School system

Age when starting school

Children usually start elementary school at the age of 6 – the „due date“ in Baden-Württemberg (federal state of Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Weinheim, etc.) is currently changing towards children who turn 6 until end of September, which is when the school year starts. Other federal states have end of June as due date. It is common at the moment, that you have an age range of 5-7 for first graders. Younger children are tested by the headmaster of the school and a pediatrician, to determine whether they are ready for school or not.
Previous to primary school you have Kindergarten, which is not obligatory and no reading, writing or calculation is taught.

Types of school

Only at the “Grundschule” (elementary school – 4 years) are pupils from all ability groups. The German school system basically has a three–tier structure based upon ability (marks) in primary school. Everybody starts with Grundschule for 4 years (there might be differences at certain schools, which are named „Gesamtschule“). At the end of 4th grade, kids enter one of the next three school types based on the evaluation and recommendation from their teachers.
• Hauptschule / Werkrealschule (5 years)
• Realschule (6 years)
• Gymnasium (8 – 9 years, depending on federal state)

Only with successful graduation from Gymnasium, is a child entitled to enter university for further studies. Final exam in the Gymnasium is the Abitur, which is a centralized exam. With regard to Gymnasium and Realschule, one has free choice of schools. They generally have different emphasis of focus, such as languages, sciences or sports. We offer an overview of schools in the area around Heidelberg, Mannheim, Speyer, … with our consulting services.

Languages

English as a foreign language is taught in primary school at a basic level. It is obligatory in all further school types. In Hauptschule (or Werkrealschule) and Realschule, English is usually the only foreign language obligatory in all classes. In Realschule, children can take French as a second language. With respect to Gymnasium, languages depend very much on each individual school. There is a tendency to start with even 2 languages in 5th grade, which is the first year of a Gymnasium. Usually there is the choice between English / French or English / Latin. There are some schools with a focus on classical languages such as Latin and Greek, others offer Spanish, Russian or Chinese as third languages or other languages that can be taken as additional classes. Many schools offer organized class exchanges with schools abroad to apply language skills of the older pupils. There are a few schools (private ones as well as public ones) in the region, that offer bilingual classes.

Grades

In public schools, children get written reports (so-called Zeugnis) twice a year. The report in February is more for information – except in 4th grade of primary school, where in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg the report decides on which type of school the pupil is allowed to apply. The report at the end of each school year, just before the summer holidays, indicates of whether a pupil has to repeat a school-year. The range of grades is from 1 to 6, where “1” is the best, and “6” the worst. Exams can have a more detailed range of grades, which is (from best to worse): 1, 1-, 1-2, 2+, 2, 2-, 2-3, 3+, 3, 3-, 3-4, …. 6. Marks are based on tests, homework and children‘s oral participation in class. To enter the Gymnasium, pupils are required to obtain an average better than 2,5 in Mathematics and German language (referred to as main subjects). If the mark average is between 2,6 and 3,0 in the two main subjects, the pupil is entitled to continue with the Realschule, otherwise the only option is the Hauptschule / Werkrealschule. This system is extremely rigid in Baden-Württemberg, the federal state of cities such as Heidelberg, Mannheim, Schwetzingen, Weinheim. It is more a recommendation type of report in Hessen (Frankfurt, i.e.) and Rheinland-Pfalz (Speyer, i.e.). Higher Gymnasium classes switch to a points system in which 15 points is the best mark.There are certain types of private schools, which handle grades in a different way (Waldorf schools for instance almost completely renounce to grades.

Compulsory Education

In Germany, every child at the age of 6 is obliged to visit a school for at least 9 years – in certain cases a preschool (so called Förderschule or Förderklasse) is recommended for one year. Homeschool, where children are taught by parents or private teachers at home, is not allowed in Germany (there are exceptions due to sickness of child for example)There is not obligation to participate at religious education. Children can be released from physical education for sanitary or religious reasons.If sick an excuse is required by the parents –please check with the headmaster, when and how (by telephone or written excuse) is required. Extending vacation or taking vacation outside the official school holidays is not allowed in Germany.

School uniform

In general, children do not wear school uniform in Germany (some private schools might have school uniforms).

For more information, please contact mailto:welcome@family-in-germany.de