Best schools in Amsterdam and The Hague
Education in Amsterdam
Dutch law states that all children, aged 5-16, must attend school - although in reality most start at 4. This applies to any family living in the Netherlands, either temporarily or permanently. If you think home schooling is the answer, even in the short-term, think again – it’s uncommon and the law makes it quite difficult: https://www.thuisonderwijs.nl/wettelijk/.
State subsidised schools, which charge minimal or no fees, are a popular option. These include public schools (openbaar) or special schools (algemeen bijzonder). ‘Special,’ in this instance, refers to schools that subscribe to either a specific educational philosophy (eg Montessori, Dalton, Steiner/Waldorf, Jenaplan) or religion (eg Protestant, ecumenical, Catholic, Jewish, Islamic – not usually a problem as most of these schools are only moderately religious and accept children from other faiths or no faith).
International schools are either government subsidised (Dutch international schools) or private (no subsidies) but both provide a range of curricula across the board. The quid pro quo for the significantly lower fees at the subsidised schools compared to private schools is that they tend to have much longer waitlists. It’s also worth bearing in mind that subsidised schools are intended for children who will only be here temporarily or for those who have already completed a significant proportion of their education overseas. If you are planning to relocate, you may find you are ineligible for a place, although there is often some wiggle room in this policy, so ask the school how they apply this. Note that international schools in Amsterdam are also oversubscribed and can have waitlists, which means it’s worth having a back-up plan.
Some state subsidised Dutch schools are classed as bilingual schools. In these schools, a certain percentage of the lessons are taught in English but exams are still carried out in Dutch. These schools are part of a programme set up by the Dutch government to improve the level of Enlgish education available to Dutch children and are not suitable for children who do not already speak Dutch. Nearly all have waitlists.
Compared to countries like the UK and US, there are very few Dutch private schools. ‘Why would you pay for a private school when the local state schools are so good?’ is the general Dutch mentality. Also, private schools are not the status symbol they are in other countries - even the royal family send their children to the local state school. That said, a few more private schools have emerged in the last few years.
Most Dutch children go to school close to where they live, usually no more than a 10-minute bike ride in primary school and a 30-minute bike ride in secondary school. They also take their own lunch - it is very rare to find a school in the Netherlands that provides lunch. Dutch schools do not typically offer extracurricular activities – even after-school sport is almost always at a local sports club. Similarly, lessons in music, art, drama etc tends to be arranged separately.
If your idea of a good school is girls and boys in hats and blazers who stand up when a teacher enters the classroom, you’ll have difficulty finding it in the Netherlands except in the international private sector – and even then schools tend to reflect the less formal, more relaxed culture of the country.
Choosing a school in Amsterdam
If you don’t plan to remain in the Netherlands for the long term, an international school is probably the best option because it makes it much easier for children to transition to other schools in other countries. Some are tied to a particular country’s curriculum (eg Dutch, British, American, French, Japanese); others teach a blend or just the IB.
If you are considering a local Dutch school, you will need to consider your child’s age:
Children aged 4-5 usually manage fine starting in a local Dutch school even if they speak little or no Dutch, as the first two years are focused more on social and emotional development than academics. Formal reading and writing do not begin until age 6.
Children aged 6+ will need to speak Dutch before joining most Dutch schools. For primary school children (4-11) this usually means spending a year in a special taalklas (language class) or taalschool (language school) first. Some local schools provide these classes, but many don’t.
Children aged 12+ (secondary school age) would need to attend a language programme called ISK (internationale schakelklas which literally means ‘international switching class’).
The structure of these programmes varies depending on the school (and between municipalities) but it’s worth assuming it will take your child a year to become fluent enough in Dutch to manage successfully in a Dutch school.
If you are considering one of the rare Dutch private schools, note that the teaching is in Dutch and they largely follow the Dutch national curriculum, although some will also offer the IB. So children will already need to speak Dutch, although you could ask if the school has an enrolment programme for international students.
Special education needs in Amsterdam
The current approach, set out by Dutch law, is that wherever possible children should be educated together in the same schools, regardless of whether or not they have special needs. Where a child’s needs can’t be met by a regular school, there are two types or special education school:
Speciaal basisonderwijs (SBO) – this is ‘special primary education’ and these schools follow the same curriculum and meet the same core objectives as other Dutch primary schools but they have much smaller class sizes and children attend until age 14 (instead of 12). Some children will move on to a special secondary school, others into vocational training.
Speciaal onderwijs (SO) – this is ‘special education’ and these schools can be at either primary or secondary level. These schools are divided into ‘clusters,’ of which there are four depending on the specific needs of the children (cluster 1 for blind or partially sighted; cluster 2 for deaf or hearing-impaired and developmental language/speech disorders; cluster 3 for physical or mental disabilities or long-term illness; cluster 4 for complex behavioural problems and/or learning differences eg ADHD, autism, ODD etc).
If you arrive after your child has turned 4 and you already know that they require support, it is important that you mention this when you first register your family with the local gemeente (municipality). The gemeente will then be able to help you with any necessary support or applications. It is also a good idea to contact to register with an onderwijs consulent (‘education consultant’). These independent consultants work for the government providing support for families with an SEN child and have an expertise in supporting children with SEN (free of charge): https://www.onderwijsconsulenten.nl/
Most mainstream international schools provide some level of SEN support but the level will vary from school to school and almost certainly incur additional charges. The space in these programmes may be limited too.
