Dutch Education: A First-Time User’s Guide

Just arrived in the Netherlands, with kids in tow? Along with the usual administrative, practical and emotional tasks, you also need to enrol your children in a school.

But how does one go about choosing a school with so many options? Do you immerse your kids fully in the Dutch education system, language and culture from day one? Do you choose a private international school, which sets its own fees, uniforms, and holidays, and follows a similar system to what you are used to? Or do you choose a subsidised international school, which combines the two? This article aims to help you navigate this decision-making process, with testimonies from teachers and international parents to help.

Dutch State Schools

There are many Dutch state schools available, especially in major cities, meaning you are almost guaranteed to be able to find one close to where you live.  Nonetheless, it’s worth checking with your local municipality regarding the process and applying as early as possible: for very young children, school application forms are sent out when they are two to three years old and allow parents at least ten options to express their preferences for local schools. Compulsory education in the Netherlands starts immediately after the child’s fifth birthday (though many opt to begin a year earlier) and spaces can fill fast. The younger your child, the more likely it is that they will be able to easily assimilate into Dutch culture quickly, including developing their fluency in Dutch.

One international couple, Sally Stoom and her Dutch husband (international school and state school teachers respectively), had this concern when choosing a school for her three British-Dutch children: “We want our kids to grow up with a clear sense of national identity,” she explains. “And you should think about how long you are staying for. If you are going to be here for more than five years, get into the Dutch primary system. Kids will really feel like they are part of the country and will pick up the language properly.” However, she acknowledges that this advice might work better if your children are young. “Secondary school kids (age 12 and up) might be a different issue.”

Even so, the Dutch state system can still provide for older children, facilitating a smooth educational transition for foreign families thanks to taalklassen (language classes) focusing on Dutch language acquisition in primary school.  Internationale schakelklas (also known as ISK) or an international transition class is a type of language class for 12-18-year-olds which enables them to follow academic courses simultaneously.  These classes normally last two years. While it’s tempting, from some cultural perspectives, to see an extra year or two as a “failure,” this is not how the Dutch see it, as it’s aimed at reducing children’s stress and maximising their achievement later in their education. Many parents also like the play-based emphasis of Dutch early years education, as opposed to focusing on homework and competitiveness.

There are also a limited number of bilingual schools (TTO, or tweetaligonderwijs) in some areas of the Netherlands, which focus on delivering education in both Dutch and English. However, it’s natural that availability at these schools, too, are in high demand; it’s worth visiting the school, perhaps even on multiple occasions, and getting to know the staff during these visits, especially the headteacher, to show your commitment and perhaps increase your chances of your child being admitted. It pays to note that TTO schools have been developed to complement the education of Dutch students and the final exams are administered in Dutch.

The TTO system might solve the problem experienced by many international parents who send their children into the Dutch system––the problem of the English classes being too easy and their kids ending up bored at the back of the room (or even correcting the teacher’s mistakes). Some parents, though, like the idea of their children having one “easier” class that they don’t have to focus on so much, especially in the more academic VWO system, as this takes the pressure off.

Another feature of the Dutch state system dividing international parents exists at secondary level, whereby students attend a VMBO (pre-vocational) school, HAVO (general secondary school) or VWO (pre-university) school. (Some bilingual options are available at the VWO level.) The decision as to which type of school the child attends is determined by the Cito test (Cito Eindtoets Basisonderwijs, or end of primary test), when the child is 11, alongside the recommendation of the group 8 (final year of primary school) teacher and consultation with the child and their parents. There is some possibility for movement between the different types of school (with orientation years available to enable this). This flexibility can be comforting and can make parents feel like their child’s future is not ‘fixed for life’ at the age of 11. Others, however, feel that it’s cruel to limit or label children in this way, while others still feel that it sets realistic expectations based on children’s capabilities and interests, preparing them better for the future. 

Should such a traditional track not align with your family’s values, there are also state-affiliated religious schools and other schools falling into the bijzonder onderwijs (non-traditional) category, such as Montessori or Waldorf schools.

Private International Schools

Private international schools, meanwhile, are fully independent of the Dutch government, and as such, can set their own fees and holiday calendars, choose whether or not they want their students to wear uniforms, and can run any curriculum they choose. Such schools are usually British or American schools and frequently offer curricula that lead to a more specialised outcome than is allowed in Dutch state and Dutch subsidised international schools, such as A Levels, American High School Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate (IB) certificates. Some expat parents feel most comfortable with this option as it most closely mirrors the system they grew up with; others feel that this offers a more structured or strict regime or enables their children to more easily return to study at university in the country the school is associated with. Others feel that the school will better support children with SEN (special educational needs) such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, or AD(H)D, including greater possibilities for one-to-one support.

In such schools, the focus is likely to be on education in English, and the development of multilingualism may prove secondary. Some might also find that this narrows children’s options later on.  As with anything, it really depends on your family’s long-term goals. 

This view is upheld by Ryosuke and Neil, whose two children have both attended such a school (their son has graduated, while their daughter is still there). “While other languages are on offer as part of the curriculum, if the children speak so many languages, it’s just because their parents are expats from all over the world…their focus is more on students’ final destination, as in how many students get into a university and where they are going to study.”

This factor, admittedly, is certainly important for many parents regardless of the type of school they send their children to, but Ryosuke is full of praise about the informational meetings held by her children’s school about applications to British, Dutch, American, Canadian and Irish universities, “which not all schools do”. She is sure that the school will support her daughter well even if she chooses to apply to universities in a country with which the institution is less familiar. “In that sense, such schools are unique in that their alumni spread out across the world to study after they leave the school.”

Neil acknowledges that it’s difficult for children to integrate into Dutch society when they attend such schools, but feels the high quality of education offered by the school they chose, as well as the ability of their children to connect with one of their home cultures through the school, outweighs this. It’s also possible for children to learn Dutch outside of school, such as by attending sports clubs, where they can also make Dutch friends.

Dutch international schools

Dutch international schools have a foot in both camps as they have some independence in terms of the curriculum they provide, for instance, and are often English-dominant environments, while still offering a wide range of student mother tongue languages to a high level (C1-C2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Since such schools are partially subsidised by the Dutch government (parents do pay fees, but these are approximately half what private international schools charge), the government also imposes certain terms and conditions regarding aspects such as school holiday calendars, and what students must study.

One such condition might be in the form of the leerplicht, or compulsory education policy, which dictates schools’ holiday calendars and term dates and ensures that all children attend school regularly.  This is both a sticking point with many international parents and a policy whose importance and influence is not always well-understood by international families. Those coming from countries whose local or national governments offered a lot more flexibility in terms of, for instance, taking children out of school during term time, are often shocked to find the local attendance officer in the Netherlands phoning the house or even turning up for a home visit if parents take their children out of school early for holidays, or if they call in sick often. Attendance officers also step up their presence at Schiphol airport around the holiday periods. Parents are often surprised to find that these rules apply even when their children are attending Dutch international schools, as opposed to a local school.

While some parents express annoyance, frustration and concern at the possible consequence of having to lie to get their children out of school (particularly if they have to travel a long way internationally to see family, often on expensive plane tickets whose prices skyrocket during holidays), others see the positives. Liam, who works in a Dutch international school but whose children attend state schools, comes from a country whose schools were traditionally more relaxed about attendance. “Ultimately, it’s better to have the leerplicht…children don’t disappear at a moment’s notice for weeks on end, only for teachers to have to pick up the slack when it disrupts the whole class’ learning.”

But the school’s attendance policy is only one aspect to consider when deciding whether a Dutch international school is right for your child. “So many cultures!” one parent enthused. Such schools routinely play host to families from over 60 different countries, and so are very experienced at managing new expat families’ educational transition to the Netherlands (and may offer other help too, to ease your arrival). “They do this well,” said one parent in our study. “International students move about all the time.” Alongside this, parents praise the Dutch international schools’ ability to teach their children Dutch from scratch (although reports on its efficacy do vary), while offering many classes in English, with there being high levels of support available. The Dutch department for education (known as DUO) also validates all teachers’ qualifications, just as they do in state schools; many parents are likely to find this reassuring.

Many parents also find Dutch international schools’ open-mindedness regarding languages to be a very positive quality. Janine Perel, a French parent whose child attends a Dutch international school, said that the ability to choose the languages in which their child was educated aligned with their family’s European values, and that this ability to choose was a big draw. “Plus, our son has Dutch lessons in school alongside this, which really helps to build on the fact that he was born here in the Netherlands and attended Dutch day care, and so develops his cultural and linguistic identity on that side of things as well.”

So, what should you choose?

Ultimately, it is inevitable that new expat families will encounter challenges as they settle their children into new schools, languages and cultures. However, all of the systems delineated above offer multiple benefits and deciding which set of benefits best fits your child’s aspirations, needs and personality is a choice that only families themselves can make. Some problems and requirements, such as teacher shortages or class sizes, will exist wherever you go, so there’s no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ ‘perfect’ country or ‘perfect’ school. Lizzie Kools-Bate, of the international educational consultancy Bridge the Gap, also emphasises the needs of the individual child. “No one knows them better than you,” she adds. Consider practical aspects, as you would at home, for instance, is the school close by and what cultural and linguistic elements exist. As Sally put it, “I want my kids to grow up with a firm sense of their identity and to belong to a country/culture. In the international environment there is a lot of detachment and confusion for third culture kids, and I want to avoid that.” The main thing, perhaps, is to do your research, just as you would at home, so that you can make an informed decision about the next steps on your children’s educational journey in their new host country.

About the author

Bianca Pellet studied at the University of Exeter, earning a BA in English and Classics, and at Oxford, where she earned a Master of Studies in General Linguistics and Comparative Philology. She began her career in 2008 teaching in Paris, beginning as a maternelle assistant before teaching English in the secondary school of the École Internationale Bilingue (now ICS Paris). She qualified as a teacher in 2014, teaching at Furze Platt Senior School, Maidenhead, and Wexham School, Slough (both in the U.K.). She has also worked as a freelance educational writer and private tutor, including producing materials for Kognity and MarkMyPapers as well as a book, The A-Z of TOK, published by Elemi Education. Bianca currently teaches English Language and Literature at the International School of The Hague.

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