wsa_en

coACTION Project ModulePage 4/24Whole School Approach Introduction In a democratic school, every vote counts - and it counts every day! Children don't just learn about democracy in politics lessons - they experience it through participation in everyday life. For this to succeed, it takes more than good intentions: It requires a sustainable concept that permeates your entire school - from the playground to the classroom, from the educational conference to the parents' evening. The Whole School Approach (WSA) offers you precisely this framework. It is not about additional projects, but about a basic attitude: your school becomes a place where everyone - children, teachers, school management and parents - can get involved and be heard. Democracy thus becomes part of everyday life. The Whole School Approach therefore not only changes the children's everyday school life - it has an impact on everyone involved. By shaping the school together, teachers, school management and parents experience how democratic processes work in practice: how decisions are made, how compromises are reached, how different opinions are dealt with and how responsibility is taken on together. In this way, democracy is not only taught, but lived and learnt - by everyone, for everyone. This shared experience not only forms a democratic school culture, but also strengthens the democratic competence of each individual. As a result, the school becomes a real ‘training ground for democracy’ where children, adults and institutions grow together. What does ‘Whole School Approach’ mean in concrete terms? The WSA sees school as a communal living space. It is not enough to cover democratic content in the curriculum - the decisive factor is how everyday school life is organised. Children need spaces in which they experience that their opinions count. Teachers need support to make participation possible. And school leaders must be prepared to share power. ➡ Practical example: In a primary school, a multi-professional school development team consisting of teachers, parents and children jointly decide on the use of the new digital equipment. This not only strengthens technical development - it also creates genuine participation at eye level.