When School Creates Space

It is 10:15 a.m. at the Rudolf Steiner School in Siegen. The long recess has just ended. Lisa (all students’ names have been changed by the editorial staff) leaves her main lesson, as she does every Tuesday, and walks to the «Blue House» with three other children from grades three through five. There, they will spend the next hour in the «Island». Special education teachers Anja Baum and Bettina Reuter welcome the arriving students. This moment alone marks a transition: from the hustle and bustle of the classroom to a safe space that allows for both relaxation and concentration. «We start with movement», explains Baum as she leads the children into the adjacent room. Mats, balance cushions, stacking blocks, and a small climbing wall invite them to try things out. The exercises specifically target the so-called lower senses—balance, body awareness, and coordination. Only then does the cognitive part follow. This structured routine provides stability and helps many children develop a willingness to learn in the first place. Afterward, everyone moves into the actual island room. The former apartment was deliberately designed to feel like home: a sofa, carpet, plants, and warm colors. Here, they work, but they also take time to breathe deeply. While the group is working on math problems, there’s a knock at the door. Ben, a fourth-grader, walks in and hands over his Island Ticket. On it, his class teacher has noted why he’s there and what he needs to work on. Ben often has a hard time settling down in the classroom. At the Island, he usually manages to do so quickly. Shortly afterward, Elif from fifth grade arrives. Her ticket mentions an argument during recess. Gratefully, she accepts a hot water bottle and sits down with Bettina Reuter in the corner of the sofa. There, they quietly discuss what happened.

Making learning possible again

The concept is based on the following approach: Every child who enters first grade wants to learn—regardless of their starting point. When learning stalls, the reasons rarely lie in a lack of motivation, but often in pressures, stress, or experiences that create barriers. The Island creates an additional space. In its calm atmosphere, children experience: I am seen. I am accepted. I am okay. From there, a shared journey of discovery begins, during which children and adults explore the conditions that make individual learning possible again and allow for growth.

«For us class teachers, the Island is a huge relief», says Marina Schneider, a fourth-grade teacher. «When a conflict needs to be resolved or a child is simply unable to work at the moment, I can continue with the lesson while knowing the child is being well taken care of.» Many colleagues report similar experiences. The idea originated in the 2024–25 school year, when the school once again sought the status of «Joint Learning». In North Rhine-Westphalia, this means that a general education school operates inclusively, and children with special educational needs do not necessarily have to transfer to a special education school. The school had held this status once before but lost it after the special education position could no longer be filled. With the hiring of Anja Baum, the opportunity for a fresh start arose—along with the question of what a modern approach might look like.

Bettina Reuter was recruited as the second special education and theater educator. Intensive discussions took place with classroom and subject teachers: What do our students really need? It quickly became clear that flexibility was crucial. The previous model had been perceived as too rigid. Now, the goal was to develop an approach that takes individuality seriously and can adapt to specific situations. Visits to other schools ultimately sparked the idea for the Island: a place where learning, movement, conversation, and quiet reflection can naturally coexist.

Through theatre and expertise

The program is funded through the Joint Learning initiative. For the elementary level, the school receives a lump-sum allocation for one full-time special education position. Additional funding is provided for children who have undergone an assessment process to determine their need for special education support. Support is primarily provided to students with learning difficulties and those with emotional and social development challenges. While theatrical education elements help the latter group strengthen impulse control and expressive abilities, for others the focus is more on subject-specific support in German or mathematics. Children with identified special needs are entitled to regular individual support and, in addition to group sessions, work one-on-one in the Island once a week. The second-class approach has been integrated as a central element into the Joint Learning concept. Teachers consult with special education teachers about individual children and consider which learning environment best suits them at the moment. On this basis, children are initially assigned to a permanent Island group when it becomes clear that continuous support would benefit them. The permanent Island groups are intentionally maintained over extended periods—several weeks, sometimes even months. This fosters reliability, relationships, and trust. At the same time, the system remains flexible: When needs change, groups are adjusted or dissolved. In addition to the permanent groups, there is still the option to drop in spontaneously. Some children use the Island only once, for example, to catch up on material they missed after an illness. Others attend more frequently during certain phases, such as when family stress or conflicts within the class make it difficult for them to focus.

No ready-made ideal solution

Since the 2025–26 school year, the Island has been open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The program is appreciated by teachers, parents, and children alike. Nevertheless, those involved explicitly view it as a process. «We have set out on this journey», says Bettina Reuter. «The Island is not a ready-made ideal solution, but rather our current response to the needs of our students. And these needs are changing.» Demand also fluctuates depending on the school term, adds Anja Baum. It is important to the team that, in principle, all children can benefit—not just those with diagnosed special needs. Some need a quiet place to work temporarily, others need a clarifying conversation, and still others need an active break. Currently, students in grades three through six are the primary users of the program, but the team is already considering expanding it to include middle school students.

Parallel wächst der Wunsch nach noch stärkerer multiprofessioneller Zusammenarbeit. Neben den beiden Sonderpädagoginnen sind bereits eine Handarbeitslehrerin und eine Kunsttherapeutin eingebunden. Perspektivisch könnten Heileurythmie oder sozialpädagogische Begleitung hinzukommen. Solche Erweiterungen hängen jedoch stark von finanziellen und strukturellen Rahmenbedingungen ab. Sorge bereitet dem Team insbesondere das neu digitalisierte Verfahren zur Feststellung sonderpädagogischen Unterstützungsbedarfs mit seinen umfangreichen Dokumentationspflichten. Trotz solcher Herausforderungen herrscht Einigkeit darüber, wie bedeutsam das Projekt ist. Wenn Schulen Kindern mit Förderbedarf keinen Platz bieten können, müssen diese häufig an ohnehin stark ausgelastete Förderschulen wechseln. Die Insel zeigt, dass ein anderer Weg möglich ist: einer, der Differenzierung nicht als Störung, sondern als Normalität versteht.At the same time, there is a growing desire for even stronger multiprofessional collaboration. In addition to the two special education teachers, a handicrafts teacher and an art therapist are already involved. In the future, therapeutic eurythmy or social-educational support could be added. However, such expansions depend heavily on financial and structural conditions. The team is particularly concerned about the newly digitized process for determining special education needs, with its extensive documentation requirements. Despite these challenges, there is a consensus on the project’s significance. When schools cannot accommodate children with special needs, these children often have to transfer to special education schools that are already severely overburdened. The Insel demonstrates that another path is possible: one that views differences not as a disorder, but as the norm.