The former Urspring Monastery is a place of communal life and learning for approx. 200 pupils in the quiet and relaxed atmosphere of a historic location. More than half of the pupils are boarders and they come from all over the world. The girls and boys learn everything here that they need to qualify for entry to university in Baden-Württemberg (Abitur) and a great deal more besides.

Stiftung Urspringschule (Urspring School Foundation) was founded in 1930 by Bernhard Hell, who wanted to establish a progressive school with a Protestant ethos on a charitable basis. He acquired the property, the site of the former Urspring Monastery and said to be a "magical place", using the inheritance he received from his father. Urspring has shaped generations of pupils ever since, giving them an outstanding foundation for life.

The pupils live in manageable groups and have plenty of opportunities to meet up and use their free time for stimulating activities. This is also the basis for the arrangements for accommodation, supervision, homework and leisure activities. And we are pleased to be able to provide a suitable environment for this approach.

Also living at the boarding school with the girls and boys are 16 mentors, some with their own families. The mentors always live in their own self-contained apartments. They are responsible for their particular group and at the same time are the first point of reference for any personal or other issues associated with life at Urspring. The mentors are also a direct point of contact for parents. Most mentors also work as teachers as part of our concept of teaching and learning. This system results in a high degree of familiarity between pupils and mentors, since the children are not supervised by several individuals on a shift system but in normal circumstances are always able to speak to the same person about any problems they may have. In return, this minimal distance has a positive impact in day-to-day lessons, since the pupils not only have a subject teacher standing in front of them in the classroom but a person with whom they have much in common from their boarding experience. To ensure that this closeness between mentor and pupil remains professional at all times, we have structures in place to maintain an essential professional distance. All staff at Urspring have pledged to adhere to a code of values which has been specifically drawn up and approved for this purpose.

At Urspring, girls and boys live in different houses divided into smaller groups which we call mentorates. Normally, two children or young people share a room. There are single rooms as well, but these are the exception. Depending on the building, there are larger and smaller rooms providing a wide range of accommodation. They all have one thing in common, though: with a bit of imagination, you can make something of them.

Schelklingen is a town in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated 10 km north of Ehingen, and 20 km west of Ulm. Schelklingen and 82% of its territory form part of the Swabian Jura Biosphere Reserve.

Meals are a communal experience.
For Urspringschule, partaking of food is a communal event. Eating is about more than just food intake. No-one there ever seriously asks whether you're going for a meal. They go for a meal and enjoy it. They begin the main meals together. Teams of pupils take turns at serving. On Sundays on integrated weekends, brunch is held from 10:00 to 12:00. Pupils sit at one table in their mentorates (mentoring groups) for brunch.

The evening meal is an open buffet. The pupils can arrive to eat at any time between 18:15 and 18:45. The evening meal ends at 19:00.

Our kitchen staff prepare five meals a day. The varied menu is put together using regional organic products and many freshly made dishes. In order to satisfy the different tastes, breakfast and evening meal are served in the form of a buffet. A particularly popular meal is Sunday brunch.

For lunch, the pupils can help themselves to a varied salad buffet. A dessert is then served – either something sweet or fruit. The main course is brought to the table in bowls. We mainly serve the various components separately so that everyone can help themselves to what they like – which may be no meat, no fish or vegetarian.

The options for leisure activities at Urspring are many and varied. The range extends from caring for small animals, sports activities and crafts right through to competitive sport and vocational training.

Extracurricular activities and sports clubs at Urspring: Basketball,Choir,Erasmus+,Fire service,Football,Debating Society,Bowling,Outdoor Activities,Horseback Riding,Saustall,Swimming,Spanish,Tennis,Animals,Pottery,Urspring Blog,Workshops,Circus Skills