Types of Institutions

Following the primary school stage at which all children attend mixed-ability classes (grades 1 to 4, in Berlin and Brandenburg grades 1 to 6) the structure of the secondary school system (grades 5/7 to 12/13) in the Länder is characterised by division into the various educational paths with their respective leaving certificates and qualifications for which different school types are responsible, either as schools offering one course of education or schools offering several courses of education.

All the courses at schools offering a single course of education are related to a certain leaving certificate. Traditionally these are the Hauptschule, the Realschule and the Gymnasium. Hauptschule and Realschule only exist in any appreciable numbers in five Länder (Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Hessen, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen). The Gymnasium exists in all Länder. Furthermore, cooperative or integrated comprehensive schools (kooperative or integrierteGesamtschulen) exist in the majority of Länder. The cooperative comprehensive school brings together the educational pathways Hauptschule, Realschule and Gymnasium under one pedagogical and organisational roof. The integrated comprehensive school forms a pedagogical and organisational unit covering the three educational programmes of lower secondary level, irrespective of the number of levels of proficiency when differentiating between the performance in specific subjects. Schools offering several courses of education combine two or three courses of educa-tion under one roof and may also integrate the grades of the primary sector. In the meantime schools offering several types of education they have led to the abolition of the Hauptschule and Realschule in most Länder. The names for the types of schools in the Länder with the educational programmes described here are the following:

Schools offering two courses of education include the Oberschule (Brandenburg, Niedersachsen, Sachsen), the Realschule plus (Rheinland-Pfalz), the Regelschule (Thüringen), the Regionale Schule (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), the Sekundarschule (Sachsen-Anhalt), the Verbundene Haupt- und Realschule (Hessen) and the Mittelstufenschule (Hessen). Schools offering three courses of education include the Integrierte Gesamtschule, the Kooperative Gesamtschule, the Gemeinschaftsschule (Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thüringen), the Integrierte Sekundarschule (Berlin), the Oberschule (Bremen), the Stadtteilschule (Hamburg) and the Sekundarschule (Nordrhein-Westfalen).

Grades 5 and 6 of all general education schools constitute a phase of particular promotion, supervision and orientation with regard to the pupil's future educational path and its particular direction.

A description of the special educational support available at general education schools and sonderpädagogische Bildungseinrichtungen (special schools, e.g. (special schools, e.g. Förderschulen, Förderzentren, Schulen mit sonderpädagogischem Förderschwerpunkt, Sonderpädagogische Bildungs- und Beratungszentren) may be found in the section on educational support and guidance.

Common principles for lower secondary education were laid down by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz) in the Agreement on types of school and courses of education at lower secondary level (Vereinbarung über die Schularten und Bildungsgänge im Sekundarbereich I) of December 1993, as periodically amended.

Schools offering one single course of education at lower secondary level

Hauptschulen (in Bayern the Mittelschule), Realschulen and Gymnasien are schools offering one single course of education. All the instruction at such schools is geared to the attainment of one specific leaving certificate. Hauptschule and Realschule only exist in any appreciable numbers in five Länder (Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Hessen, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen). The Gymnasium exists in all Länder.

Hauptschule

The Hauptschule provides its pupils with a BASIC GENERAL EDUCATION which enables them, according to their performance and preferences, through specialisation, and subject to their qualifications, to continue their education, above all, in courses leading to a vocational qualification but also in courses leading to a higher education entrance qualification. It normally covers grades 5–9. With ten years of compulsory full-time education, the Hauptschule also includes grade 10.

As a rule, the subjects taught at Hauptschulen include German, a foreign language (usually English), mathematics, physics/chemistry, biology, geography, history, Arbeitslehre (i.e. pre-vocational studies, also called economics-work-technology or work-economics-technology, economics and profession or profession and economics) and social studies, music, art, sport, religion and, in some Länder, domestic science and economics and other vocationally-oriented subjects. In some Länder subjects have been combined into subject groups. In some Länder mathematics and foreign language lessons are taught in sets according to the pupils' aptitude. The aim of this is to better accommodate pupils' different abilities, to enable them to obtain the qualifying or extended  Hauptschulabschluss and to facilitate their transition to other types of secondary school.

Länder in which full-time school attendance is compulsory for nine years offer pupils an opportunity to attend the Hauptschule for a tenth year, if they wish, in order to obtain another leaving certificate, e.g. the qualifying or extended Hauptschulabschluss. As a secondary school, the Hauptschule also affords particularly able pupils an opportunity to obtain a more advanced qualification under certain conditions such as the Mittlerer Schulabschluss, either in a 10th year or in a subsequent vocational education.

Realschule

The Realschule provides its pupils with a MORE EXTENSIVE GENERAL EDUCATION which enables them, according to their performance and preferences, through specialisation, and subject to their qualifications, to continue their education in courses leading to a vocational qualification and in courses leading to a higher education qualification. The standard Realschulen cover grades 5 to 10.

As a rule, the subjects taught at Realschulen include German, a foreign language (usually English), mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, history, politics, music, art, sport and religion. In some Länder subjects have been combined into subject groups. In addition to compulsory courses, pupils are generally required to take three to six hours a week of compulsory electives as from grade 7 or 8. According to their personal inclinations and abilities, the pupils may take additional classes in certain compulsory subjects or choose new subjects, including, among others, a second foreign language (usually French) as from grade 7 or 8. Some Länder provide the option of choosing a second foreign language from as early as grade 6.

A Realschule leaving certificate (Mittlerer Schulabschluss) qualifies a pupil to transfer to a school that provides a vocational or, under certain conditions, a higher education entrance qualification.

Gymnasium

Gymnasien provide an INTENSIFIED GENERAL EDUCATION. The course of education in the standard Gymnasium comprises both the lower and upper secondary level and covers grades 5 to 12 or 5 to 13 (or years 7 to 12 following a six-year primary school). Apart from standard Gymnasien, there are special types of Gymnasium into which Hauptschule and Realschule pupils can transfer following grade 6 or 7, as well as special courses for particularly able Realschule and vocational school leavers.

In grades 5–10 or 5–9 of the Gymnasium, which comprise the lower secondary level there, the main subjects taught are: German, at least two foreign languages, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, history, politics, music, art, sport and religion.

At the end of the gymnasiale Oberstufe, the general higher education entrance qualification is acquired, which entitles the holder to study at any higher education institution and also provides a pathway to vocational training.

Schools offering several courses of education in lower secondary level

Schools offering several courses of education provide instruction in certain subjects and grades either in classes organised according the desired qualification or – in some subjects – in courses divided up into two or more two levels of proficiency defined in terms of the curriculum covered. Instead of courses, in order to avoid excessively long ways to school and to test special pedagogical concepts, in-class learning groups may be formed in all grades for German and the natural sciences, and in grade 7 only for mathematics.

The following applies for schools offering several courses of education: teaching at various levels of proficiency begins in mathematics and in the first foreign language in grade 7, in German usually in grade 8, at the latest in grade 9, in at least one scientific subject (physics or chemistry) at the latest in grade 9.

For demographic reasons or due to school structure in-class learning groups may be extended to other grades.

Geographical Accessibility

For the geographical accessibility of schools in the secondary sector, the information on the geographical accessibility of primary schools applies.

Admission Requirements and Choice of School

In terms of the choice of school, a distinction must first of all be made between the choice of a particular school type and the pupil's acceptance into a specific school establishment.

Choice of school within the differentiated school system

The Länder have different regulations governing the transition from primary into secondary education. In some instances, a binding decision on the choice of school attended and/or course of education pursued in lower secondary education (Sekundarstufe I) is made in grade 4, and in others during grades 5 and 6, while in others still this decision is only made at the end of grade 6. No such decision has to be made if the pupil is entering an Integrierte Gesamtschule (integrated comprehensive school) or another school offering several courses of education.

During grade 4 or grade 6 in the primary school, a vote is taken by the school which the pupil is leaving that contains general information about the pupil’s progress in primary school and concludes with an overall assessment of her or his aptitude for certain types of secondary schools. This is accompanied by detailed consultations with parents. The vote of the primary school is either the basis for the decision or an aid in the decision regarding the pupil's future school career. Depending on Land legislation, various methods can be used to assess the pupil's suitability for a future school career at the Realschule or Gymnasium (trial half-year, trial lessons, entrance examination). The final decision is taken either by the parents or by the school or school supervisory authority. An overview of the regulations of the individual Länder regarding the transition from primary to lower secondary education is available on the website of the Standing Conference.

Choice of a specific school establishment

The right of parents to choose a school for their children does not mean that a pupil has the right to be accepted by a specific school. The right to a free choice of the place of training which is laid down in the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) does not refer to acceptance into a specific school. As a result, as long as attendance of another school of the same type is possible and can reasonably be expected, some Länder rule out a legal right to acceptance into a specific school in their Education Acts.

Pupils wishing to complete their compulsory schooling at the Hauptschule or Berufsschule must always attend the local school. This rule also applies to pupils at other types of secondary school if school catchment areas have been fixed for the type of school they have chosen. However, parents may choose a school other than that which is responsible for the local area and apply to the school authority to admit their child to that school. The school authority then decides on the merits of each particular case, following consultations with the parents and the authority maintaining the school, with the well-being of the pupil concerned being the decisive factor.

If no catchment areas have been fixed for a type of secondary school, parents have in principle the option to freely choose which school their child attends. As a rule, in this case the capacity of the chosen school is the only limiting factor affecting the pupil's right to admission.

Age Levels and Grouping of Pupils/Students

At schools offering one course of education, pupils aged 10 to 16 are taught by subject teachers in classes made up of children of the same age group. Schularten mit mehreren Bildungsgängen (schools offering several courses of education) provide instruction in certain subjects and grades in classes organised, as a rule, either according to the desired qualification or to the required performance at a minimum of two levels of proficiency.

At any school at lower secondary level grades 5 and 6 constitute, irrespective of their organisational allocation, a period of special promotion, observation and orientation to determine a child's subsequent educational path and its specialist focus. Beginning in grade 7, the school types and courses of education increasingly diverge in terms of the subjects offered, the requirements with regard to individual specialisation and the qualifications being aimed at.

Organisation of the School Year

For the organisation of the school year in the secondary sector, the information on the organisation of the school year in the primary sector applies.

Organisation of the School Day and Week

At lower secondary level (Sekundarstufe I), core lesson times are generally laid down from 7.30/8.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. (Monday to Friday). With the exception of the eight-year Gymnasium, pupils generally have 28 to 30 weekly periods in compulsory and optional subjects in grades 5 and 6 of all types of school, and 30 to 32 periods in grades 7 to 10. Each period is 45 minutes.

For general information about the daily and weekly timetable and the five-day or six-day week, see the section on the organisation of the primary sector.

All-day education and supervision offers

Education and care outside morning lessons is provided to lower secondary level pupils at Ganztagsschulen (all-day schools) and extended Halbtagsschulen (half-day schools), via all-day offers in schools, as well as in programmes run in cooperation with providers of child and youth welfare services or cultural education, sports clubs, parents’ initiatives or other external cooperation partners. All Länder have signed cooperation agreements with education providers outside the school sector. Currently these offers are, with particular emphasis depending on the respective Land, being developed in many Länder. Both concepts strengthen education and individual support as compared to the aspect of mere supervision. The objectives of the expansion of all-day offers include a sustainable improvement of the quality of schools and teaching as well as a decoupling of social background and competence acquisition. In detail, the new all-day facilities are aimed at creating the prerequisites for improved individual promotion, closer linkage between the education available in schools and out-of-school educational facilities and the stronger participation of parents and pupils.

In all-day schools, an all-day option is provided for pupils pursuant to the nationwide definition of the Standing Conference on the primary or lower secondary level on at least three days a week, comprising at least seven hours daily. More detailed information on the definition of all-day schools is available in the section on the supervision of pupils outside lesson times and provision of all-day education and supervision in primary education.

The sharp rise in the number of schools providing all-day activities is reflected in the reportAllgemeinbildende Schulen in Ganztagsform in den Ländern in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland – Statistik 2016 bis 2022 that is available on the website of the Standing Conference. An internet portal provides information on the development of all-day offers in the Länder and on current empirical accompanying research.

In May and June 2020, the Conference of Ministers of Youth and Family Affairs (Jugend- und Familienministerkonferenz – JFMK) and the Standing Conference adopted the recommendation "Development and expansion of cooperative all-day education in lower secondary schools" ('Entwicklung und Ausbau einer kooperativen Ganztagsbildung in der Sekundarstufe I'). The recommendation highlights conceptual and structural aspects of cooperative all-day education, aspects of specialists and managers, financing and the law. It makes clear what contribution high-quality all-day education makes to individual support and personal development, to educational equality and equal opportunities, to strengthening the school as a place of learning and living, and to reconciling family and career.

In Germany there is also traditionally a variety of institutions, both public and private, that are active in youth, culture and education work and that offer pupils opportunities for extra-curricular education and recreational activities or that help with homework. Out of the large choice available, special mention should be made of the concerted cooperation of schools with sports clubs and associations, with youth centres and bodies maintaining Vocational Orientation (Berufliche Orientierung) career guidance, youth music schools, youth art schools and other bodies maintaining cultural education as well as maintaining bodies of child and youth welfare.