Page 3 - ULM Infobook GERMANY

GERMANY - (DE)
What is the system of education in Germany?

The information on the school system might differ in the different
federal states of Germany, for specified information please consult
www.bildungsserver.de/Kultusministerien-580-de.html to find the right
information from the responsible Ministry of Education of the federal
state you are in.

Primary School: When compulsory schooling begins, the pupils enter
the common elementary school, which ranges from the first to the
fourth, in Berlin and Brandenburg to the sixth grade. The primary school
should lead from the more playful forms of learning in the elementary
area to the more systematic forms of school learning and adapt the
learning offer according to content and form to the individual learning
requirements and possibilities. The primary school aims to provide
students with the basis for further education and lifelong learning.

Secondary School I: Building on the joint primary school education
the lower secondary level I comprises three school types with specific
qualifications, namely Hauptschule, Realschule and Gymnasium. These
school types are organized in different types of school in the federal
states, which include one type (e.g. Realschule or Gymnasium or two
(e.g. Regelschule) or three (e.g. Gesamtschule) school types. There
is permeability between the individual types of school and courses
at lower secondary level. In grades 5 and 6 it is possible to switch to
another school type. In principle, every qualification and every lower
secondary level qualification can be achieved at any of the school types
mentioned.

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