collegial consultation", "successfully conducting parent talks", "new intervention possibilities and games / exercises that promote cooperation".
In addition, the symposium offered the opportunity to reflect on one's own professional role and self-efficacy. Through the exchange and professional input on the challenges of everyday life, the 6th Forum Inclusion was able to provide the participants with many new ideas for the work in their institutions.
-
Handbook Inclusive (Educational) City
The first edition (June 2015) of the handbook Inclusive (Education) City is out of print.
The handbook contains important contact persons and areas of responsibility as well as information, resolutions and recommendations from the field of inclusive education and is intended for parents, daycare centers, schools and other interested parties.
An updated version will be available for download here shortly.
- RZI
Contacts
-
Contact
City of Wolfsburg
Inclusive (education) city
Education Office
Schillerstrasse 6
38440 WolfsburgPhone: 05361 28-1723
E-mail to the education office