Ergänzungsschule

In addition to public schools, North Rhine-Westphalia also has independent schools. These include alternative schools and supplementary schools.

Supplementary schools offer school forms and teaching content that are not available at public schools, or not in this form. In contrast to alternative schools, the educational objectives at supplementary schools do not essentially correspond to the courses of education and qualifications provided for in the North Rhine-Westphalia School Act. Supplementary schools do not offer the same types of school and not necessarily the same teaching and educational objectives as state schools.

There are general and vocational supplementary schools. Vocational supplementary schools are particularly active in the field of vocational training, where there are no state training institutions for some professions. There are also foreign and international supplementary schools. The organization and teaching at these foreign and international schools comply with the regulations in force in the respective foreign country or they follow the guidelines of international organizations. They prepare students for foreign or international examinations and qualifications.

Supplementary schools are not administrative schools, training institutions for the medical professions and auxiliary medical professions or institutions for further education.

As a rule, compulsory schooling cannot be completed at a supplementary school. Exceptions only apply to recognized supplementary schools for general education and supplementary vocational schools if a determination has been made in accordance with Section 34 (4) of the School Act for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (SchulG). In grades 1 to 4, compulsory schooling can only be completed at recognized foreign or international supplementary schools. With special permission, foreign pupils who are required to attend school and who are only staying in Germany for a limited period of time due to their parents' professional activities may also attend foreign international supplementary schools that have not been certified or recognized in accordance with § 34 (4) SchulG. However, this must be applied for individually.

German state school-leaving qualifications cannot be obtained at a supplementary school. However, some supplementary schools prepare students for so-called external examinations before state examination boards.

Other certificates from supplementary schools are also not state certificates. This applies, for example, to half-year reports or leaving certificates. These certificates are a private expression of opinion by the school authority of the respective school. They have no legal relevance. This also applies if pupils wish to transfer from supplementary schools to state schools or alternative schools. Such a transfer is often associated with considerable problems and is sometimes impossible. It is always a case-by-case decision by the school management of the receiving public school or alternative school. The school management decides whether the pupil can be admitted and also which year group they can be admitted to. There are no general rules for this.

Supplementary schools must be notified before starting operations. The school is notified by the school authority to the district government responsible for the location (the municipality) of the school. This authority provides information on the documents required for this.

School supervision of supplementary schools is greatly reduced outside of the obligation to notify and the information to be submitted for this purpose. The state school inspectorate only has a few supervisory rights to avert danger. In addition, supplementary schools must refrain from doing anything that could cause confusion with a public school or a substitute school. This applies in particular to school reports, school contracts, advertising and all other documents.

Before concluding a school contract, the supplementary school must inform the pupils of full age, otherwise their parents or other legal guardians, of the educational objective, the educational requirements for attending the school, the admission requirements for an examination, insofar as the lessons prepare for this, and the body that conducts the examination, the preparation and training of the teachers, the number of lessons in the individual subjects, the total remuneration for school attendance including all contractually incurred ancillary costs as well as the costs incurred by the pupil due to the necessary procurement of work equipment of more than minor value and the rights of termination.

Schooling at a supplementary school is always based on a contract concluded between the parties.

If a supplementary school is registered, the responsible district government will provide information on the documents to be submitted.

Please contact the school to find out whether certain requirements are necessary for admission to the school.

There is a separate presentation on the recognition of a supplementary school.

General information on supplementary schools:

• Ersatzschulen and Ergänzungsschulen are independent schools.
• Supplementary schools do not offer the same school types and teaching and educational goals as state schools.
• There are general and vocational supplementary schools.
• International and foreign supplementary schools prepare students for foreign and international qualifications.
• Administrative schools, training institutions for medical professions and auxiliary medical professions as well as further education institutions are not supplementary schools.
• Compulsory schooling can only be completed at a few supplementary schools.
• No state school-leaving certificate can be obtained at a supplementary school.
• Transferring from a supplementary school to a state school or alternative school is often problematic.
• The supervision of supplementary schools is very limited.
• Supplementary schools select their pupils themselves.
• The supplementary school informs the pupils about certain aspects of the school relationship before the school contract is signed.
• The provider of a supplementary school must register the school with the locally responsible district government before it starts operating.