Class representatives and student council

In short: Class representatives represent the interests of their class towards teachers and school management. The student council (SV) bundles these interests at school level and gets involved in decisions.

In more detail: The exact rights and structures of the student council are regulated in the school laws of the federal states.

In detail

• Election: Class representatives are usually elected democratically by the class at the start of the school year.
• Tasks: Collecting concerns of the class, representing them in class conferences and passing them on to the student council.
• Student council: Made up of class representatives or elected delegates.
• Head student representative: The highest representation of the student body, often part of the school conference.
• Participation rights: From mere consultation to real co-decision rights, depending on topic and federal state.
• Projects: Student councils often organise school festivals, fundraising campaigns or project days.
• Skills: The role fosters taking responsibility, public speaking and democratic engagement (elternabend-und-elternmitwirkung).