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Schools
School administration comes within the jurisdiction of the federal states in Germany. It is mandatory for every child between the ages of 6 and 15 to attend school. There are no fees to pay, although parents must bear the costs of books and other teaching material. Generally, children in Germany only have school in the mornings. Exceptions are private schools and “international schools” where kids have to study the whole day. Even at these institutions, usually only a minimal fee is required.
Primary School
In Germany, a student’s education begins at primary school. In the first four years, all students learn together. After that, in some federal states, there’s a two-year “orientation period” during which a decision is made on the future education path of the young person.
Three Types of Schools
There are basically three types of schools after primary school. The “Hauptschule (Secondary school)” ends after the 9th or 10th year of schooling with the “Hauptschule” certificate. The school-leaving certificate of the so-called “Realschule (Junior high school)” is called the “Mittlere Reife” and is handed out after the 10th grade. The goal of the “Gymnasium (Grammar high school)” is the “Abitur or school leaving certificate” you can get Abitur diplomas after 12 or 13 years of school. The Abitur enables you to go on to an institute of higher education. The so-called “"Gesamtschulen" or comprehensive schools integrate the different kinds of schools; students are split up according to their abilities and performance. Here, you can work towards all three kinds of diplomas.
All-Day Schools
At „all-day schools“ students spend the entire day at school. They eat lunch there and leave the building at about 5 p.m. But these types of schools are rare. Day-homes for school children (Kinderhorte) are another way for parents to make sure their kids are attended to during the day. Such institutions are attached to some schools and there as well, children are cared for until 5 p.m. The cost: around 100 euro. Places here can be hard to come by, so look into the possibilities early on. Information is usually available at the school administration offices or in area schools. The city and municipal administration also has information.
Learning German and International Schools
Many primary schools offer foreign children the opportunity to learn German. In “international schools” the teaching is often done in English, French or Spanish. These types of schools are generally found only in larger cities. In the Gesamtschulen, Realschulen and Hauptschulen, language courses are usually offered. However, it’ll be harder to find a Gymnasium that offers German for foreigners. One thing they all have in common: the school year starts sometime between July and September, after the summer holidays. The exact dates differ among the different federal states.
Studying with Children
Child Care and Kindergartens
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