As a parent, you want that your child develops and learning optimally in a supporting environment. Living in a foreign country push you to navigate through the system, to find out which place suit most the needs of your child. The education system in the Netherlands divided quite specifically, which sometime can be intimidating for international parents when they navigate the system. This division is more due to the availability of resources, specialization, and ability to support in their institution.
Finding a suitable daycare or school that suits your child can be quite a challenge.
It is important to discuss your child’s needs upfront with any schools you are considering subscribing.
Arriving in the Netherlands with a child with disability
If you have already a diagnosis from your previous country, you can contact your local municipality (gemeente) and mention it during the registration process. In this way, the municipality can take the relevant steps to find support for your child.
0 to 4 years → Day care and playgroup
Your child can go to:
The regular daycare center (Regulier kinderdagverblijf/ KDV)
Sometimes it is possible for a child to go to a regular day care center with setting extra supports. For example, outpatient care can be requested from the municipality to support your child and the caregivers. You can request information about this from your own municipality. Does your child use aids and receive therapy? The therapists can also come to the nursery to explain to the teachers how they can handle your child and the aids. In some cities there are also initiatives to allow children with a need for care to attend a regular day care center. You can also ask the support of a social worker (maatschappelijk werker) to help/mediate the case.
Nursing daycare center (verpleegkundig kinderdagverblijf/ VKDV)
A nursing day care center offers day care to children from 0 to 5 years old, who mainly have a physical care requirement that requires insight into nursing and nursing activities. It concerns Intensive Child Care (Intensieve Kindzorg) which falls under the Health Insurance Act (zorgverzekeringswet). Many nursing day care centers also offer Daycare Plus. In that case, there is no Intensive Child Care, but rather a somewhat smaller demand for care, which does require nursing activities.
Medical daycare center (medisch kinderdagverblijf/ MKDV)
A medical daycare center (MKD) offers day care for children up to the age of 7 with remarkable developmental problems. At the MKD, a team of experts provides diagnostic assessment and therapy to support your child.
4-12 years → Tailored primary education
Children in the Netherlands are encouraged to attend regular/mainstream school whenever possible as mentioned in Passend Onderwijs (tailored education).
Regular school (Regulier Basis Onderwijs) – Passend Onderwijs
Passend Onderwijs (2014), mentioned that schools are obligated (zorgplicht) to investigate first whether they can provide additional support for disabled children. The school has the obligation to offer tailor-made support, also known as tailored education (Passend onderwijs). The school will create a development perspective plan (OPP) for students who need extra support. This describes the educational goals and support for the students.
Sometimes more support is needed than a standard school can provide. In this case, special education for your child could be a solution. There are also possibilities for combining care and education. What does it take for those alternatives?
If the school is unable to provide your child with the right things, they are obliged (duty of care/ zorgplicht) to guide you and your child to a place that does fit.
Even if a school has an obligation to arrange tailor-made support, it can be useful to know what a school has experience with and whether certain facilities are already available in the school. You can read this in the School Support Profile (SOP). This is stated on the school’s website.
Are you unable to work it out with the school? You can then contact the national education consultants (onderwijsconsulent) or the Steunpunt Passendonderwijs.
Special primary education (Speciaal Basis Onderwijs /SBO)
Coverage:
For children who do not develop optimally at a regular school is the special primary education ( SBO) is an option. SBOs are intended for, among other things: children with learning difficulties; children with parenting difficulties; children with behavioral problems. The classes at the SBO are smaller and the children receive more support.
Core objective / kerndoel of the students:
SBO schools have the same core objectives as regular primary schools. That is why the SBO falls under regular education. But the students in SBO are given more time to pass them. The groups in special primary education are smaller and there are more experts to help with learning. Pupils can go to a school for special primary education up to the age of 14. From the 2019-2020 school year, these students will also take the compulsory final test for primary education.
Outcome:
After special primary education, most pupils go to VMBO, practical education or secondary special education.
Declaration of admissibility/TLV: You need a declaration of admissibility ( toelaatbaarheidsverklaring/TLV) if you want to register your child in the SBO.
Special education ( Speciaal Onderwijs/ SO)
Coverage:
In addition to regular schools, there are also schools for special education. In primary education this is called a SO school and in secondary education a VSO school. SO offers more attention and (specialized) support in special education than in regular education and SBO for children with special needs.
These schools are divided into 4 clusters:
Cluster 1 : for blind and partially sighted children.
These are schools for visually impaired children or children with multiple disabilities who are visually impaired or blind. Most of these children attend “regular” (ordinary) education with special guidance. The others attend special schools
Cluster 2 : for deaf and hard of hearing children.
Cluster 2 consists of schools for deaf and hard of hearing children and for children with severe speech or language difficulties. The schools are also for children with communication problems, such as certain forms of autism.
Cluster 3 : for children with learning difficulties, children with a physical disability, children with multiple disabilities and children with a physical illness. And for chronically ill children and pupils with epilepsy.
Cluster 4 : This cluster consists of schools for children with psychiatric disorders or behavioral problems, such as autism. Schools associated with pedological (pediatric) institutes also fall under this cluster.
For pupils in clusters 1 and 2, education is not organized through the regional partnerships, but by a number of national organizations. These national institutions themselves determine when a pupil goes to a special school. For cluster 1, these are Bartiméus and Visio. For cluster 2 this is Simea.
Schools in cluster 3 and 4 are part of the regional partnership /samenwerkingsverband.
Core objective/kerndoel of the students:
The Ministry of Education has drawn up core goals special developed for SO. These are categorized into: special education (speciaal onderwijs/SO); very difficult learning pupils (zeer moeilijk lerende leerlingen /ZML) and pupils with multiple disabilities (meervoudig gehandicapte leerlingen /MG); secondary education (voortgezet onderwijs/VSO).
The core objective targets for SO, ZML and MG state what a child must know and be able to do at the end of the training at the age of 12. Schools can decide for themselves how they achieve the goals.
The core objectives in secondary education (VSO) are based on 3 graduation profiles: further education, the labor market and daytime activities. They focus on how young people function in terms of learning, work, citizenship, living and leisure
Outcome:
The government wants pupils from special education to enroll in mainstream education (instromen) where possible. Another possibility is that children move on to a regular sec education (doorstromen).
Declaration of admissibility/TLV:
To register your child at SO, you need a declaration of admissibility ( toelaatbaarheidsverklaring/TLV ).
Allocation (Toewijzing) to SBO, SO and VSO
The schools in agreements with samenwerkingsverband about which pupils they refer to SBO, SO, or VSO. The samenwerkingsverband issues a declaration of admissibility (toelaatbaarheidsverklaring /TLV) for these students. This statement entitles you to a place in special education.
In cluster 1 and cluster 2, the institution determines whether the child is eligible for a place at the school.
Time management in registration procedure
Keep in mind that each of the step of procedure will take some time, especially in the process of finding a suitable school and obtaining a certificate of admission/TLV.
For example because you:
• Want to view the school and have a meeting with the management
• For the admissibility statement, you must provide all kinds of things for which you may need other parties (doctor, institutions, etc.)
• The assessment of the application can take up to 6 weeks.
In general, the position of your child in the (special) school will be evaluated periodically to see if he/she still fit with the current school. There is possibility to transfer to the SBO or regular or vice versa, if deemed necessary.
Development prospects for pupils (Ontwikkelingsperspectief leerlingen)
Schools for (secondary) special education must establish a so-called development perspective plan for pupils (Ontwikkelingsperspectiefplan/OPP). The aim is for the school to help a child to reach his potentials to the most.
The school makes a plan based on the OPP. This plan describes how the school is working towards an appropriate future education (doorstroming) or graduation (uitstrooming) profile with the talents of the student. The possibilities are, for example: obtain a diploma; outflow to work; outflow to daytime activities.
Student transport (Leerlingenvervoer)
Many children who go to special education qualify for student transport. Parents can apply to the municipality for a contribution towards the costs of transport, or adapted transport in a taxi van.