In Hamburg, hundreds of parents have successfully fought back against reduced school support. According to the school authority, children received more support hours than originally approved in 391 cases. But the uncertainty is not over for many families: 236 of these approvals initially apply only until the end of January 2027.
The figures, which became public on 22 October 2026, raise questions about the reorganisation of school support. Children with different disabilities and support needs are affected, including pupils with autism. For parents whose children are to receive less help, the development shows that reviewing the decision can be worthwhile.
School support in Hamburg: 391 objections successful
The Hamburg school authority had to deal with around 540 objections to decisions on school support. All but one of these have now been concluded, NDR reported on 22 October, citing the authority.
In 391 cases, the objections led to the children concerned being approved more hours of school support. The original decisions were thus changed in favour of the families in numerous cases.
This does not mean, however, that all the requested hours were approved or that all the original decision notices were unlawful. What support individual children actually receive cannot be read from the published total.
According to the report, 34 urgent court proceedings have also not yet been decided. A further 14 cases are being reviewed. In nine cases the authority rejected the additional hours requested. The figures given describe different stages of proceedings and cannot simply be added up to a total.
236 approvals apply only until January 2027
The new decisions do not offer all families long-term certainty for planning. Of the 391 successful cases, 236 additional hour approvals are initially limited until the end of January 2027.
According to the school authority, work is already under way on extensions. Whether the support achieved so far will then be continued to the same extent remains open for these families for the time being.
Children who depend on reliable support in everyday school life in particular can be put under additional strain by frequently changing support workers or unclear responsibilities. For people with autism, difficulties with unexpected changes, communication or sensory overload can play a role here. This does not, however, apply to all children equally.
A time-limited approval is not automatically unlawful. What matters is whether the individual need is adequately taken into account and whether necessary support can also be secured after the decision expires.
Hamburg has reorganised school support
Behind the objections lies a comprehensive change to school support for the 2026/27 school year. The Hamburg school authority stated in the summer that it wanted to use support services in a more targeted way and make the approval procedure more transparent.
In doing so, Hamburg is relying more on so-called combined support arrangements (Kombinationsmaßnahmen). One support worker then assists several pupils within a class or school instead of being permanently responsible for only one child. According to the authority, special solutions are still to be possible for complex individual cases.
The authority stresses that the legal requirements and the approval criteria have remained unchanged. School support is still to be based on the individually determined need. There is no general upper limit for approvals.
As background, the authority cites sharply increased case numbers. In the 2014/15 school year, 1,574 pupils received school support; in the 2025/26 school year it was 4,011. According to the authority, expenditure also rose from around €6.75 million in 2014 to about €42.15 million in 2025.
Parents protest against the cuts
The reorganisation triggered considerable protests in Hamburg. Parents, interest groups and employee representatives criticised in particular that fewer support hours would be approved and that schools could in part not ensure support adequately.
On 15 September 2026, a total of 88,409 signatures against the cuts were handed to School Senator Ksenija Bekeris. The Hamburg Parents’ Chamber (Elternkammer) subsequently called for concrete steps to improve the situation.
The authority’s General Staff Council (Gesamtpersonalrat) also criticised the development. In a statement of 15 October, it reported considerable reductions in hours at individual schools and warned of the consequences for children and staff.
These accounts reflect the perspective of the representative bodies. The school authority disputes the accusation that school support is being abolished in principle or across the board. It points to the continuing individual needs assessment.
The conflict is therefore not only about costs. At its centre is the question of whether the available help is really sufficient for children with disabilities to take part in everyday school life on an equal footing.
School support in autism: individual need decides
For children with autism, school support can take on various tasks. It can, for example, assist with orientation in everyday school life, with communication or with handling stressful situations.
Some children need support only in certain situations. Others depend on continuous support in order to take part in lessons and school life.
An autism diagnosis alone, however, justifies neither a particular number of hours automatically nor a general entitlement to fixed one-to-one support. What matters is the individual situation and the support need that has been determined.
If the number of support hours is reduced, it should therefore be examined concretely which tasks that were previously necessary can no longer be covered in future and whether other measures are actually sufficient.
How school support can be applied for and which bodies are responsible is explained in our knowledge article Applying for a school support worker: responsibility and procedure (in German).
School support cut: check objection and deadlines
Parents should not judge a cut to school support solely by the new number of hours. What matters first is the written justification: which need was determined, which support was refused or reduced, and which alternatives are planned?
Concrete statements from the school and the professionals involved can be helpful. They can document in which situations the child needs support and what effects a reduction would probably have.
If there is a contestable official decision, an objection may be possible. The Hamburg Senate Chancellery generally gives a deadline of one month for this. If there is no proper notice of legal remedies, other deadlines may apply.
The form is also important: an objection can be lodged in writing, by recording it with the responsible office, or by an approved electronic route. According to the guidance of the Hamburg Senate Chancellery, a simple email is not sufficient.
Which legal remedies are admissible in a specific case follows from the decision notice and the relevant legal provisions. Where a gap in provision is imminent, a legal review of interim court protection may also make sense.
Further information on deadlines, applications and legal remedies can be found in our knowledge article Applying for benefits and filing an objection.
Special procedures apply in Hamburg
For school support, organisational procedures differ by federal state and by the kind of support need. For pupils whose participation is at risk because of a complex psychosocial impairment, Hamburg provides a special procedure.
In these cases the school turns to the responsible Regional Education and Counselling Centre (ReBBZ). There, with the involvement of the school and the parents, it is examined which measures are necessary. According to the education authority, no separate application from the parents is required for this procedure.
This does not mean that all school support services in Germany are approved under the same procedure. Depending on the case, different responsibilities and legal bases may apply.
The tasks of a support worker can also be designed differently. Our article School support workers in everyday school life: goals, role, independence explains support in everyday school life.
The decisions are also relevant for other families
The 391 successful objections relate to the reorganisation of school support in Hamburg. How many of these cases concern children with autism cannot be seen from the published figures.
Nor can a nationwide success rate for objections against reduced school support be derived from them. Each case must be assessed on the basis of its legal and factual conditions.
The development does show, however, that original approval decisions can be reviewed and changed. For affected families it is therefore important to document the actual support need in a comprehensible way and to have possible legal remedies examined in good time.
Whether the additional hours initially limited until January 2027 will then be approved permanently remains a central open question. For the children concerned, what matters is that necessary help is not only promised in the short term but is actually reliably available in everyday school life.
Sources
NDR (22 October 2026): Cuts to school support: many parents’ objections successful (in German).
Hamburg Authority for School, Family and Vocational Education (1 July 2026): Inclusion at Hamburg’s schools is not up for debate – school support is not being cut across the board (in German).
Elternkammer Hamburg (16 September 2026): School support: the talks must now be followed by concrete steps (in German).
Gesamtpersonalrat Hamburg (15 October 2026): School support is missing – responsibility remains (in German).
Hamburg Senate Chancellery: Lodging an objection against an official decision (in German).
Hamburg Authority for School, Family and Vocational Education: School support – information and documents (in German).
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