Essen focuses on inclusion: KLASSE assistants for primary schools on a permanent basis!

Essen focuses on inclusion: KLASSE assistants for primary schools on a permanent basis!

On July 2, 2025, the Essen City Council decided on a significant step in school inclusion: the model of class assistants for school inclusion, or KASI for short, will be permanently introduced at 16 primary schools. This initiative aims to support students with special needs directly in class and to relieve the burden on teachers. With the adoption of this plan, KASI will also be tested in three secondary schools starting in the 2026/2027 school year. The city is setting an important example in education policy and for the participation of all students.

KASI, a project that has been active in cooperation with the school authority since 2018, began with 18 employees in six primary schools. Thanks to this initiative, numerous positive development steps have been recorded in recent years, which have significantly improved not only the participation but also the social integration of the students in the classroom. The evaluations so far show that the reduction of bureaucratic processes and the reduction in the number of individual assistance applications required have brought about a noticeable change.

Services and advantages of KASI

All assistants involved in this project have undergone comprehensive training of at least 40 hours. This ensures that they are well integrated into the school's pedagogical concept and can directly support teachers, special education teachers and educators. KASI enables integration assistance without the need for prior applications. This is a huge advantage for families because bureaucratic hurdles are reduced and diagnoses or labels are no longer required.

• Positive Entwicklungen der KASI-Initiative:
• Massive Verbesserung der Teilhabe.
• Erhöhung der sozialen Integration.
• Verringerung bürokratischer Abläufe.
• Stärkere Unterstützung für alle Kinder mit Unterstützungsbedarf.

Another important aspect is the high level of staff stability and reliability of the assistants, who regularly take part in further training and planning days. Nevertheless, the individual legal right to integration assistance remains, so that individual applications are still possible if more extensive assistance is required.

The status of inclusion in Germany

The Essen decision to perpetuate the KASI model shows that inclusion also works locally and can help create positive prospects for change in educational policy. Inclusion is a continuous process that requires courage to question and improve existing systems.

Further information about the KASI initiative is available in the City of Essen’s Council Information System. Under essen.de You can find out comprehensive information about the progress of school inclusion in Essen.