Enrollment in an elementary school

In Bremen, elementary school comprises grades 1 to 4.

There is compulsory schooling for your child. In Bremen, your child is usually enrolled in school when he or she turns 6 by June 30 of a given year.

Children who turn 6 between July 1 and September 30 of the year can also register their child for school enrollment within the registration period (grace period child).

The parent or guardian will first receive a school enrollment notification from the Department. They must then register their child at the appropriate elementary school.

Assignment to the enrollment school is based on the catchment district established for each elementary school by the Bremen City Council.

An exception is the Kinderschule Bremen, which can be freely selected.

Admission to an elementary school with a special foreign language program is possible; this can be applied for.

Requirements

Children who turn 6 by June 30 of a given year will be required to attend school on August 1 of that year. Children who are required to attend school can only be deferred for 1 year for "significant health reasons". The decision is made by the subject supervisor on the basis of a school medical report.

Children who turn 6 years old in the period from July 1 to September 30 of a year can become school-age upon application. The parent or guardian must submit this application within the enrollment period. A school doctor's recommendation will be used to determine if this is good for the child. It may be decided that the child will be deferred for another 1 year.

Children who turn 6 years old in the period from October 1 of one year to January 31 of the following year can also apply for compulsory school attendance. A school doctor's report is used to determine whether this is good for the child. It is checked whether the child will not be overtaxed in terms of his or her linguistic, cognitive and social abilities by the lessons and the rest of school life.