Transfer to secondary school in year 7

The transition from primary school to Year 7 of secondary school is a challenging step in a pupil’s life. Please support your child through this process. In order to provide you with the best possible support during this transition, the key steps and conditions for the transition to Year 7 are outlined and explained below.

No more trial year at grammar school

As part of the transition process for the 2026/2027 school year, the amended admission requirements will now be fully implemented with the assessment of ability for grammar school. This means that your child can only transfer to a grammar school if they can prove their ability. This means that your child must already demonstrate the linguistic, mathematical and personal skills required for further education at grammar school from Year 7 onwards in Year 6. This aptitude can be demonstrated either by the support outlook or by passing the trial lessons.

Aptitude for grammar school is determined in part 1 of the support outlook if the total grade in German, mathematics and the first foreign language does not exceed 14 based on the grades from the second half of Year 5 and the first half of Year 6. If you would like to enrol your child at a grammar school even though their suitability has not been determined by the total marks on the support outlook, you must voluntarily enrol your child on 9 or 10 February 2026 for a trial lesson* (expected to take place on 20 February 2026) at the last primary school or community school they attended. This also applies to children whose siblings are already attending a grammar school.

The trial lesson is an aptitude test and generally takes place at a secondary school in the district where the last primary or comprehensive school attended is located. It is conducted uniformly throughout Berlin and includes written tests in German and mathematics as well as interdisciplinary skills required for successful learning at secondary school. Detailed information on the trial lesson procedure can be found in the FAQ section. The final decision on ability or inability, issued by the school supervisory authority, will be handed out by the last primary or community school attended at the beginning of the registration period.

The registration period for transition to Year 7 at secondary schools is between 5 and 12 March 2026. During this period, parents register their child at their first-choice school. They can also indicate a second and third choice.

The registration form and the funding forecast must be submitted upon registration. When registering at a grammar school with a grade point average above 14 – taking into account the subjects German, mathematics and first foreign language from the report cards for the second half of the 5th grade and the first half of the 6th grade – the registration must be accompanied by a certificate confirming that the trial lessons have been passed.

The comprehensive school is an exception to the transition procedure, as the basic principle of long-term joint learning applies here. This primarily involves a seamless transition from primary to secondary level I at the same school. If your child attends the primary level of a comprehensive school, they will remain at the same school when moving from Year 6 to Year 7 without you having to take any further steps. A support outlook and registration form are only required if you wish to transfer your child to another secondary school during the transition and you submit this request to the school. Please note that if you choose a different secondary school as your first, second or third choice on the registration form, you will lose your right to a place in Year 7 at your current comprehensive school and will have to go through the normal transition process.

In order to choose the right secondary school for their child, parents – and their children – receive early, individual and binding advice from their primary or community school on the type of school where their child is likely to receive the best support.


In Berlin, parents generally choose the type of secondary school their child will attend after primary school (parental choice). However, admission to grammar school is based on the skills, performance, talents and aptitudes (suitability) of the pupils. In a written support outlook, the primary school determines the suitability for transition to a Gymnasium in Year 7. This transition is not necessary at comprehensive schools, unless you want your child to change schools. In this case, please apply to the comprehensive school your child attends for a support outlook to be issued for your child.

Has your child been diagnosed with special educational needs? No problem. They will participate in the transition process on an equal footing and will even be given preferential admission. To do so, submit your registration form during the registration period with three preferences, listing your first choice school. Be sure to indicate the special educational needs on the forms. If your child requires special structural features at the school (barrier-free access), in particular lifts, ramps, nursing bathrooms, guidance systems for the blind, etc., you should note this on your first, second and third choices. Your local SIBUZ will advise you on this if necessary.

Each seventh grade class reserves four places for pupils with special educational needs. If there is excess demand for these places, the school supervisory authority will decide on admission according to the following criteria:

1. Dependence on accessibility
2. Siblings
3. Special support opportunities offered by a school according to its school programme and actual staffing conditions
4. Lottery

In inclusive schools three of the four places are initially allocated to pupils with special educational needs in one of the areas of specialisation in which the respective school specialises. Here, too, the responsible SIBUZ will advise you.

Schools with a special educational focus

Would you like your child to transfer to the seventh grade of a school with a special educational focus? If so, please register directly with such a school. Please note that your preferred school with a special educational focus may not always have a suitable place available. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you participate in the above-mentioned allocation procedure to be on the safe side.

Is your child already attending a school with a special educational focus and is expected to transition to secondary level I there? In this case, you do not need to take any action; your child will automatically remain at the school.

If there are more registrations for a school than there are places available, not every child can be accepted. The selection of the students takes place according to clear and fair rules. Children with special educational needs are admitted first.

The remaining places will be allocated according to the following distribution:

• Up to 10 percent of the places are initially allocated for cases of hardship, then for children who have a sibling at this school.
• At least 60 percent of the places are allocated according to admission criteria that each school has established and that are based on the performance and skills of the students. In addition to the average grade of the support outlook created by the primary school, the schools could choose according to their profile a combination of the grade total of certain subjects, special competencies of the student or the result of a test as acceptance criteria.
• 30 percent of the places will be drawn by lot among the registered students, with siblings being given priority.

You can find the admission criteria for each school in the online school directory

Special admission criteria apply to the comprehensive schools. These are determined by the school while taking into account the school programme.

(Example calculation of the average grade for the support outlook)

The average grade is calculated based on the report grades from the second term of 5th grade and the first term of 6th grade. The grades for German, maths, foreign languages, natural sciences and social sciences are counted twice.

The average grade is calculated as follows: 67 : (13 + 13) = 2,5*

The average grade is shown with a non-rounded place after the comma.*(According to §24 GsVO – Primary School Ordinance)

Choice of school: 
Parents are free to choose the secondary school desired for their child; it can also be in a different district than their place of residence. There is also freedom of choice in the type of school. However, it makes sense to orientate yourself to the support outlook so that the child is not overburdened or not challenged enough.

For children who have not been allocated a place at their first-choice school, there is an admission procedure designed to guarantee them a place at their second or third-choice school. It should be noted that in the second and third-choice procedures, priority is given to children from the district in which the school is located. It should be noted that schools that are already oversubscribed in the first choice procedure cannot provide places for a second or third choice procedure.

If none of your three preferred schools can accept your child, the education authority will name another school of the desired type that would accept your child. This school may also be located in another district.