Request for a pupil's leave of absence from lessons (Germany)
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This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
The written request to a school's head in Germany to grant a pupil leave from lessons for an important reason, such as a family event that cannot be moved. It gives the name, class, dates, reason and evidence, states that the leave is not for extending the holidays, and asks for a written decision before it starts. Each Land's school law decides who grants leave and how early to apply; you choose the Land on the form. Missing school without permission to extend the holidays can lead to a fine. In German, ready to print, sign and hand in.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Phone
- School
- School's postal address
- City
- Date
- German federal state (Land)
- Pupil
- Class
- Absent from
- Absent until
- Reason
- Supporting document
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- For what reasons can a pupil in Germany be given leave from lessons?
- Only for an important reason, and the Land's school law sets what counts. In North Rhine-Westphalia the head may grant leave for an important reason for up to one school year; in Baden-Württemberg only in particularly justified cases, on a written application made in good time. If the dates are just before or after the holidays, give especially careful evidence of the reason: missing school without permission to extend the holidays risks a fine.
- How early should leave from lessons be requested at a German school?
- As early as possible and in any case before the first day missed. Baden-Württemberg expressly requires a written application in good time; other Länder and some schools may set their own deadlines, which the school office can tell you. The letter asks for a written decision before the leave starts — without one, the pupil goes to school.
- Who decides on leave from lessons in Germany — the class teacher or the head?
- It depends on the Land and on how long the leave is: in some places the class teacher decides on short leave and the head on longer leave. The letter is addressed to the head; hand it in through the class teacher so that it reaches both. You choose on the form the Land whose school law applies, and the request names it.
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