Vorlaufkurs in Frankfurt: The Mandatory German Course the Year Before Grundschule and How a Child Gets Into It

Vorlaufkurs: The Hessen Name for a Course Many Parents Know Under Another Name

If you read forums for families in Germany, you may find a course called “Vorkurs Deutsch 240”. That is a Bavarian programme. In Frankfurt and the rest of Hessen the same idea has a different name and different rules: the Vorlaufkurs. It is a German course run by the Grundschule in the school year before a child starts Year 1, for children whose German would not be enough to follow lessons.

Until 2021 attending was voluntary, and around 90 percent of the families who were offered a place used it. The Hessian ministry’s handbook for schools explains that the legislator then made it compulsory: the Eleventh Act amending the Hessisches Schulgesetz of 29 September 2020 added § 58 Absatz 5, which obliges children without the necessary German to attend a school language course in the school year before compulsory schooling begins. It applies from the 2021/2022 school year, and the first children it covered were those who became school-age on 1 August 2022.

For a family, the practical meaning is simple. This is not an offer you sign up for after reading a flyer. The school identifies the need, tells you, and your child is expected to attend.

How the Process Runs in Frankfurt

The sequence is the same for every Frankfurt Grundschule, because it follows the Hessian rules. The Hallo Grundschule pages of the city describe it from the parents’ side.

1. About 18 months before school.The Grundschule closest to your home sends a letter. It names your child's school and gives the registration appointment, usually before the Easter holidays in March or April.
2. Registration conversation.The principal talks to your child, often with games, and looks at whether the child is ready for school and has enough German. There is no test.
3. Decision and letter.If the school finds a language need, you are told that the child joins the Vorlaufkurs after the summer holidays. Details such as timetable and arrangements follow. The handbook says the school should also take into account what the Kita and the school doctor report, where that is available.
4. School medical exam.The Gesundheitsamt invites the child. According to the ministry this happens in the year of school entry, and the school doctor checks hearing, vision and language ability, among other things.
5. August or September.The course starts with the new school year, one year before Year 1.
6. Year 1.Compulsory schooling begins on 1 August for children who turn six by the 30 June cut-off.

The registration itself is not optional. The ministry’s handbook cites § 67 Absatz 1 Satz 2 of the school law, which obliges parents to register their child. The Hessian ministry says registration takes place in March or April of the year before school starts, and asks you to bring the child’s birth certificate or Familienstammbuch.

What the School Looks For

Parents often expect a language test. There isn’t one. The handbook says the first assessment is not meant to produce a detailed list of skills. It asks something simpler: will this child probably be able to follow the lesson at school entry and take part?

Its examples of basic skills include naming everyday objects in German (such as bread, house, pencil), knowing numbers up to five and the basic colours in German, and understanding simple instructions. Many schools add observation in small groups at a get-to-know-you day or trial lesson in spring, about a year and a half before school.

What this means for your child:

• A child who understands and answers simply in German is in a different position from a child who has had almost no contact with German.
• Speaking another language at home is not the issue. The school looks at what the child can do in German.
• You cannot prepare the child for a test, but regular German in everyday life helps. Kita days, playground talk and picture books do more than drills.

What the Course Looks Like

The framework in the ministry’s handbook is the following.

The two sets of figures differ, which is normal: the handbook sets a target framework, the press release describes what happens on average across about 2,400 courses. Do not plan on the higher number or the lower number for hours or group size. Ask the school for your child’s timetable.

The handbook is also clear that a Vorlaufkurs is not a substitute for a Kita. It is meant to complement whatever your child already has. If your child is in a Kita, the school and the Kita are expected to coordinate, and the handbook suggests a parents’ evening before the start, plus a welcome event with the families.

What You Are Responsible For

Three things sit with parents.

1. Registering the child on time at the Grundschule that invited you.
2. Making sure your child attends regularly. § 67 Absatz 1 Satz 3 of the Hessisches Schulgesetz, as the handbook explains, makes parents responsible for regular attendance once the child is obliged to attend.
3. Telling the school about practical problems. The handbook says that where regular attendance is difficult, schools should look for solutions together with parents, and with the Kita where relevant. A long way to the school or a younger sibling at home are exactly the kind of problem to raise at the first meeting.

If you do not understand the letter or the conversation, bring someone who speaks both German and your language. The handbook mentions that schools involve other adults, including parents and older siblings, in conversations when parents do not yet speak German well.

How the Course Ends

The Hessian ministry reported in January 2026 that about 95 percent of the children who take part move on to Year 1. The others are deferred and keep learning German. A deferral is decided by the principal after hearing the parents shortly before the school year begins, and it must be justified, carry instructions on legal remedies and be delivered to you in writing, according to the handbook.

A deferred child is obliged to attend a school language course. The handbook names two other possibilities: a Vorklasse, if it is possible and a suitable level of support can be expected, and, where neither a language course nor a Vorklasse is offered, an Intensivklasse as an equivalent measure. If the child learns enough German during the deferral year, the handbook describes a route for admission to Year 1 afterwards in justified cases. For the broader picture, see our guide on deferring school start.

If You Arrive After the Registration Round

Families who move to Frankfurt from abroad or from another part of Germany do not wait for the next invitation round. The Staatliches Schulamt für die Stadt Frankfurt am Main describes the path on its school placement page: register your address, find the school for your address, and contact the school in writing quickly. It lists the Grundschulen contact at the Schulamt (Breitlacherstraße 92, 60489 Frankfurt, phone 069 4500 488-140, GsPostfach.SSA.Frankfurt@kultus.hessen.de) and says that children with little or no German who are new to Frankfurt can turn to the Aufnahme- und Beratungszentrum, the ABZ.

The Hessian ministry also describes what school-age newcomers receive: Intensivklassen at general schools are a mandatory offer for school-age newcomers, usually for about a year, and Intensivkurse where an Intensivklasse is not possible. Those are different from the Vorlaufkurs, which is meant for the year before school starts.

Other Terms You Will Hear

The Eingangsstufe is described on the city’s Ab wann page together with the Vorlaufkurs and the Vorklasse. The Kann-Kinder rule (children who turn six after 30 June and can enter early on parents’ request) is explained on the Hessian school office page.

Step by Step

1. Watch your post for the Grundschule’s letter, about 18 months before school, and keep the date.
2. Bring the child’s birth certificate or Familienstammbuch to registration. Newcomers also bring the Meldebescheinigung from Frankfurt.
3. Speak German with your child in real situations in the months before: Kita, playground, picture books, shops.
4. After the conversation, ask the school what it observed and whether a Vorlaufkurs is planned.
5. If yes, ask for the timetable, the place, the way there and who collects the child.
6. If you disagree or are unsure, write to the school, then contact the Staatliches Schulamt für die Stadt Frankfurt am Main.
7. If you arrive late, phone the Grundschulen line at the Schulamt and ask about the ABZ.

Compliance Note

This guide summarises the Hessian school law as described by the Hessian ministry and the school offices, and the city of Frankfurt’s parent information, as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Course hours, places and timetables differ between schools, and you should confirm them with the Grundschule and the Staatliches Schulamt für die Stadt Frankfurt am Main for your own child.