Overview

• Nordrhein-Westfalen confirms a one-off year without a regular Gymnasium Abitur in 2025/26 due to the G8-to-G9 switch, with roughly 32,000 graduates expected from Gesamtschulen and Berufskollegs in 2026 and a surge forecast for 2027.
• Teacher reassignments intensify, with well over 10,000 secondments reported and about 2,500–3,000 Gymnasium teachers in temporary posts set to return by August 2026, prompting warnings about staffing gaps at the schools they leave.
• NRW launches a focus on foundational writing: the Skribi tool will be piloted at 100 primary schools from autumn to support text production and spelling, and the state says ‘Schreiben nach Gehör’ no longer applies.
• A new digital offer for newly arrived pupils called Mein Anfang auf Deutsch introduces the Latin alphabet with animated dialogues and materials, and a central anonymous student-feedback portal will open this autumn without teacher-specific ratings.
• The government is preparing reforms to teacher education, including establishing German as a second language as a standalone subject, increasing school-based practice, enabling new entry routes, and expanding applied-science master’s options in engineering education.