Moving to the Netherlands is a big step. School/Education for your child(ren) is one of the most important things you need to arrange.
You want to make sure you choose the best school for your kid(s).
In this article, you can read why and what you need to know about school/education before you move to the Netherlands
- The more you understand about the current schooling situation, the better choices you can make and the less stress you’ll experience
- Some schools have a waiting list.
- Newcomers schools (language immersion schools/classes) throughout the Netherlands tend to be very full.
- You need to know what the registration policies are for language immersion classes.
- Every municipality has its own rules for language immersion classes.
- We have a stringent school attendance law; you need to register to a school within six weeks after arrival.
- Does the city you want to live in have a school lottery system?
- Not all Dutch international school have seats available in all grades, check first before you register.
- In some cities, 4- and 5-year-olds go to the regular Dutch primary school without a language immersion class.
- It’s important that you register with a school that has experience with learning Dutch as a second language
- A high CITO score (CITO = now ‘doorstroomtoets’) school might not be the best place for an international child because they might not have any experience with learning Dutch as a second language within the school.
What questions do you still have about school and education before you move to the Netherlands?
Please also read Should I choose first a house or first a school? and/or What is better; Dutch school or an international school?
