Vacation before the holidays: Hamburg's children skip school more and more!

Vacation before the holidays: Hamburg's children skip school more and more!

Hamburg, Deutschland - in Hamburg, especially before the school holidays, many children are absent, since parents take their offspring out of school before or after the holidays to benefit from cheaper holiday offers. However, this practice leads to unexcused lack, which is a violation of compulsory schooling in Germany. According to the NDR, more than 114 cases of unexcused absence were reported in 2025. Compared to previous years, when 303 cases and 225 were registered in 2023 in 2024, there is a clear trend that is not very gratifying.

The classic vacation time at Hamburg Airport is noticeable, with around 360 starts and landings, with many travelers, especially towards Mallorca and Turkey, with them. The holiday periods in Denmark and Lower Saxony have already started, which creates additional travel waves.

monitoring of compulsory schooling

In Germany, there is a strict compulsory schooling for children from the first class, which is legally anchored in the school laws of the federal states. Educational institutions are obliged to report cases of unexcused absence to the educational authority, which is monitored by its legal department. School management decides on requests for leave, which are only approved for valid reasons. Simple vacation requests are not included, since the leave of absence is usually only approved for proven urgent reasons such as weddings or doctor's appointments.

The teachers are instructed to particularly check the presence before and after the holidays. In the event of an unexcused absence, sanctions such as conversations or home visits can be carried out. Fine is another aspect, since this is up to 250 euros for unexcused absences, and up to 350 euros for several siblings. This makes it clear that the school authorities take serious measures against school refusal.

reasons for school tails

The causes of school tails are diverse and range from bullying, domestic problems to parental vacation plans or even climate strikes. The latter are considered a violation of compulsory schooling, since there is no official approval procedure for possible participation. Supreme and their parents affected by the educational institutions are also included in discussions before the school authority is informed.

It is important that parents take responsibility for the regular and punctual participation of their children seriously in class. Timely school liberation is only possible for tangible reasons, while reasons such as participating in castings or the request for vacation extension are not recognized. Dealing with such cases varies depending on school; Some facilities tolerate the absence of climate strikes, others write down these absenteeism.

parents who have difficulties with the school authority is advisable to obtain legal advice in order to protect the rights of their children. The topic of compulsory schooling and compliance remains an important part of the educational debate in Germany.

For further information on the legal framework and possible consequences in the event of a violation of school duty, you can do the information on ndr or Read lawyer SucheService