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Niedersachsen Announces 237 More All-Day Schools for 2026/27

The move prepares schools to deliver a legal right to eight hours of care for new first graders from August 2026.

Overview

  • Niedersachsen will add 237 schools to all-day status for the 2026/27 year, including 221 primary schools, bringing the share above 85% of public general-education schools.
  • Most of the new sites chose flexible formats, with 214 opting for the open model and 23 for a partly bound schedule, reflecting the law’s options to organize care through schools, youth services, and local partners.
  • The federal entitlement starts with first graders in 2026/27 and guarantees up to eight hours a day on five weekdays, counts lesson time toward the total, allows up to four weeks of closures, and assigns holiday care to youth welfare providers.
  • Local rollout remains uneven, with Pullach reporting unresolved rules for children who attend a school outside their home municipality and Unterhaching improvising space after asbestos delayed a planned conversion, and parents can object or sue if a place is not provided.
  • Counties are defining who pays for vacation weeks, as Diepholz set a draft rate of €4,150 per group per week and may allow up to €80 in parent fees plus €20 for meals, with no transport guaranteed for children attending the holiday programs.