A central educational policy, through the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, governs teachers’ qualifications and conditions of service, funding and spending, school leaving examinations and inspection, while there is a constitutional freedom to establish private-sector schools which reflect a denominational or educational philosophy. A deregulation policy, devolving budgets and responsibility to the competent authority of each school, has been followed since the early 1980s. Schools must submit a school plan (including an overview of the organisation, content of teaching and lesson timetable) for inspectorate approval.
There are both publicly run and privately run schools in the Netherlands. Some 70 per cent of students attend privately run schools.
Public and private schools are statutorily equal. This means that government expenditure on public education must be matched by spending on private education, providing private schools meet the conditions set out in laws and regulations. Private schools have the freedom to determine what is taught in their schools and in what way, although this is limited by the qualitative standards set by the Ministry of Education in educational legislation.
The general language of instruction is standard Dutch. In the province of Friesland, Frisian has an official status, and schools teach in both Frisian and Dutch. Other local dialects, such as Lower-Saxon, may be used as the language of instruction at educational establishments in areas where they are spoken, alongside standard Dutch.
Children must attend school full-time for 12 full school years from the first school day of the month following their fifth birthday and, in any event, until the end of the school year in which they turn 16. Young people are then required to attend an institution providing courses for the purpose of education and training for at least two days a week for another year. Those who have a practical training contract in a particular sector of employment attend classes for one day each week on a day release basis, and work the rest of the week.
From age 12, different types of secondary education (see below) cater for students of differing abilities. Access is based on successful completion of primary education, assessment to establish their suitability and, in some cases, on the results of centrally developed tests which measure students’ level of knowledge and understanding.
| Phases | Age range |
| Primary | |
| Primary education (both primary schools and special schools for primary education) | 4/5 - 12 |
| Secondary | |
| Pre-university education (VWO) |
12 -18 |
| Senior general secondary education (HAVO) | 12 - 17 |
| Pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO) | 12 - 16 |
| Special secondary education | 12–18/20 |
The Netherlands does not offer education for children aged under four years of age. Almost all four-year-olds (99.3 per cent) attend primary school, although this is not compulsory until children reach the age of five.
The first four years of upper secondary education in the Netherlands are part of compulsory education. See 4. Compulsory education above.
Special education consists of two groups of schools:
Since 1991, policy has been geared towards integrating children with special needs into mainstream primary schools. The aim of this policy is twofold – to enable students with special needs to attend mainstream primary schools, and also to control costs by awarding a set budget to a consortia of schools to fund both special schools for primary education and special facilities at ordinary (mainstream) primary schools.
The school year runs from 1 August to 31 July of the following year. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science determines the dates of the school year and the length and dates of the summer holidays. The summer holidays last six weeks in primary level education and seven weeks in the secondary phase, and are staggered across the three regions (northern, central and southern) into which the country is divided for this purpose. The length and dates of the summer holidays, and how they are staggered across the country, are prescribed by the Minister. The dates of the shorter holidays (autumn, Christmas, spring and May holidays) can be decided by the competent authority of the school without having to obtain the Minister’s consent.
Schools open five days a week (Monday – Friday), but Wednesday afternoon is generally free in primary education..
The Ministry of Education determines the overall curriculum and details of compulsory subjects. Schools devise their curricular plan and teaching methods and select materials.
In line with the attainment targets for primary level education, schools must provide teaching in six curriculum areas; they are, however, free to determine how many teaching periods to devote to each subject. The attainment targets relate to the following subjects:
In secondary level education, legislation sets certain requirements of the curriculum and contains provisions on time spent in school, deployment of staff and participation in decision-making. It leaves schools free to draft their own policies on other matters. At least two thirds of teaching hours in the lower years of secondary education (12- to 15-year-olds) (1,425 real hours) must be spent on the 58 attainment targets which are determined centrally. The school itself translates these targets into subjects, projects, areas of learning, and combinations of all three, or into competence-based teaching, for example. The remainder of the curriculum is subject to statutory requirements, which vary according to the precise type of secondary education (VMBO, HAVO or VWO).
Religious education is usually provided in denominational schools only.
In primary schools, compulsory areas of learning include social and life skills and healthy living.
Textbooks are produced commercially, selected by free choice and provided on loan to students by schools, although in upper secondary education (from the age of around 15+) students often contribute towards the cost of books and other learning materials.
Continuous teacher assessment takes place throughout primary and secondary education. National (minimum) attainment targets are defined for primary and lower secondary education and revised every five years or so. There are also prescribed syllabuses for final (upper secondary) examinations.
Additionally, around 85-90 per cent of children take part in optional national (CITO) tests in the final year of primary school. These aim to help guide the decision concerning the type or section of secondary school to which the child transfers (see below).
At the end of primary school, a student’s report records his/her achievement and advises on secondary school choice. Most schools (approximately 85-90 per cent) use national tests to measure the students’ end results.
In secondary education, VMBO examinations are in two parts: internal school examinations and national examinations. A similar arrangement exists for the HAVO and VWO qualifications, although for some subjects studied there is only a school examination.
Intending primary school teachers complete a four-year course at a higher professional education (HBO) institution. On successful completion, they are qualified to teach:
Secondary school teachers are also trained at HBO institutions or universities. HBO training courses for secondary school teachers lead to either a grade 1 or grade 2 qualification. Students specialise in one subject; HBO teacher training courses cover both subject training and aspects of teaching in general. Teachers receiving a grade 2 qualification are qualified to teach the first two years of HAVO and VWO and all years of VMBO and secondary vocational education. Teachers with a grade 1 qualification are qualified to teach at all levels of secondary education, including the last two years of HAVO and VWO respectively.
The university-based teacher training courses for secondary school teachers are available to university graduates who hold a ‘doctoraal’ or master’s degree. They take a postgraduate teacher training course (ULO) leading to a grade one qualification. In addition, students can also begin, and complete, teacher training courses during their time as undergraduates.
In university-based teacher training, courses are available for all subjects in the secondary education curriculum. Students specialise in one subject, sometimes with an extra qualification to teach a subject such as general science or culture and the arts. Graduates from university-based teacher training courses have a grade 1 qualification and may teach at all levels of secondary education.