Enrolment of a child in primary school
Primary school in Lower Saxony comprises grades 1 to 4. In primary schools with an entry level, children in the 1st and 2nd grades are taught in multi-year learning groups, which they attend for one to three years.
Your child is required to attend school. In Lower Saxony, they are usually enrolled in school if they have reached the age of six by 30 September of each year. This includes children who have their 6th birthday on 1 October.
Children born after 1 October (so-called optional children) can also be registered; there is no special cut-off date here. The school principal decides on admission.
Approximately 15 months before you start school, you will be required to register for
to the primary school responsible for your child. The school authority – i.e. the city or municipality – or the primary school will inform you of the exact registration date in good time. Your place of residence decides which school(s) is responsible for you. Information on this can be obtained from the school authority or a primary school in your area.
In Lower Saxony, all children are medically examined with regard to their state of development and health before starting school as part of the school entrance examination. School-relevant strengths and weaknesses of the child will be determined, you will be advised and, if necessary, support measures will be recommended for your child. Participation in the school entrance examination is compulsory for your child. You will receive an invitation.
Your school-age child may be deferred for one year if, due to his or her level of development, it is to be expected that he or she will not be able to work successfully in the first year of primary school or a special school. It may be obligatory to attend a school kindergarten if this institution exists in the area of the school authority. The decision on the enrolment or deferral of your child is made by the school management after consultation with you as the legal guardian. In primary schools with an entry level, a deferral is to be refrained from.
If your child has their sixth birthday between 2 July and 1 October, you can postpone school attendance for one year by sending a written declaration. This does not have to be justified (flexibilisation of the school enrolment date).
- Section 56 Investigations into the Lower Saxony School Act (NSchG)
- Section 64 Commencement of compulsory schooling Lower Saxony School Act (NSchG)
- Section 71 Duties of Parents and Guardians and Trainers Lower Saxony School Act (NSchG)
- Work in primary school
- Lower Saxony Law on Day Care Facilities for Children (NKiTaG)
- Lower Saxony Law on the Public Health Service (NGöGD) § 5 paragraph 2
- Registration form of the responsible primary school. You can pick up the form at school beforehand or you can get it directly when you come to register. Sometimes you can also download the form from the school's website.
- Vaccination certificate or medical certificate (measles protection)
- Birth certificate of the child
after consultation with the school:
- If applicable, passport photo of the child for the school file
- Certificate of registration, if applicable
- If applicable, certificate of custody
If applicable, power of attorney of one parent or legal guardian for the other
- He lives in Lower Saxony
There are no fees.
You must register your child in person at the primary school responsible for you about 15 months before starting school. You will often receive an invitation to attend. Check with the school beforehand what other forms you need besides the birth certificate and vaccination certificate.
In addition, your child's school entrance examination will be carried out by the paediatric and adolescent medical service of the health department. You will receive an invitation for this.
- No processing time
- The registration date will be announced by the school authority in the usual local manner, usually in the period from 1 to 8 December. Experience has shown that this will be in May/June in the year before the child is of school age.
- The informal declaration to postpone school attendance by one year must be submitted to the school before the start of the school year in question by 1 May.
This administrative service does not constitute an administrative act. For this reason, there is no legal remedy.
- Forms can be obtained from the responsible primary school or school authority
- Online procedure: no
- Written form requirement: no
- Personal appearance required: yes
Inclusion/need for special educational support: In Lower Saxony, all schools are inclusive schools. They provide all pupils with equal and barrier-free access. Parents of pupils in need of special educational support can decide whether their child should attend a primary school or a special school. Since the primary level of special schools in the focus area of learning has been phased out, all pupils in need of special educational support in the focus area of learning go to primary school. In addition to the primary school, the contact persons are the Regional State Offices for School and Education (RLSB) and the Regional Counselling and Support Centres for Inclusive Schools (RZI).
Language support: Since the 2018/2019 school year, the language development of all children who attend a day-care centre has been observed, documented and promoted in an everyday way by the socio-pedagogical specialists. At the latest at the beginning of the kindergarten year, which immediately precedes compulsory schooling, the child's language competence must be assessed, a developmental discussion must be held with the legal guardians and, if necessary, individual and differentiated language support must be initiated. In the case of children who do not attend a day-care centre, the responsible primary school determines the language skills as part of the school registration process and sets up language support measures for children who do not have sufficient knowledge of German in the school year before they start school. This language support is legally anchored in the Lower Saxony School Act and participation in it is compulsory for the children concerned (early compulsory schooling).
Responsible primary school: If parents wish to attend another primary school for important reasons, an application for exemption must be submitted to the responsible primary school. Regardless of this, the child must first be registered at the primary school responsible for the school catchment district.
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
Lower Saxony Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs
- Responsible primary school
- School entrance examination: Paediatric and adolescent medical service of the health department
- The responsibility lies with the primary school in whose school catchment district you reside.
