Bernburg. All children who have turned five by 30 June are due to undergo the pre-school medical examination this year for the 2027/28 school year. The Salzlandkreis can now apply a two-stage procedure it has developed itself; this follows a change to the regulations, which the district administration and District Administrator Markus Bauer have been campaigning for with the state government for some time due to the vacant post of public health officer. The Ministry of Social Affairs has recently granted a special exemption. “This was absolutely vital. After all, we all want to give our children the best possible start to their school life,” says Markus Bauer.
For the Salzlandkreis, the new two-stage procedure means that the statutory development screening of girls and boys at the start of school is carried out and documented by a suitably qualified medical assistant within the District Administration’s Paediatric and Adolescent Health Service. Only children for whom a need for support is suspected or has already been identified, or who have not yet attended the U8/9 check-up with their paediatrician, will undergo an additional examination by a public health doctor. This two-stage procedure will form the basis for work in the area of school entry medical examinations for at least one year. “This reduces the burden on many parents without compromising quality in the long term. I think we have found a solution that helps everyone,” says Markus Bauer.
Anke Meyer, the head of the health department, adds: “In our situation, it combines the necessary with the useful, as it is effective and unbureaucratic for those involved. This is because, despite all our efforts at the public health department, we are still short of specialist staff – particularly medical staff – to examine all 1,500 children without exception before they start school, as required by law. As a rule, any special support needs are already known either through the U9 check-ups for five-year-olds, which are due anyway, or through attendance at nursery. We can now take these findings into account during the school entry examination. And parents won’t have to make an unnecessary second visit to the paediatrician just to ensure their children get the best possible start at school.”
The pre-school medical examination is the responsibility of the districts or independent cities. Its purpose is to identify any potential developmental delays or special educational needs in children one year before they start school, and to recommend appropriate measures. During the examination, each child undergoes a physical examination by a doctor, as well as vision and hearing tests and assessments of their language skills, motor skills and level of knowledge. Where necessary, children should receive targeted support in good time before they start school.
However, due to staff shortages, the Salzlandkreis has recently been unable to examine all girls and boys prior to starting school in accordance with these guidelines and has been exploring various avenues to find solutions to the problem caused by the shortage of qualified staff. In 2024, it entered into a cooperation agreement with the Bodeaue Medical Care Centre in Egeln, which, on its behalf, examined local children starting school close to their homes. Although this former pilot project temporarily eased the situation, it is not sufficient to provide full coverage across the district. This is particularly true as attempts to involve other practising paediatricians in a similar manner quickly failed due to their heavy workload. A more sustainable solution would have been to amend the legal framework governing school entry medical examinations to incorporate the regular U9 check-up, as the Salzlandkreis district had argued from the outset. Whilst there is no such legal amendment in place for everyone, the exemption has now been granted in writing.
District Administrator Markus Bauer commented: “We can only work with the staff we have. At present, this consists of one permanent paediatrician and two locum doctors, both of whom are already retired but who support us by working four hours a week each. They are now focusing on the examinations of children that are truly essential, particularly where additional support is required to inform further decisions. We have continued to advertise a second post for the paediatric service, as well as a post for a public health officer, on a permanent basis. So far, without success. We’re staying on the ball. But what I can say is this: our staff at the Child and Adolescent Health Service are responsibly carrying out the scheduled tests for children starting school,” assures District Administrator Markus Bauer.