Quality of primary education

More money for education

In primary education, money is being invested in:

• the professional development of teachers, school heads and administrators;
• digital teaching materials;
• identifying and challenging talented or gifted pupils;
• more, and better, physical education;
• reducing the number of pupils having to repeat a year;
• reducing pressure of work by employing caretakers and classroom assistants;
• further improving education.

Focus on talented pupils in primary and secondary education

Schools need to challenge all their pupils to develop their talents to the full. This is why the government has introduced a special programme for talented and gifted pupils in primary and secondary education.

Advice on type of secondary education

For each pupil in the final year of primary school (groep 8), primary schools give advice on the type of secondary education that would be appropriate for the pupil’s level of attainment.

If a pupil scores better than expected on the primary school leavers attainment test (doorstroomtoets), the school must adjust its advice in line with the test result. For instance, if the school advice was for the theoretical programme of pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO-T), but the pupil’s test result indicates that they would be able to handle either VMBO-T or senior general secondary education (HAVO), the advice will be adjusted to VMBO-T/HAVO.

The school does not have to adjust its advice if it believes this would not be in the pupil’s best interest. The school will have to explain this decision to the pupil and their parent(s) or guardian.

Combating language disadvantage

Early childhood education helps reduce language disadvantage in very young children.

Children with a language disadvantage in years 3 to 8 sometimes receive extra language lessons, usually in bridging or top-up classes.

Language and arithmetic

Children need a good grounding in language and arithmetic before starting secondary school. Benchmark levels for language and number skills describe what pupils must know at different stages in their school career.

The Learning Schools Programme

The Learning Schools Programme aims to improve education by encouraging schools to become learning organisations. Participating schools set ambitious goals, such as improved results for reading, arithmetic or technology, or support for dyslexia or difficult behaviour. Schools can also ask experts’ help to improve their organisational skills.