What school will my child go to: Access to this page has been denied.

If the gymnasium is located in your area of ​​official residence, children are required to accept regardless of the results of tests or interviews.

Even if the first-grader fails to complete the assignments, the administration has no right to refuse admission to this educational institution .

If your child’s intellectual abilities are “low”, or he does not really want to learn, it is better to choose a regular comprehensive school. It will be difficult for him to study at the gymnasium, and he may fall far behind the program.

How to obtain a certificate of registration of a child at the place of residence in the form No. 8, as well as a certificate of the place of residence in the form No. 9, you can learn from our articles.

If they do not accept

What to do if the children did not get into the school by registration? Each school, located in any area of ​​the city, has a territory assigned to it. All children of school age living in the area by registration, must study at this school .

The educational institution is not only obliged to accept the child for education even in the absence of free places, but is also responsible for coverage of educational services for all children .

Refusal to admit a child with registration in the area is a direct violation of the law.

But practice shows that parents often receive a refusal to accept a child for education.

Such cases are especially common if the school is prestigious. It is quite difficult to get into such an OU, but it is quite possible on quite legal grounds.

If the administration does not accept the child, citing a lack of places, a written refusal must be requested and at the same time warn about the intention to apply to the Ministry of Education.

The lack of places cannot be a reason for refusal, and there are no other reasons at all. Administration may and must take steps to provide for all children enrolled in the area where the school is located.

You can suggest to the management to move the class to a larger room where more students can be accommodated, to divide the class into two parallels.

If the conflict is not resolved in this way, feel free to file a complaint with the organizations controlling the educational institution (Department of Education, Department of Education) or directly to the Ministry of Education of the region.

The same should be done if the refusal is motivated by the child’s poor performance at the previous place of study. Similar causes are violations of the Education Act .

After receiving a refusal, ask the administration to acquaint you with the Charter of the educational institution. This document contains all the rights and obligations of students, teachers and the administration of the educational institution.

You will surely find in it all the grounds for admitting your child to this particular school , and the conflict situation will be resolved. In order for the child to be surely enrolled in the educational institution, you can apply to two schools at once.

If there are no places in the school near the house, there will be one more option left.

Attaching houses to certain schools on a territorial basis and the lack of places in the right educational institution can create problems with admission .

Parents should find out in advance all the information about the child’s admission to the school by registration and take the necessary measures so that on September 1st he starts studying.

School enrollment in Germany

Updated 02/27/2023

The first day at school is a very important event in the life of every child. Since there he will not only learn to read, write and count, but will also make new friends in the future. Therefore, in many families in Germany, on the first day of school, a small holiday is arranged for the child at home. In order for the enrollment to the school to be successful, it is necessary to prepare for it in advance. This chapter will tell you when your child can start school and what they will need on their first day of school.

In order for your child to be admitted to school, they need to pass a special medical examination – Schuleingangsuntersuchung. More about it – in our chapter “Physical examination for admission to school. ”

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What should I know?

The German word “Einschulung” usually refers to the day a child first started school. In some federal states, children are given a small holiday on this occasion, sometimes even on Saturday. In other lands, this is also a special event, but first-graders go to school on a regular weekday. Each federal state has its own date. Usually this is a couple of days before or after the start of the new school year, which starts after the summer holidays throughout Germany. For the exact date in your area, please visit schulferien.org.

Each school organizes the first day of school in its own way. First, children, as a rule, are waiting for a joint line with a welcoming speech from management and teachers. In some schools, you can also find communal worship. Whether or not your child is required to participate will be determined by the school authorities, but this is usually voluntary. After the official part, the children go to the classrooms to get to know their classmates and the class teacher or leader. He or she will give the children a tour of the school building and tell them what will happen in the coming days. Many schools try to organize the first day in such a way that it will be remembered for a long time by first graders.

In Germany, a child is required to attend school if they are at least 6 years old. The school system in the country is regulated at the level of the federal state, which is why there are so many different rules in Germany about when a child should sit at a desk.

When your child has to go to school depends on the state in which you live. If your child reaches the age of six before the specified day (Stichtag), they can usually go to school. But before that, he must undergo a special medical examination – Schuleingangsuntersuchung. More about it – in our chapter “Physical examination for admission to school.”

The current “Stichtag” in Germany is as follows (data from 2022):

• June 30, in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig -Holstein
• July 1, in the federal states of Hamburg and Hesse
• August 1, in the state of Thuringia
• August 31, in Rhineland-Palatinate
• September 30, in the federal states of Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Each federal state has its own rules for this. You will find exact information in our special chapters on the school system of a particular federal state of Germany.

• Bavaria,
• Baden-Württemberg,
• Berlin,
• Brandenburg,
• Bremen,
• Hamburg,
• Hesse,
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,
• Lower Saxony,
• Rhineland-Palatinate,
• Saarland,
• Saxony,
• Saxony-Anhalt,
• North Rhine-Westphalia,
• Thuringia,
• Schleswig-Holstein.

Whether a child who speaks little or no German can go to school, each federal state decides in its own way. In some of them, there are special programs even at kindergartens that help children who do not speak German well. In others, children attend language courses when they already start going to school. It can be both special classes and additional lessons.

It is best to consult in advance about this, for example at the kindergarten your child attends. You can also get help from the Youth Migration Service or the Parent Helpline. Such consultations are free of charge and in different languages.

You can find out how you can help your child learn German in our chapter “Check-up for school entry”.

If you have arrived in Germany or moved within the country and the school year has already started, your child does not have to wait for the next one to start. He can go to school at any time. The academic year in Germany begins and ends in summer. The exact date in each federal state is different. You can find it at schhulferien.org.

Whether your child is required to start school if the school year has already begun, you can discuss with the school authorities. There you will also learn how to correctly enroll a child in school and whether he needs to undergo a special medical examination – Schuleingangsuntersuchung. Which school your child can attend depends on the state in which you live. Since in some of them he will be required to attend only the educational institution that is located near you. In others, you can choose the desired school yourself. You will learn the exact rules from a special letter. How to register a child in school, you will learn from the section “How to enroll a child in school?”

Yes, a child can start attending school a little earlier or a little later, not just when he or she is six years old.

You can enroll him in school when he is 5 years old. Younger children will have to wait a bit. The exact rules regarding school attendance for five-year-olds depend on your federal state. The answers to your questions can be found in the educational institution that your child will have to attend. In most cases, you will need to submit an appropriate application.

If you think that your child is not yet ready to start school, he can wait until he is 7 years old. To do this, you need to submit an appropriate application. Each federal state has its own rules for this. The answers to your questions can be found at the school your child should attend. This must be done in advance, at least six months before the start of the school year, so that you have enough time to prepare and complete all the necessary documents. If you need help with this, you can get support from a consulting organization. Contact details can be found under “Where can I get help and support?”

Yes, every child in Germany has the right to go to school. This is written in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The specific rules, however, are slightly different, depending on the federal state.

For exact information, please refer to our special chapters on the school system of the German federal state.

• Bavaria,
• Baden-Württemberg,
• Berlin,
• Brandenburg,
• Bremen,
• Hamburg
• Hesse,
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,
• Lower Saxony,
• Rhineland-Palatinate,
• Saarland,
• Saxony,
• Saxony-Anhalt,
• North Rhine-Westphalia,
• Thuringia,
• Schleswig-Holstein.

Before the child sits down at the desk, he must be collected for school. What exactly is needed for this, as a rule, you will be told at the educational institution. You will receive a specific list from him. It will definitely indicate a school bag, a pencil case with colored and regular pencils, watercolors and notebooks. All this must be purchased before the child goes to school. He will also need a sports uniform. If you need financial support to buy school supplies, be sure to check out the section “I can’t get all the school supplies I need. Where can I get help?”

On the first day of school, first-graders also receive a so-called “school bag” (Schultüte). You can buy it or make your own. In some kindergartens, shortly before the start of the school year, parents get together and make “bags” for their children together. Find out if there will be such a meeting in your child’s kindergarten. You can also make a “school bag” at home. You can find the instructions, for example, on the Basteln und Gestalten website or on YouTube by entering “Schultüte basteln” in the search box.

Purchase of new school supplies is an additional cost. If you receive financial support from the Social Welfare Office (Sozialamt) or from the Jobcenter (Jobcenter), you can get additional help to get your child ready for school. This support is part of the educational package “Bildungs- und Teilhabepaket”. Read more about it in our chapter “Educational package (BuT)“.

Some municipalities also have special funding programs. You can find out more about them at your child’s school or counseling organization. How to contact the latter, you will learn from the section “Where can I get help and support?”

If you need advice or assistance, you can contact the Youth Migration Service or the Parents Helpline. Employees of organizations speak many languages ​​and provide their services free of charge.

Consulting organizations near you can also be found at bke.de. You can also choose the language in which you would like to receive advice.

If you need advice on family matters or your children, you can find the contact details of the organizations on the DAJEB website.