Platanus School Berlin

The most important admission criterion at our school is that all students can speak either German OR English at a native level. This applies to all Year levels. It is also important that the parents speak German or English at least well enough for us to communicate without any problems. In Years 3 and 4, at least some prior knowledge of the other language is desirable and increases the chance of admission. In Years 5 and 6, it is necessary for English-speaking students to be able to speak German at least at B1 level in order to be able to successfully complete the "Mittlerer Schulabschluss" (intermediate school leaving certificate) in Year 10. From Year 7 onwards our students must be able to have German language skills at least at B2 level. For an admission into our Years 11 to 13 Geman must be on C1-level. Interested parents/students will find our online application form as well as all relevant details on our website under "Registration". After receiving the complete application we check if we invite students and parents to a get-to-know appointment or trial days.

For our ” Firsties” in the coming school year and their parents, we organise a get-to-know-you appointment. With patience and attention, we make the children feel comfortable and playfully carry out various individual and group activities. We are particularly interested in the physical and cognitive development, the social interaction in a group and the language level of the children. In the meantime, our school leadership and admissions team will hold meetings with the parents to discuss mutual expectations and wishes as well as to clarify any questions regarding admission and our concept. For applications for a school place in the classes already in progress, it is necessary for the students to complete trial days or, in most cases, a whole trial week with us. During this time, they visit our school like our own students and will also take short one-time tests on their current learning level in Mathematics, German and English. At the end of the week, we collect feedback from all teachers and educators on the students’ academic performance as well as her/his work and social behaviour. For the trial period, we charge a fee of 30 EUR per day. During this time, the students are insured at our school and can of course take part in lunch. For trial periods, absence from the school the student is currently attending will also be excused. For admission to Year 7 (start of secondary level), we also offer trial days/a trial week or a get-to-know-you appointment. During this trial visit, we spend time together with the applicants to gain a personal impression and also test their learning level in Mathematics, German and English. We also invite parents to a get-to-know-you appointment for a joint conversation. After the get-to-know appointment or at the end of the trial week, the Head of School of the respective Year decides on admission.

We also have a waiting list for all classes. If we are currently unable to offer your child a school place, their application will be placed on our waiting list. This means your child will still be considered for admission if a spot becomes available – for example, due to a family moving away or a student changing schools. A place on the waiting list is not a rejection, but also not a guarantee of admission. Whether and when we are able to offer a place depends on several factors – especially the balance within the class (e.g. girls/boys, language profile: German, English or bilingual) and the available capacity in the respective year group. If a place becomes available, we will proactively contact the parents by email or phone. We would like to point out that we cannot provide any binding information about whether or when a place might open up.

The enrolment period for the new school year always begins on the 1st of August of the preceding year. We also offer spaces during the current school year, so there is no deadline for registrations.

We also offer school places during the current school year.