Deutsche Schule der Borromäerinnen Kairo

Social-emotional learning is a core task of the primary school and a learning area for acquiring attitudes and skills used daily in the classroom and in the school community. Social competence is a prerequisite for educational success in all school types and forms the basis for social living. A concept for promoting social learning was developed by the primary school team and has been implemented since the second half of the 2015/16 school year. The primary students participate in a weekly social program addressing topics of social learning for one class period. The students develop competencies in the following areas: basic social skills; applying social skills in daily school life; taking social responsibility to prevent conflicts; and the ability to respond appropriately in conflicts. To support emotional and social development, the DSB Cairo uses the class-teacher system in the primary school.

Lernunterstützung provides learning support beyond the standard curriculum. When a need is suspected, observations are collected by all teachers involved to form a comprehensive picture. In collaboration with the parents and, if necessary, the school psychologist, the next steps are discussed. In some cases it is useful to involve external specialists to assess the child. With their input, teachers create a support plan for the child to implement with the parents. Current measures include: Schülerinnen helfen Schülerinnen (peer tutoring) in the class; LeaD (Lernen an der DSB) for Grades 2–4; spelling support; reading support through Antolin and Leseludi; individual and small-group support by specialist teachers; homework supervision on two days per week; counseling by the school social worker.

English begins in Grade 4 as the first foreign language after German and Arabic. English lessons aim to foster interest and enjoyment in language learning and to develop communicative abilities and skills. By the end of primary school, the four-hour-per-week English course enables students to understand and express themselves in simple English, with emphasis on listening comprehension through texts and songs and on age-appropriate vocabulary work using word-picture cards and varied activities.

The school provides school social work with a dedicated school social worker. Schulsozialarbeit offers social-emotional learning for groups and individuals, work with classes, individual counseling and casework, socially pedagogical group work, parent outreach and parent counseling, collaboration with teachers, mediation, and crisis intervention. The program focuses on prevention and early intervention to support social integration and, when needed, coordinates referrals to psychologists or psychiatrists. The school social worker's office is located in the clinic to ensure accessible, stigma-free access.

Safeguarding is supported by the Schulsozialarbeit program, including crisis intervention, collaboration with families and teachers, and mediation. The social worker provides individual and group support and can refer families to psychologists or psychiatrists as needed. The program emphasizes confidentiality and voluntary participation, with a cross-disciplinary approach to safeguarding across the school and timely responses to concerns.