Individual primary school support

How are children picked up where they stand?

Text last updated: 2026-02-05

Every child counts!

"I can't do this!" "I don't understand what I'm supposed to do." "School is stupid!" Many parents are familiar with these and similar statements from their child. The reasons can be different: One child is frustrated because they can't keep up. The other is frustrated because he or she has already mastered the initial learning material and is interested in other subjects. The task of elementary school is to support each pupil individually and in a differentiated way. This applies to all children, but especially to pupils with learning difficulties and children with special talents. Read how targeted individual support accompanies special groups of pupils through elementary school.

Individual support for different children

Even if children are roughly the same age when they start school, they are not necessarily at the same stage of development. Every child has different prerequisites, every child has their own learning speed. Some children find learning easier, others find it more difficult. Some children may receive less support at home than others.

The following applies to every child: regardless of whether they have difficulties with learning or show particular talents and interests, a central task of school is to design lessons and learning material in such a way that they can develop their potential and opportunities in the best possible way.

All children are entitled to individual support

For one child, this means targeted support for learning problems. For another child, it is about additional learning challenges to promote motivation and prevent school fatigue.

To this end, the teachers take a very close look, especially in the early days, at what prerequisites the respective child comes to school with and how they are developing:

Can they already...

  • sit still for a while and concentrate?
  • Hold the pencil correctly and get to grips with the given lines?
  • make yourself clearly understood?
  • know much of the material taught at the beginning

Does the child...

  • need more stimulation to keep the (learning) fun?
  • Targeted support in certain areas?

From their observations, the teachers can deduce how the individual child needs to be supported in order to be able to work successfully. Every child should be picked up where they stand. The aim is always to find differentiated solutions for individual support for all children.

Support for learning difficulties

A child who has problems with learning is quickly disappointed and has the feeling of failure. Children can then react in different ways, perhaps even becoming behaviorally abnormal. To prevent this, it is very important to quickly identify what good support can look like at school. To this end, the teacher draws up a so-called support plan.

The plan, which is individually tailored to the child's learning difficulties, specifies

  • what exactly is to be supported, for example reading or arithmetic or concentrated work,
  • how long the support will initially last,
  • what form the support should take,
  • how the learning progress will be reviewed.

An important prerequisite for the success of the support measures is that children, parents and teachers work well together and exchange information in a trusting manner.

Support for high-achieving children

There are children who are exceptionally talented in certain areas and excel in these areas. The challenge with particularly gifted children is often that they have already mastered the subject matter of the (initial) lessons. If they do not receive any additional stimuli and learning suggestions, they quickly become bored and there is a risk that they will switch off or disrupt the lessons. This can lead to behavioral problems, reluctance to go to school or even psychosomatic symptoms and depression.

Promoting high-achieving children in elementary school can be done in many ways, for example by

  • adding more challenging additional tasks to lessons,
  • independent work techniques with suitable learning programs in parallel to lessons,
  • dealing with "scientific issues" in cooperation between university and school,
  • participating in special projects and competitions.

Close cooperation between school, pupil and parents is essential for the successful support of these children.

Where can we find help and advice?

The first point of contact for parents who notice that their child is having difficulties with the learning material or with the school situation in general is the class teacher. Also speak to the teacher if you notice behavioral problems with your child or are worried for other reasons.

Points of contact for further advice can be the school psychology advice centres in NRW, the paediatric practice and special therapists.

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Further information Links to read more

The North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Education provides detailed information on its website about what "individual support" looks like, which is part of the basic educational principle of all schools in North Rhine-Westphalia.

www.schulministerium.nrw

You can find more information on the topic of "Learning difficulties in elementary school" on the Familienportal.NRW. The article on reading and spelling difficulties and dyscalculia includes tips on how you can provide your child with good support.

www.familienportal.nrw/betreuung-bildung

The Talent Guide, which is funded by the Federal Ministry, provides parents and pupils with comprehensive information on the topics of talent development and giftedness promotion.

www.begabungslotse.de

Education and participation package Short podcast

Illustration: Ein übergroßes Smartphone, das Kopfhörer auf hat, links und rechts davon zwei Menschen mit Notebook und Tablet.

If your child needs individual primary school support, there are usually costs involved. Parents who receive housing benefit or child supplement can receive subsidies from the education and participation package.

You can get an initial overview of the benefits of the education and participation package in our short podcast. Listen in now!