4.3 Third phase: Lower secondary, age 10 (or 12) – 15/16 [see 3.2.3]
4.3.1 Organisation of teaching groups
4.3.2 Student progression through the phase
4.3.3 Class size
4.3.4 Teacher specialisation
[see 3.2.3]
Teaching provision in lower secondary schools ("Secondary I"/ "Sekundarstufe I") is usually based on classes organised by age group. In certain subjects and types of school, lessons can also take place in courses organised on the basis of ability - especially in Years 7 to 10 (ages 12/13 to 15/16).12
Some schools in Germany also organise secondary classes in certain subjects such as maths, sciences, technology, and information technology by sex. This is to help girls to progress in these subjects, without being discouraged by the boys in the classroom.33
In any school, at lower secondary level, Years 5 and 6 (ages 10/11 - 11/12) may be organised as an orientation stage, called the Orientierungsstufe or the Erprobungsstufe. This is a period of special support, observation and orientation to determine a child's subsequent educational path and the main thrust of his/her subsequent studies. This orientation stage is independent of the school types in some Länder. From Year 7 (age 12+) onwards, the school types and courses of education increasingly diverge in terms of the subjects offered, the requirements with regard to individual specialisation and the qualifications being aimed at.17
Lower secondary education in Germany is not divided into particular cycles.
Generally, to progress from one class to the next, students in all schools in Germany must achieve a mark of 'adequate' ("ausreichend", grade 4) in their mid-year and year-end reports in each subject relevant to promotion. Marks of 'poor' ("mangelhaft" - 5) and 'very poor' ("ungenügend" - 6) in one subject can usually be compensated for with marks of 'good' ("gut" - 2) or 'very good' ("sehr gut" - 1) in another subject.23 (There is a national 6-point marking scale, where 1 is high and 6 low. Full details are provided in section 6.3.6.)
However, during the Erprobungsstufe (a trial period during what are usually the first and second years of lower secondary education, that is to say, Years 5 and 6 of compulsory education, students aged 10/11 - 11/12)) students move automatically from one year to the next without any formal transfer procedure. During this period, which exists in many Länder, teachers observe and test the knowledge, proficiency and ability or talent of the students with the purpose of ensuring that the decision, taken at the end of Grundschule, on their allocation to the lower secondary school type most suited to their aptitudes was correct.32 There is also scope, in lower secondary education, for students to transfer between the different types of school (Hauptschule, Realschule, Gymnasium, Gesamtschule, Mittelschule, Regelschule, Sekundarschule).12
In some Länder, students who have been asked to repeat the previous year may be promoted to the next if, when returning to school for commencement of the next school year, they satisfactorily complete an assessment test.12
Students whose performance is far ahead of their class peers may omit a class and be promoted to the next-but-one class. This practice remains rare, however.12
School have three courses of action at their disposal for the differentiated treatment of exceptionally able students: enrichment; acceleration; or external differentiation or grouping. Enrichment involves extending the teaching material in breadth and depth, for example, by the inclusion of additional material, literature or information sources; by giving students special assignments; encouraging independent work; and the introduction of bilingual teaching. Acceleration is achieved by moving students up to a higher class. This only serves some purpose if the student's overall standard is very good and if he or she can integrate quickly into the higher class. Gifted students seldom skip a year in Germany; teachers and parents have great reservations and fears - very often unfounded - about taking this step. Even so several Länder have launched initiatives in recent years to facilitate gifted students jumping a class, thus providing them with a faster track to the Abitur (see 6.3.7 in addition).9
External differentiation involves teaching particularly able students in special groups, classes or schools. The most frequent example of this is the creation of extracurricular activities, additional and intensive courses in sport, music, choral work, foreign languages, natural sciences, philosophy etc. usually run by teachers from the school.9
Promotion/transfer from one class to the next (or repetition of a year) is decided by the relevant class conference on the basis of a student's marks in their year-end report. The class conference comprises all the teachers who have taught the class during the period concerned. Students who are in danger of not being promoted to the next class at the end of a given school year must be informed as such, either at the time of their mid-year report, or their parents must be informed in writing prior to the proposed time of promotion/repetition.19
Regulations and guidelines relating to class size vary dependent on the Land and on the age of students and the type of school. Some Länder set maximum class sizes only, others set minimum and maximum student numbers for classes within which schools must operate. Examples are provided below.20
Hauptschule
The lowest maximum class size of 24 students is set in Nordrhein-Westfalen; the highest for this school type is 33 students per class in the Länder of Bayern and Baden-Württemberg. Hessen and Thüringen set their minimum-maximum class size band in Hauptschule at 13 - 28 and 14 - 28 respectively.20 In the 1996/97 academic year, the average class size in Hauptschulen throughout Germany was around 20.
Realschule
Maximum class size figures vary between 33 students in Baden-Württemberg and 27 in Berlin. In Hessen, minimum student numbers per Realschule class are set at 16, with a maximum of 33.20 In the 1996/97 academic year, the average class size in Realschulen throughout Germany was around 25.
Gymnasium
The highest maximum class size set is 33 in Baden-Württemberg; the lowest of 27 students is set in Berlin. In Hessen, the minimum-maximum class size recommendations range from 16 students to 33; whilst in Thüringen, the range is 15 - 30.20 In the 1996/97 academic year, the average class size in Gymnasien throughout Germany was around 26.
Gesamtschule
In the 1996/97 academic year, the average class size in Gesamtschulen throughout Germany was around 25.
In Bavaria, average class size across the whole of lower secondary education is around 25, with a student:teacher ratio of around 16:1.31
Class size and student:teacher ratios, 2000 (national) 97
| Type of school | Students per teacher | Students per class |
| Orientierungsstufe (independent of school type) | 17.3 | 23.7 |
| Hauptschulen | 15.0 | 21.9 |
| Schools offering both Hauptschule and Realschule courses | 15.3 | 22.6 |
| Realschulen | 18.6 | 26.1 |
| Gymnasien | 17.8 | 26.7 |
| Gesamtschule | 14.2 | 26.0 |
DEFINITIONS OF ALL OF THE ABOVE SCHOOL TYPES ARE PROVIDED IN THE GLOSSARY. SELECT 'KEYWORDS' FROM THE RIGHT HAND DROP-DOWN MENU AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE.
Class size and student:teacher ratios in full-time vocational schools, 2000 (national) 97
| Type of school | Students per teacher | Students per class |
| Berufsschule in the dual system | 38.7 | 20.4 |
| Berufsgrundbildungsjahr | 11.0 | 20.6 |
| Berufsfachschule | 13.7 | 21.5 |
| Fachoberschule | 16.3 | 22.8 |
| Fachschule | 12.9 | 19.5 |
DEFINITIONS OF ALL OF THE ABOVE SCHOOL TYPES ARE PROVIDED IN THE GLOSSARY. SELECT 'KEYWORDS' FROM THE RIGHT HAND DROP-DOWN MENU AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE.
Teachers are trained at universities and colleges of art and music and pass the first state examination, usually in two subjects, and in education science. Secondary teachers are subject specialists. Teachers are generally employed by the Land and have civil servant status.14
In secondary school, students have a different (that is to say, specialist) teacher for each subject.12