School systems   Netherlands

Country   |   Overview   |   Disabled students   |   Developments
  |   Kindergartens   |   Primary schools   |   Secondary schools   |   Higher education

Country

map: Europe - The Netherlandsmap: The Netherlands

The Netherlands is a part of Kingdom of the Netherlands, situated in North West Europe. The country covers an area of 41,526 km² and its population compromises of 16.4 million people. The official language is Dutch.

Overview

scheme of school system in NetherlandsIn the Netherlands 3,500,000 pupils and students are educated at 8700 schools. There are three types of schools, public, special (based on religion or an educational philosophy like Dalton, Montessori, etc.) and private. Roughly 39% are public, 60% are special and less than 1% is private.

Education becomes compulsory when a pupil turns five until he or she has reached the age of eighteen or had graduated. The minimum age that a pupil will need to have reached in order to enrol at a school is four years. Home schooling is illegal, unless the parents of a pupil object to the identity of all schools in the vicinity of their home. Such an objection must be filed with the municipal authorities before a child is lawfully required to go to school.
Schooling is generally free of charge (including school books), although schools may ask for a voluntary parental contribution in order to pay for school trips and extra activities. If parents do not pay these contributions the school is bound to offer a substituting educational activity.
Parents receive a maintenance grant for every child under eighteen they care for. Also, they may request an additional government grant to help pay educational costs like transport.

During the last year of compulsory primary education 85% of the pupils take the CITO test. This test produces a score between 501 and 550 which help schools decide what advice to give to pupils and their parent when choosing a secondary school. The 15% pupils that do not take the test are in schools who object to (the format of) the test. Alternatively, their school thinks they are haven’t learned enough or are not sufficiently intelligent to take part.

In the last year of secondary education final exams are compulsory. The test is taken in the last year of lower vocational, pre-polytechnic or pre-university education and is different according to educational type. Passing the exam guarantees entrance to higher education.

Kindergartens

Kindergartens do not exist in the Netherlands. They are formally part of primary education and as such are completely funded by the government. Children are allowed to start ‘kindergarten’ when they are four years old.

Primary schools

There are roughly 7000 schools. About 30% is public and 70% is ‘special’ (please refer to: school system of The Netherlands). Both public and special schools are funded equally by the government. The grading system used in The Netherlands consists of a ten point scale. 1 is the worst possible grade, 6 is a pass and 10 is the best. The seven year primary education is divided into two stages, where the second stage starts after the fifth year. The legislated maximum size of a class in the first stage is 25 students. In the second stage the maximum is 34. The averages in the second stage are usually (slightly) lower.

An average day in primary school typically starts at 08:30 in the morning and ends at 3:00. Writing is taught using a written font which children should have mastered after the third year of education. The country does not oblige schools to organise any leaving exams during the last year of primary school, however most schools do in order to help determine the best choice of secondary school for a student. The CITO test is the most popular one, taken by 85% of all students. Furthermore, the majority of primary schools have computer labs available to students. No school uniforms are compulsory and no school meals are supplied. Electives in primary school are not common practice. Extracurricular activities are seldom organised by schools. The Netherlands has a system of independent sport and cultural clubs available to all members of the general public. Many students go there after school.

Secondary schools

There are roughly 650 schools. 200 are public and 450 are ‘special’ (please refer to: school system of The Netherlands). There are lower vocational, pre-polytechnic or pre-university schools. About 65% of all students go to vocational schools, 15% to pre-polytechnic and 20% to pre-university schools. Both public and ‘special’ schools are funded by the government. Students can choose their own school, provided they have proven that they can cope with the level of education. The grading system used in The Netherlands consists of a ten point scale. 1 is the worst possible grade, 6 is a pass and 10 is the best. An average class has about 28 students.

An average day typically lasts 5 to 6 hours. During the second half of secondary education, regardless of the school type, students have a lot of possibilities to choose their own subjects (often grouped in certain ‘streams’, like ‘Nature’ or ‘Economics’). Counselling is available in all schools. Furthermore, most secondary schools have computer labs available to students and use ICT in the education process. No school uniforms are compulsory and no school meals are provided. Extracurricular activities are seldom organised by schools. The Netherlands has a system of independent sport and cultural clubs available to all members of the general public. Many students go there after school.

Higher education

There are 13 universities and 52 polytechnics in the Netherlands. Most of these institutions are public. The government provides students with a part of the costs of studying. Also, students receive a maintenance grant which varies in amount, depending on the parents’ income and whether or not the student resides at home. In addition, students may take a government sponsored loan with low interest rates. No entrance exams are required, passing the final exams of secondary school grants entry to higher education.

Disabled students

Disabled students in the Netherlands can go to regular schools. In this case, students receive something called a ‘backpack’, which is extra government funding to provide for special teaching or facilities. There are also separate primary and secondary schools for disabled students.

Developments

Currently there is a lot of debate about the educational reforms of the past. There has been a parliamentary investigation into policy mistakes of the past. Generally, politicians believe the system should become more diverse, allowing for diversity within the student population. The say of students, parents and teachers should play a more prominent role, as opposed to politically motivated educational reforms.

Also, the position of school teachers is looked into. The actual salaries of teachers are increased annually to promote the profession. Other measures to avoid a deficit of teachers are being looked into.

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