Authority for Schools, Family and Vocational Training

Determination of special educational needs

Information on determining special educational needs

Detailed description

  • Special educational needs within the meaning of Section 12 HmbSG exist when children are so severely impaired in their educational, developmental and learning opportunities due to a disability that they cannot be adequately supported in general school lessons without specific specialist support.
  • Special educational needs can be identified in the following areas:

a.in the funding priorities

  • Learn
  • Language
  • Emotional and social development

b.in the special funding priorities

  • physical and motor development
  • intellectual development
  • Hearing and communication
  • See
  • autism
  • The need for special educational support is determined by the responsible authority on the basis of a special educational report with the involvement of the legal guardians (HmbSG, § 12, 3).
  • The process for checking and determining special educational needs is regulated by §§ 11-16 of the Ordinance on the Education of Pupils with Special Educational Needs (AO-SF). The ordinance specifies individual procedural steps.
  • A procedure to review and determine the need for special educational support is initiated either at the request of the legal guardian or at the instigation of the school. In any case, the school must inform the legal guardian in advance and obtain their consent for the review. If this consent cannot be obtained, although a rapid initiation of special educational support is essential, in individual cases the assessment can be carried out against the will of the parents based on a thorough assessment of the student's overall situation (see Section 11 Paragraph 3 Sentence 3 AO-SF and Section 34 HmbSG).
  • The legal guardians must be informed of the result of the review and the determination, including the resulting consequences for the special educational support planning as well as any associated goal-differentiated schooling and the possible consequences for the graduation in accordance with Section 14 Paragraph 2 AO-SF.

For children about to start school, these special education reports are drawn up in good time before they start school as part of the interview process for four-and-a-half-year-olds. For pupils who are already attending school or who are about to change schools, the relevant reports must be drawn up early enough so that their results can be taken into account when selecting the school and the composition of the learning groups, or when planning the support measures and the corresponding staffing for the following school year.



The coordination of the preparation of these reports, particularly for students at general schools, is carried out by the Regional Education and Advisory Centers (ReBBZ) in close coordination with the special schools and the Regional Education and Advisory Center for Education for Illness/Autism (BBZ). It is also essential that the teachers of the general school currently being attended are involved. The legal guardians must be appropriately involved throughout the entire process of preparing a special education report.

 

Information

Prerequisites

The application for review and determination of special educational needs can be submitted by legal guardians if there are observed or suspected extensive impairments of the individual's educational, developmental and learning opportunities.

Documents required

Before starting school:


- medical reports, therapy reports


- for children attending daycare centers: JPD reports, daycare development reports



After enrollment:


if applicable, medical reports, therapy reports, school-specific observations and assessments

Please note

no

Deadlines

no

Procedure

Before starting school:


As part of the interview process for four-and-a-half-year-olds, if there is a suspicion of special educational needs, a second consultation with the guardians is arranged in the following year before the autumn holidays, from which further diagnostic measures may be derived. See also the full text.




After enrollment:


The legal guardians inform the school responsible for the child about the suspicion of special educational needs, see also the full text.

Processing time

no

Fees

There are no costs involved.

Legal remedies

An objection against this decision may be lodged within one month of notification to the office indicated in the letterhead of this letter.


Any objection that is wholly or partially unsuccessful is subject to a fee.

Legal basis


  • § 12 Hamburg School Act (HmbSG)

  • Ordinance on the education of pupils with special educational needs (AO-SF)

Address and contact information

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Last updated: 08.02.2026