INCA Education around the world
Netherlands : Curricula (age 3-19)
5.3.1 Control
5.3.2 Compulsory subjects
5.3.3 Optional/elective subjects
5.3.4 Formulation of curriculum
5.3.5 Key skills
5.3.6 Curriculum materials
NOTE TO USERS:
Prior to August 1999, there were four options for secondary school students. At age 12, they chose to follow one of the following:
- A four-year pre-vocational VBO course
- A four-year intermediate general secondary education, MAVO course
- A five-year senior general secondary education (HAVO) course
- A six-year general academic/pre-university (VWO) course.
In August 1999, the VBO and MAVO were replaced by the VMBO course - a four-year pre-vocational secondary education course. There are consequently, now, three secondary options for students aged 12+:
- A four-year pre-vocational secondary education course - the VMBO
- The five-year HAVO
- The six-year VWO.45
5.3 Third phase: Lower secondary and upper secondary, age 12 to 16, 17 or 18 [see 3.2.3]
Although the education system in the Netherlands is, essentially, a two-phase system, for the purposes of comparative analysis across the INCA website, this two-phase system is described in four-phase format throughout this Archive. As a result, Phases 1 and 2 of the Archive describe the first phase of the education system in the Netherlands, namely pre-compulsory and primary education, whilst Phases 3 and 4 describe compulsory and post-compulsory lower and upper secondary education for students aged 12 to 16, 17 or 18. Lower and upper secondary education in the Netherlands is essentially divided into two cycles: the first cycle - basic secondary education - is common to all school types, and the second specifically prepares students for differentiated terminal examinations (VMBO, HAVO or VWO).
5.3.1 Control
In addition to the provisions outlined below, legislation requires those who end their full-time schooling at the age of 16 to receive at least part-time education until the age of 17. 52 This part-time attendance can be combined with work. However, the majority of young people remain in full-time education beyond the age of 16.29
In formulating the national curriculum guidelines, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science is required to consult the Education Council (a permanent advisory board), and the Consultative Committee for Primary and Secondary Education (POVO), which comprises representatives of the competent authorities, headteachers, teachers, students and parents (nominated by organisations representing these groups).21
Every school is required to set up a participation council representing staff and parents/students. In addition, parental participation may also take place through the parents' council; staff may set up staff councils; and students may set up a students' council. These councils may all make recommendations to the participation council and/or the headteacher.11
The curriculum for each school is drawn up in a school plan featuring teaching and development objectives, subjects, teaching methods, school organisation and the means used to assess students' achievement. Special provision may be made for students without a Dutch language background. Each year, the school plan is further developed into an activity plan which sets out the students' activities for the year in question, the duties of the teaching staff, as well as the teaching time, holidays and other free days. No requirements are laid down for subject content or teaching methods, but there are syllabuses for the examinations leading to the VMBO, HAVO and VWO certificates. The school plan and the activity plan must be submitted to the Inspectorate for approval.11
National Institute for Curriculum Development (SLO)
The National Institute for Curriculum Development (SLO) is funded by the Government to give independent, professional advice on, and support for, curriculum development and implementation. In performing its tasks, the SLO tries, as far as possible, to take account of developments in society in general and in education in particular. The end-users of SLO curricula play an important role: a curriculum is only developed after 'field advisory groups' have made their recommendations. These field advisory groups include teachers from the various regions and educational phases, who are sufficiently familiar with education practices to be able to identify needs. 29
The SLO works across virtually all education sectors including primary education, secondary education, special education, and teacher training, but excluding higher education, and covers all subject areas. Its central task is to advise government on important national education reforms, advise the Government on new national curricula and examination programmes, coordinate curriculum development at national level in cooperation with schools and universities, carry out curriculum evaluations, work closely with publishers, and provide information about learning materials. 48
SLO has three departments for curriculum development, one for Primary Education, one for Secondary Education and one for Vocational Training and Adult Education. Examples of the types of project for which the Secondary Education department is responsible include:
- The development of the core curriculum for basic secondary education (12- to 14/15-year-olds).
- The development of examination programmes for upper secondary general and pre-university education.
- The revision of examination programmes for pre-vocational education.
- The development of guidelines for textbook writers.48
Basic secondary education, 12- to 14/15-year-olds
The core curriculum for first cycle basic secondary education (12- to 14/15-year-olds) is regularly updated and governed by decree. Following the period of basic secondary education, examination syllabuses govern the curricular requirements of courses leading to VMBO, HAVO and VWO qualifications respectively, examined at the end of the second cycle of upper secondary education (students aged 16, 17 or 18).21
5.3.2 Compulsory subjects
Core objectives for lower secondary education are set out in the following document: http://www.minocw.nl/documenten/core%20objectives%20secondary%20education.pdf. For details of prior arrangements see Appendix 4.
The 58 attainment targets specify the standards of knowledge, understanding and skills pupils are required to attain in the lower years of secondary school. Schools are responsible for translating these targets into subjects, projects, or areas of learning (or combinations of all three), or into competence-based teaching, for example. The core objectives are presented under the following headings:
- Dutch
- English
- Mathematics and arithmetic
- Man and nature (eight core objectives covering physical, technological and care-related subjects, including living and non-living nature, humans, animals and plants and their relationship to the environment, physical and chemical phenomena, the build and function of the human body, research skills and learning to question, and caring for oneself, others, and the environment)
- Man and society (12 core objectives covering asking questions and doing research, placing phenomena in time and space, using sources, the organisation of themes and the ideas of citizenship)
- Art and culture
- Physical education and sports 78
The language of instruction is Dutch, but schools in the province of Friesland also teach Frisian and may teach other subjects in that language also. The decree relating to the Organisation of Teaching in Dutch Secondary Education contains some specific objectives which have been formulated for the Frisian language and culture. These create a distinction between those objectives which are core to all students, those for native Frisian speakers and those for those who speak Frisian as a second language. 78
In implementing programmes of study, schools must ensure coherence and an uninterrupted learning pathway from primary to secondary school and from the lower to the upper years of secondary education. 78
In allowing schools the freedom to organise how and what is taught, they also have greater levels of accountability. Schools must account to the Inspectorate for their policies, and show that they have included all the attainment targets in their curriculum and that students enter the upper years properly prepared. Schools further account to parents, students and staff in the school plan and the school prospectus.78
Time allocation
It is the responsibility of schools themselves to group the attainment targets into subjects, projects, or areas of learning and to decide how much time should be spent on each area. The stipulation is that at least two thirds of teaching hours in the lower years of secondary education (1,425 real hours) must be spent on the 58 attainment targets. 78
Statutory minimum norms for teaching hours are 1,040 (in each year) for Years 1 and 2 of VMBO, HAVO and VWO; 1,040 hours for Year 3 of HAVO and VWO; and 1,000 hours for Year 3 of VMBO. 78
VMBO curriculum and time allocation
Pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO) was introduced in August 1999. 60 per cent of secondary school students in the Netherlands follow VMBO courses, which prepare them, essentially, for further vocational education. VMBO consists of 'learning pathways'.
At the end of the second year of VMBO students opt for a particular sector and learning pathway. Each sector (engineering and technology, care and welfare, business, or agriculture) and each learning pathway (the theoretical programme, combined programme, middle-management vocational programme, or basic vocational programme) has its own curriculum. Each subject combination comprises:
- A common component
- An optional component
- A sector-specific component.
For the first three years of the course students are taught the same core curriculum as all other secondary school students (see above), although teaching in some subjects may be timetabled to finish in the second year. This is a matter for the individual school. 47
The four learning pathways are:
- The theoretical programme, which qualifies students for entry to the top two levels of secondary vocational education (middle-management and professional training). If students have studied mathematics and either French or German as exam subjects, they can also transfer to HAVO.
- The combined programme, which is similar in level to the theoretical programme, but includes a practical subject. It qualifies students for entry to the same two levels of secondary vocational education as the theoretical programme.
- The middle-management vocational programme, which has a more practical/vocational slant, but also leads on to the same levels of further education.
- The basic vocational programme, which qualifies students for entry to basic vocational training only. 45
Prior to the introduction of the VMBO , there were MAVO and VBO programmes (see Appendix 3). The theoretical programme is closest to the old MAVO. 45
Within each of the four learning pathways programmes there are four sectors:
- Engineering and technology
- Care and welfare
- Business
- Agriculture. 45
Engineering and technology includes various options such as building techniques, metalworking, motor mechanics, electrical engineering, fitting techniques, printing technology, transport and logistics, and a number of other specialised subjects. Not every school offers all of these options. The care and welfare sector consists of two options: the caring occupations, and beauty care and hairdressing. Business includes clerical work, commerce and retailing, fashion and commerce, and catering. Agriculture consists of one option: agriculture and the natural environment. Students can also opt for an intrasectoral programme. This means that they can either select to study elements from different specialisations/options within one of the above four sectors, or they can combine subjects across the four sectors. 47
Subjects in the sector-specific components of the theoretical programme are as follows: 78
| Sector | Subjects |
| Engineering and technology | Mathematics and physices and chemistry 1 |
|
Care and welfare |
Biology and either mathematics or social studies |
| Business |
Economics and one of mathematics, French or German |
| Agriculture | Mathematics and either biology or physics and chemistry 1 |
For the previous VBO and MAVO and the current VMBO courses, tables have been published giving the recommended minimum number of periods to be spent on each subject or group of subjects and on study skills, spread over the four years. (See Appendix 3 for the VBO and MAVO tables.) One period is assumed to last 50 minutes. In the first three years, the minimum number of periods is 1,280 per year, based on 32 periods per week. In the fourth year this becomes 1,200 hours, based on 30 periods per week. The number of periods shown for social studies, the arts (music, drawing, handicrafts, dance and drama) and physical education in the tables below is the prescribed minimum number of periods. 46
Recommended number of teaching periods - VMBO
|
Subject |
Theoretical programme |
Basic vocational programme |
Middle management programme |
Combined programme |
|
Dutch |
600 |
520 |
560 |
600 |
|
English |
480 |
400 |
440 |
480 |
|
Social studies |
80 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
|
Arts 1 |
320 |
320 |
320 |
320 |
|
Physical education |
400 |
400 |
400 |
400 |
|
Departmental subject or intersectoral programme |
|
960 |
960 |
320 |
|
Second modern language |
240/220* |
240/120* |
240/160* |
240/200* |
|
Third modern language |
200/200* |
|
|
200/200* |
|
History and politics |
200/200* |
200/120* |
200/160* |
200/200* |
|
Geography |
140/200* |
140/120* |
140/160* |
140/200* |
|
Social studies II |
-/200* |
-/120* |
-/160* |
-/200* |
|
Mathematics |
200/200* |
200/120* |
200/160* |
200/200* |
|
Physics and chemistry I |
200/200* |
200/120* |
200/160* |
200/200* |
|
Physics and chemistry II |
-/200* |
|
|
-/200* |
|
Biology |
120/200* |
120/120* |
120/160* |
120/200* |
|
Economics |
80/200* |
80/120* |
80/160* |
80/200* |
|
Arts II |
-/200* |
|
|
-/200* |
|
IT studies |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
|
Life skills 100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
|
|
Technology |
180 |
180 |
180 |
180 |
|
Study skills |
80 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
* left hand figure = the number of periods for all students
* right hand figure = the additional number of periods for students who have chosen that subject as one of their options. 46
Students do not opt for a specific learning pathway, or for one of the four sectors (above), until the end of the second year of the four-year VMBO course at the earliest. Examination subjects comprise a common component, a sector-specific component and an optional component. The common component is compulsory and includes Dutch and English as examination subjects, plus social studies, physical education and one arts subject in which there is a school examination only. The sector-specific component includes two or three compulsory examination subjects relating to the sector chosen (e.g. for engineering and technology, the subjects are mathematics, physics and chemistry). The optional component comprises one or two additional examination subjects; these subjects depend on the learning pathway chosen (for the theoretical programme, for example, it is two general subjects). The first examinations based on the new VMBO programmes took place in 2003. 46
Since August 2001 schools providing basic vocational programmes have been able to offer programmes combining work and study. Work-study programmes are learning pathways within the basic vocational programmes that include an out-of-school practical component comprising between 640 full hours (80 days) and 1,280 hours (160 days), incorporated into Years 3 and 4 of the course. These programmes are specifically aimed at obtaining a qualification at the basic vocational level. Pupils must, at the least, take classes in Dutch and the appropriate vocational subject. They must also take examinations in these subjects. Examinations may also be taken in other subjects, but are not compulsory. 78
Second cycle
For details of second cycle requirements in VWO and HAVO, see section 5.4.2.
5.3.3 Optional/elective subjects
The 58 attainment targets specify the standards of knowledge, understanding and skills pupils are required to attain in the lower years of secondary school. Schools are responsible for translating these targets into subjects, projects, and/or areas of learning, and/or combinations of all three, or into competence-based teaching, for example. Schools may therefore offer students different options. 78
Optional subjects for the first years of VMBO, HAVO and VWO courses can include:
- Frisian
- Other modern foreign languages or Esperanto
- Biblical studies, history of Christianity, religious knowledge
- Astronomy
- Philosophy
- Film, theatre, performing arts, history of art
- Health care and care of the home
- Nutrition and clothing.11
In addition, students in VWO can study Hebrew; those in the gymnasium can study economic science and law; and those in the athenaeum can study Latin and an introduction to the culture of the ancient world.11
Second cycle
The second cycle comprises Year 4 (age 15-16) in VMBO, Years 4-5 (ages 15-17) in HAVO schools or sections and Years 4-6 (ages 15-18) in VWO schools or sections. Final examination syllabuses and regulations determine the compulsory and optional subjects for each qualification.7
Sex and relationships education
It is not compulsory for schools in the Netherlands to offer sex education and not all do. It is down to the individual schools to decide if basic sex education is needed and agree in which way the school participates in these matters. 108
5.3.4 Formulation of curriculum
The curriculum is defined in terms of compulsory subjects and time allocation (5.3.2), and in terms of attainment targets, which are further divided into general ability targets, general objectives per subject, and specific attainment targets per subject. Attainment targets describe the standards that students are expected to attain in terms of knowledge, understanding and skills. They are compulsory minimum standards which schools are expected to achieve by the end of the period of basic secondary education (students aged 12-14/15). Higher attainment targets can, of course, be set by individual teachers. The official attainment targets are regularly reviewed and updated. Core objectives are set for the subjects in the core curriculum for first cycle basic secondary education to ensure that greater school autonomy does not result in unequal provision. These are compulsory minimum standards for schools to achieve by the end of the period of basic secondary education. There are two different achievement levels for the basis secondary education curriculum, and students are grouped by level of achievement in such a way that it is possible for certain students to finish this cycle in two years instead of three, while others may take four (sometimes five) years.11,10
The objectives aim to allow schools a considerable degree of flexibility in determining timetables and content, the pacing of instruction and the choice of teaching methods. Computer skills are included in the core objectives for nearly all subjects.7
The attainment targets for basic secondary education are reviewed regularly. The aim is to:
- Achieve a good alignment between primary education, first cycle basic secondary education and the second (upper) stage of secondary education.
- Update the previous attainment targets with particular regard, for example, to aspects such as the use of information and communication technology.
- Encourage students to take an active, independent approach to learning.20
5.3.5 Key skills
Computer skills are included in the core objectives for nearly all subjects in the first cycle basic secondary education curriculum.7
There has been some debate amongst employers and community leaders on the key skills required by school leavers in 2010. There are research studies to support these deliberations.12
When the revised set of core objectives/attainment targets were implemented in 1998, the Secretary of State (Minister of Education, Culture and Science) commissioned the SLO to revise the core objectives in such a way as to:
- Emphasise greater internal consistency; more explicit cohesion between clusters of related subjects; a separate set of objectives for key skills; explicit emphasis on the competence-led nature of the basic secondary curriculum; explicit attention to cross-curricular dimensions such as equal opportunities, and environmental education; and coherence between the primary, secondary and subsequent phases of education.
- Reflect social changes and the desirable characteristics of secondary education, namely to achieve the broad education and development of all students; to foster independent and active learning; and to provide differentiated education according to student needs.
- Maintain maximum continuity between existing and revised objectives.25
Six general objectives, which transcend the subject-specific objectives, are:
- Cross-disciplinary themes (providing insight into immediate personal environment and the wider social environment).
- Learning to do (developing scholastic skills, making use of information and communications technology).
- Learning to learn (learning strategies to improve the learning process, making use of information and communications technology).
- Learning to communicate (developing social and communicative skills, on an interactive basis).
- Learning to reflect on the learning process (analysing and controlling the learning process).
- Learning to reflect on the future (analysing options for future interests and prospects).19
5.3.6 Curriculum materials
Textbooks
The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science prescribes the educational targets to be attained, but does not prescribe - or produce - specific teaching materials. Textbooks are produced by commercial publishers and purchased by the school on the free market. Schools are free to determine the curriculum content and to choose appropriate teaching methods and materials. Teachers select the textbooks to be used in class. During this phase, textbooks may be loaned to students.20 Many students, particularly in the upper phase of secondary education, age 15+, do, however, pay for their own books and learning materials.21
The National Institute for Curriculum Development (SLO) produces a consumer guide to teaching materials to help schools compare existing and new products. The SLO is also commissioned by the Ministry of Education to analyse textbooks for mathematics and the Dutch language on a regular basis. The results are published on the Internet. The analysis uses the following criteria:
- Are the requirements of the core curricular objectives addressed in the textbook?
- How useful is the textbook as a teaching and learning aid?
- Does the textbook allow for differentiated teaching within a group?
- Are there specific indications for evaluation and assessment?
- How does the textbook deal with the complexity of the multicultural society and the different social and cultural backgrounds of children?
- What does the textbook say about gender issues, equity and equality?
- How manageable is the textbook for the teacher?
- How much time is required to complete the tasks required by the textbook? 56
Other resources
The Knowledge Network ('Kennisnet') is an Internet-based electronic network for the education sector. All schools are linked to it, giving them access to the Internet. The Kennisnet website is available at http://www.kennisnet.nl/
