German School System Overview

First Day of School Tradition

• Schultüte: A giant cone filled with stationery, sweets, and goodies given to young kids on their first day.

School Day Structure

• Traditional school day runs from 8 AM to 1 PM.
• Increasingly, schools offer full days with homework and extracurricular activities.
• Hot meals now available in school canteens, but packed lunches remain popular.

Key Differences from UK Schools

• No school uniforms.
• Weekend homework is restricted.
• Grading system from 1 (best) to 6, with a variation in some secondary schools where 15 is best, allowing grades like 0.67.

Language and Curriculum

• Common foreign languages: English, French, Latin.
• Classes can be misleading; an 'hour' might only be 45 minutes.
• Competitive sports are generally outside school.

Structure of German Education System

• Primary School (Grundschule): Grades 1-4.
• Secondary Education Models:
  • Hauptschule: Focus on vocational training. Grades 9-10.
  • Realschule: More technical vocational training and potential further study. Grade 10.
  • Gymnasium: Academic route leading to Abitur exams in grades 12/13, often leading to university.
  • Gesamtschulen: Comprehensive schools combining all traditional streams.

Special Education and Inclusion

• Förderschule: Separate schools for special needs, criticized for lack of graduation success.
• Inclusion efforts vary by state.

School Selection and Flexibility

• Primary school teachers recommend secondary paths; this can be binding or flexible.
• Some flexibility exists to change streams.
• Debate on the system's elitism and early separation of students.

Private Schooling

• Less than 10% attend private schools, but numbers are increasing.
• Homeschooling is illegal.

Education Evaluation and Challenges

• PISA Report: Above average in reading, maths, science; poor in equal opportunities and digitalization.
• Digital Challenges: Ranked 76th out of 78 for digital training for teachers.
• COVID-19 exposed digital weaknesses; funding promised for improvement.

School Facilities and Funding

• Quality varies; some schools modern, others lack basic amenities.
• Facilities funded by local municipalities, often hindered by bureaucracy.

Graduation Traditions

• Gymnasium Graduation Rites:
  • Abistreich: Students take over the school with pranks.
  • Abi Ball: Similar to prom.
  • Abi Motto: Yearly motto or pun.
  • Abi Fahrt: End-of-year trip.