Upper Austria introduces mandatory summer school attendance

More than 7,900 pupils have registered for this year’s summer school in Upper Austria, ORF reported, nearly twice as many as last year. For the first time, attendance is compulsory for about 2,400 pupils in German-language support classes who have insufficient German skills.

The summer school begins on Monday and will run for two weeks at 130 locations. Classes will take place for four hours each morning, with different focuses depending on the type of school.

The programme aims to prepare pupils for the new school year. From next year, attendance will also be compulsory for pupils whose German skills are rated as deficient, rather than only insufficient.

Education councillor Christine Haberlander and education director Alfred Klampfer said a key advantage was allowing pupils to consolidate learning without performance pressure.