Special Needs Education / AO-SF Procedure

Special Educational Support

"If there are indications that a student requires special support due to a disability or learning and developmental disorder, the school supervisory authority decides on the need for special educational support and the focus areas" (AO-SF §10, Abs. 1).

Students with special educational support needs learn according to the training regulations of the school type at which they are taught and the provisions set by the Regulation on Special Educational Support, Home Schooling, and Hospital Schooling (AO-SF). This support can take place at general schools or special schools and is provided in collaborative learning by special education teachers and general education teachers.

The school office for the Oberbergischer Kreis is responsible for determining the need for special educational support at primary, secondary, and special schools. The legal basis is §10 ff. AO-SF. For all other school types, the Cologne district government is responsible.

As the responsible school authority,

• Applications for initiating the procedure to determine the need for special educational support are processed,

• Experts are commissioned to determine the need for special educational support, and

• Decisions regarding the need for special educational support are made.

Contact persons for parents when initiating the procedure are the class teacher, the special education teacher, and the school management of the attended school.

Learning Locations for Special Education Support

In the Oberberg district, all primary schools are inclusive schools and thus places for special education support. In secondary level I, these include secondary schools, comprehensive schools - partially also intermediate schools and, in some cases, grammar schools.

The following special schools are available in the Oberberg district: