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Primary and secondary education
I am planning to stay here for a long time. Should I send my children to a Dutch or an international school?
If you are planning to stay here for a long time, a Dutch school could be an option, depending on the age of your children. If your children have previously attended a school in another country and are used to lessons in English, or if you anticipate that your children will return to another country’s educational system in the future, it might be in the best interests of your children to go to a Dutch international school (subsidised by the Dutch government) or an international school here in the Netherlands.
However, if your child is at the beginning of primary school, a Dutch school might be an option. Some of them offer special courses to learn Dutch for newly-arrived foreign children ages 6-11 at the opvangscholen (reception schools). These are ordinary basisscholen (primary schools) with a special class for learning Dutch: the reception group. Every week they are taught to speak, comprehend, read and write Dutch by someone who is experienced in teaching foreign children. When children are not attending lessons in the special reception group, they attend regular classes at the school for subjects such as math, history, science, arts and crafts, etc. You can find such a primary school on https://www.lowan.nl/po/scholen/ (Dutch only). Keep in mind that if you are looking for a school in The Hague to search for “Den Haag” (in Dutch).
Children from 12 years of age are usually required to attend Internationale Schakelklas – ISK (bridging schools). Children will usually be assessed for their linguistic skills in the Dutch language before they are allowed to enrol in an ISK school. Depending on their age and ability in mastering the Dutch language, children will typically spend between 1.5 to 2 years attending an ISK school before transferring to the mainstream Dutch educational system. You can find such a secondary school on https://www.lowan.nl/vo/scholen/ (Dutch only). Keep in mind that if you are looking for a school in The Hague to search for “Den Haag” (in Dutch).
The following website https://utesinternationallounge.com/dutch-education-explained-by-genoveva-geppaart/ provides you with an overview of Dutch education.
I have a 14 year old daughter who is coming to live with me in the Netherlands. She does not speak any Dutch. Therefore, can you recommend a Dutch state school where my daughter can learn the language as well as being taught the normal academic subjects?
From 12 years of age, Dutch children normally choose from more vocationally-based training to pre-university diplomas depending on their academic ability. The lessons are given in Dutch.
After registering with the municipality in which they live, those children who meet the following criteria are usually required to attend ‘bridging’ schools known as Internationale Schakelklas – ISK:
- Have lived in the Netherlands for less than two years
- Need tuition to become competent in speaking the Dutch language
- Are between the ages of 12 and 18
Children will be assessed for their linguistic skills in the Dutch language before they are allowed to enrol in an ISK school. There are ISK schools located throughout the Netherlands. There is no list of ISK’s . Best is to check with your municipality.
The ISK schools prepare pupils for intake into secondary education or vocational education, depending on the age of the students. These schools teach children as much Dutch as possible, so that the children can learn to the same level of academic ability in the Netherlands as they would in their home country. At the ISK schools the teenage children will be given dedicated lessons to learn Dutch for approximately 16 to 20 hours per week.
In addition to the teaching of other academic subjects such as mathematics, geography, history and economics, art and culture, the ISK schools also provide additional support for the students. This support is often in the form of a dedicated mentor and access to other specialised services, for example a speech therapist for those children who experience difficulty in pronunciation of the Dutch language.
Depending on their age and ability in mastering the Dutch language, children will typically spend between 0.5 to 3 years attending an ISK school before transferring to the mainstream Dutch educational system.
What are the principle aims of Dutch primary school education and what subjects will my child be taught?
The Dutch government has set kerndoelen (attainment targets) which define what children are expected to have acquired in the way of knowledge, understanding and skills by the end of primary school. Whilst these attainment targets describe in general terms the skills and knowledge a child must have acquired, the referentieniveaus (benchmark levels) for mathematics and language specifically prescribe the degree of proficiency that a child must attain in any given year of schooling.
The core curriculum for all basisscholen (primary schools) must include the following subjects:
- Dutch
- English (from group 7 on- 10/11 years years old)
- Arithmetic and mathematics
- Social and environmental studies (including, for instance, geography, history, science – including biology, citizenship, social and life skills – including road safety, healthy living, social structures – including political studies, and religious and ideological movements)
- Creative expression (including, for instance, music, drawing and handicrafts)
- Sports and movement.
Schools are free to offer other subjects such as French, German or religious studies, but these subjects are not required by law.
I want to raise my children bilingually. Are there any Dutch schools that teach (partly) in English?
There are an increasing number of schools providing bilingual lessons. Most of them are secondary schools. In the Netherlands, Tweetalig Onderwijs – TTO (bilingual education) came into existence in 1989. In most cases, TTO refers to bilingual (mostly English-Dutch) and Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs – VWO, where this is the pre-university stream in Dutch secondary education.
In the TTO schools, a wide variety of subjects such as history, geography, math, physics, biology, chemistry, economics, IT, arts and music are taught in English. Bilingual lessons are taught over the preceding six years leading up to university entrance. Whilst in the last three years, students will focus upon the academic subjects that they will be examined on (in Dutch), some of the lessons will still be provided in English. Bilingual students also have the opportunity to sit the internationally recognised International Baccalaureate (IB) English Certificate. A successful result qualifies these students to enrol at English-speaking universities.
The aim of bilingual education is to prepare students for an increasingly global environment. Hence, whilst foreign language skills are important, the lessons are taught in a broad, internationally oriented context.
It should be noted that the Dutch bilingual school system has been set up with the emphasis upon native speaking Dutch children becoming competent in speaking English as their second language rather than vice versa.
Do all international schools teach in English?
In general, most international schools teach in English, but there are also schools that teach children in their native language, e.g. the German, French, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean schools.
What are the options for my child’s secondary and higher education options in Dutch schools and universities?
During the final year of primary school (normally in April/May), Dutch children take a mandatory test. The aim of this test is to assess the extent to which a child has progressed in his or her proficiency of the Dutch language and in mathematics. The results of the test, together with the teacher’s assessment over the preceding years, will determine which type of secondary education would be most appropriate for the pupil. The secondary and higher education options are:
- VMBO: practical secondary education
- HAVO: senior general secondary education (entrance to HBO – university of applied science)
- VWO: university preparatory education (entrance to hbo – university of applied science or wo – research university)
VMBO (preparatory secondary vocational education)
The VMBO (voorbereidend middelbaar beroepsonderwijs) prepares its students for a more vocationally based secondary education at a MBO (middelbaar beroepsonderwijs) senior school or, in some cases, a more general secondary education at a HAVO (hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs) senior school. A pupil will spend four years in VMBO education and whilst in their second year choose their preferred vocational direction. At the MBO they will be taught subjects that will prepare them for various occupations ranging from shop manager to mechanic or nursing assistant.
Pupils who successfully complete the theoretical, combined or middle-management vocational programme at the VMBO level can enrol in professional and middle-management training. Holders of a middle-management MBO certificate may go on to study at the HBO level (higher professional education).
HAVO (senior general secondary education)
A HAVO (hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs) education takes five years and prepares students for a professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs – HBO).
VWO (pre-university education)
A VWO (voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs) education takes six years and prepares students for a research university education . In the first two years, students follow a common curriculum. All students at a VWO school must study three languages (French, German and English) up to the end of their third year. At the end of the third year, the students choose an academic ‘profile’ package, which includes both compulsory and optional subjects.
Find more information about foreign education systems and international baccalaureate as well as overviews of foreign diplomas in comparison with Dutch diplomas on: www.nuffic.nl.
I am moving to the Netherlands soon. I am considering home schooling for my children. Is this allowed in the Netherlands?
In the Netherlands, all children aged 5-18 are required to attend school. Hence, ‘home schooling’ is not allowed. There are, however, a few situations in which an exception can be made. If you have objections to the view of life (e.g. religion) of every school in your area, you need to give a declaration to your municipality about this. You can contact your municipality for more information about the content of the declaration.
If your child is physically and/or mentally unable to attend school, you need permission for home schooling from your municipality.
Nederlandse Vereniging voor Thuisonderwijs – NVvTO is the Netherlands home schooling association. It is an organisation of parents (and other adults who function as such) who wish to home school their children whilst in the Netherlands and have done so in the past, or plan to do so in the future. More information regarding this can be found on Thuisonderwijs.nl/english.
Who is the leerplichtambtenaar and why did I get a letter from this person?
The leerplichtambtenaar is an official in charge of checking that the rules regarding leerplichtwet (compulsory educational law) are followed.
According to Dutch law, schools are responsible for monitoring and controlling all absences of their children from school. They are legally required to inform the leerplichtambtenaar (official in charge) when any child misses more than sixteen hours of school over a period of four weeks. The school may also inform the leerplichtambtenaar if a child has been late twelve times for school.
Once the leerplichtambtenaar has received such information from the school, he/she will contact the parents to determine what action may be taken.
Only in a few specific circumstances can schools grant permission for children to miss school during the school year.
Schools may grant permission for a child to be absent from school for events such as weddings, funerals, religious holidays and moving house. For every other absence, it is compulsory for the parent to ask for permission from the head of school in advance.
School attendance records are regularly inspected by a leerplichtambtenaar, who tends to also check for pupil absentees right at the beginning or end of the school term, as they are regarded as very suspicious periods.
How does the Dutch school system work?
Dutch education is , like in many other countries, divided into primary education, secondary education and tertiary education.
Primary education
In the Netherlands, primary school starts with kindergarten at age four. From age five it is compulsory to attend school fulltime. There are hardly any private schools in the Netherlands. Schools can have a certain religious orientation such as Protestant, Catholic, Islamic, Hindu, any other religion or no religion at all. In addition, schools can follow a certain educational philosophy such as Montessori, Jenaplan, Dalton or Vrije School (internationally also known as Waldorf). Children with special educational needs will find offerings more frequently in primary than in secondary schools.
Secondary education
There are four options for secondary school:
- Practical education (praktijkonderwijs)
- Preparatory secondary vocational education (voorbereidend middelbaar beroepsonderwijs, VMBO)
- Senior general secondary education (hoger algemeen vormend onderwijs, HAVO)
- Pre-university education (voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs, VWO)
Tertiary education
After secondary school there are several options:
- Medium level professional education (middelbaar beroepsonderwijs, MBO) for those who have finished VMBO. Like VMBO this has four levels.
- University of Applied Science (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO) for those who have finished HAVO (or MBO at the highest level)
- Research University (universiteit) for those who have finished VWO ( or first year -called propedeuse – at HBO)
You can read more about how the Dutch education system works on the site of Ute Limacher-Riebold
My daughter is in group 8 of a Dutch primary school. She is capable of the HAVO or VWO track in secondary school, but her Dutch is insufficient for this level. What options are available?
If your child is capable of HAVO or VWO but her Dutch level is insufficient, a kopklas can be the solution.This year following group 8 focuses on improving children’s Dutch and enabling them to attend the most appropriate secondary school. Choosing this class requires high motivation by both parents and child, and it is best to discuss this option with your child’s teacher.
