ESyS Bremen – Evaluation of the pilot project ‘Systemic School Support in Bremen’

The implementation of inclusive education presents schools with the challenge of enabling all pupils to participate equally in school life whilst at the same time effectively reducing the workload on teachers. Against this backdrop, the ‘Systemic School Support’ pilot project was initially introduced at three municipal primary schools in Bremen for the 2022/23 school year. This first pilot phase was scientifically monitored and evaluated by Bielefeld University as part of a preliminary study. For the 2023/24 school year, the model was expanded to a total of 15 primary schools in a second pilot phase and was again subject to scientific monitoring. A total of 40 primary schools are now taking part in the pilot project.

The second pilot phase is being monitored and evaluated under scientific supervision at the Institute for Educational Research (Bergische University of Wuppertal) in cooperation with the Wuppertal Institute for Research on the Economics of Education (WIB). As part of the ESyS Bremen evaluation, the implementation, impact and further development of Systemic School Support are being examined.

Systemic school support workers are integrated into the schools’ multi-professional teams as non-teaching educational staff. Unlike individual school assistants, who provide targeted support to specific pupils, they are generally available to all pupils and can be deployed flexibly both inside and outside the classroom wherever support is needed.

The evaluation examines both pedagogical and educational economics-related issues. One sub-study looks at the practical implementation in schools, the areas of responsibility of systemic school support workers, collaboration within the multi-professional teams, as well as the conditions for success and areas requiring further development. Another sub-study examines trends in the number of applications, cases and costs relating to individual school assistance, as well as the impact of the pilot project’s expansion.

The research findings provide important insights into how systemic school support can be implemented and further developed in schools. At the same time, they establish a scientific basis for the needs-based allocation of existing resources and the further development of inclusive support structures.

Project leaders
, Prof. Dr Janka Goldan (University of Wuppertal)

Projectteam members
, Andrea Ilina-Georgescu (University of Wuppertal),
, Jana Lekon

Cooperation partner
Wuppertal Institute for Research on the Economics of Education (WIB)

Project duration
12/2023–12/25 (extended until 30 June 2026)