Notornot at Bad Segeberg's schools: Where should the children go?

Notornot at Bad Segeberg's schools: Where should the children go?

In Bad Segeberg, worrying developments are emerging in the school area. The number of elementary school students is constantly increasing, which already leads to larger classes. The Bad Segeberg school association observes that the number of students could grow from around 1180 to over 1300 in the coming years. This increase is not only a local affair, but also in the context of general educational statistics, which are documented in various publications of the Federal Statistical Office, as in the publication of Destatis.de

Head of Office Stephan Hartung, however, does not see the increasing numbers as a failure, but emphasizes the uncertainties through current events, in particular the Ukraine war and the associated refugee flows. Such factors can significantly influence the forecasts of the number of students

spatial challenges

The primary schools in Bad Segeberg reach their capacity limits. An immediate solution seems difficult to implement because new buildings or extensions of existing schools are not feasible at short notice. One possible measure is the use of the community school on Burgfeld, in which, according to headmaster Rüdiger Nelson, there is enough space. However, this place was originally planned for fifth graders. A political decision on the admission of primary school children at the community school is still pending.

Hartung and his colleagues in the school association want to avoid having to build new school buildings. Instead, the community school is sought as a temporary solution. Schulrat Odert Schwarz expresses concerns about the capacity limits and the need to also create classes or even another school location.

future perspectives

For 2026, the integration of a new primary school into the existing system is considered. This could possibly defuse the capacity problems. For the Franz Claudius School, there is the opportunity to set up a branch in the community school on Burgfeld. However, this would require the ministry's consent. Black is skeptical whether these solutions can be useful for primary school children from a pedagogical point of view.

The developments in Bad Segeberg are therefore in the light of a broader discussion about school and education policy, which also becomes evident in the data of the Federal Statistical Office. These include statistics on enrollments, number of students and educational funding approaches that represent further challenges for educational institutions, as they are recorded in the tables and reports on destatis.de