In June 2006, the Schwäbisch Hall town council approved the establishment of a secondary Montessori branch from Year 5 onwards. Under the roof of the former Thomas–Schweicker Secondary Modern School, it began its work in the 2007/08 school year. This marked the start of a close cooperation with Steinbach Primary School, which has had a Montessori branch (Years 1–4) for many years. This cooperation continues almost unchanged in today’s Gemeinschaftsschule.
The basic idea behind this concept is that, from Year 7, pupils spend three years of their schooling using the open-air museum Wackershofen as a learning venue for more intensive, theme-based project work. Within the framework of Montessori pedagogy, which is based on the ideas of Maria Montessori, there is a dedicated concept for this age group. It has been successfully implemented in a number of places around the world and is now also being scientifically accompanied.
In Years 5 and 6, teaching follows largely the educational concepts of Steinbach Primary School.
You can download further information about the Montessori classes in Secondary Level I here.