The Netherlands educational system
The national educational system of the Netherlands
 | Education policy is coordinated by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, together with municipal governments. Compulsory education in the Netherlands starts at the age of five, although in practice, most schools accept children from the age of four. From the age of sixteen there is a partial compulsory education, meaning a pupil must attend some form of education for at least two days a week. |
Compulsory education ends for pupils age eighteen and up. There are public, special (religious), and private schools. The first two are government-financed and officially free of charge, though schools may ask for a parental contribution.
Public schools are controlled by local governments. Special schools are controlled by a school board. Special schools are typically based on a particular religion. There are government financed Catholic and Protestant elementary schools, high schools, and universities, furthermore there are government financed Jewish and Muslim elementary schools and high schools. Practically there is little difference between special schools and public schools, except in traditionally religious areas like Zeeland and the Veluwe. Private schools do not receive financial support from the government.
There is also a considerable number of publicly financed schools which are based on a particular educational philosophy, for instance the Montessori Method, Pestalozzi Plan, Dalton Plan or Jena Plan. Most of these are public schools, but some special schools also base themselves on any of these educational philosophies.
In elementary and high schools the students are assessed annually by a team of teachers, who determine whether the pupil has advanced enough to move on to the next grade. If the pupil has not advanced enough he or she may have to retake the year this is an uncommon occurrence. Highly intelligent children are sometimes granted the opportunity to skip an entire year, yet this happens rarely and usually in elementary schools.
All school types (public, special and private) are under the jurisdiction of a government body called Onderwijsinspectie (Education Inspection) and can be forced to make changes in educational policy or risk closure.