The Role of Parents, Teachers and Social Workers in the German and Australian Education Systems

Abstract

Inclusivity is the fundamental right of every student enrolled in New South Wales (NSW) government Primary and/or Secondary schools in Australia (Cologon 2013, p.ll). This chapter compares the German Primary and Secondary educational systems against the equivalent New South Wales settings through an 'inclusive practice' lens. The data comprises the roles and perspectives of inclusion from Parents, Teachers, School Social Workers in German schools and School Counselors in Australian schools. This paper contextualizes both NSW and German education systems, and reports the significant findings and points of difference that may be used to inform current educational practices in NSW.