Newcomers dominate Dahme-Spreewald's special schools - find out now!

Newcomers dominate Dahme-Spreewald's special schools - find out now!

In the Dahme-Spreewald district, the current figures from the Ministry of Education for the 2024/25 school year show that the use of lateral entrants in schools is becoming increasingly important. These teachers are essential in many cases, especially in special schools where the proportion of lateral entrants is high. At the School of Vitality in Lübben the proportion of teachers is an impressive 58.8%, and the school at Sonnenhof in Mittenwalde also has similar values ​​at 53.3%. In other special schools in the district the proportion is over 40%, with an exception being the school for the blind in Königs Wusterhausen with 20%.

But who are the newcomers actually? These are people without basic teacher training, but who are able to enter the school service due to a lack of trained teachers. The prerequisite is usually a university degree, such as a master's or diploma, as well as a basic educational qualification. Your employment contract is initially limited to 13 months. The income depends on the commitment and training qualifications of the teachers.

Distribution of lateral entrants at different types of schools

In primary schools, the proportion of lateral entrants is between 20 and 26% in around two out of five schools. The Mittenwalde primary school in Töpchin stands out here with 47.1%, followed by the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn primary school in Lübben with 45%. In contrast, the Fontane primary school in Niederlehme only has 8.7% and the primary school at Krimnicksee in Senzig even has no students.

When it comes to secondary schools, the school “an der Schanze” in Luckau is the leader with a share of 39.1%, while the Ludwig-Witthöft-Oberschule in Wildau only has 15.8% of teachers as lateral entrants. When it comes to comprehensive schools, the Otto Lilienthal Comprehensive School in Königs Wusterhausen has seen a further increase from 4 to 18 teachers in the last three years, which accounts for a share of 31%. In contrast, the proportion of high schools in Königs Wusterhausen is less than 5%, and the Humboldt-Gymnasium in Eichwalde only has 1.8%.

Subjects and teaching areas

Particular attention is paid to the subjects taught by newcomers. These teachers play a central role in the special education area of ​​“intellectual development” in particular, as they cover 60.2% of the hours in this area. They also have a high proportion of 33.9% in the subject of work studies/business-work-technology (WAT). In the subjects of foreign languages ​​and computer science, however, lateral entrants are hardly to be found, as their share is between 0 and 14% of the hours.

Finally, it shows that the integration of lateral entrants into everyday school life is not just an emergency solution, but also an opportunity to increase the quality of the educational landscape. Their role in special schools is indispensable and will continue to be central to maintaining educational opportunities for all students in the Dahme-Spreewald district. maz-online.de reports on current developments and highlights the challenges and successes associated with this topic.