Separate school procedures from learning support
First, it is important not to mix up school registration and education for newcomers with the learning support you add at home. In the Netherlands, compulsory education starts at age 5, and primary school runs from age 4 to 12. The Amsterdam School Finder gives registration steps for newcomers for primary education (ages 4 to 12) and secondary education (ages 12 to 17).
For a child who does not yet speak enough Dutch, registering at an ordinary school may not be all: a class or transition class for recently arrived children may also be involved.
A tutor is useful separately from these public education routes, to supplement things such as understanding schoolwork, reading and writing in English, continuing learning for Japan, and exam preparation.
Six things to check first
Knowing just these six things makes it easier to tell whether what is needed is language support, subject catch-up, or a study plan.
- Which municipality you will live in
- Your child's age, year group and type of school
- The main language of instruction at the school
- How much Dutch your child can use
- The subjects, tasks and assignments they are struggling with now
- Goals you want to continue on the Japan side, such as Eiken (the Japanese English-proficiency test), entrance exams, Japanese or maths
Entering school in Amsterdam as a newcomer
| Age | If your child does not yet speak Dutch | Approximate transition period |
|---|---|---|
| 4-5 | Guidance says they attend lessons in primary school. Check with the school how newcomer classes apply | Check with the school |
| 6-12, primary education | Join a newcomer class and receive extra Dutch support | About 40 weeks, then return to the school they registered at |
| 12-17, secondary education | Register for a transition class called ISK | About 1 to 2 years |
According to the Amsterdam School Finder, children aged 4 to 12 are advised to register for primary school, and those aged 12 to 17 for secondary school, as soon as possible. After an intake conversation with the school, either the school admits the child directly or, if the child does not yet speak Dutch, the child is registered for a newcomer class.
In secondary education, if a child speaks hardly any Dutch, the guidance is to register for an ISK. ISK covers subjects such as maths and English as well as Dutch as a second language. The four schools named for registration are Montessori Lyceum Oostpoort, Mundus College, LUCA Praktijkschool and DENISE. After ISK, the school checks with the student and family which education will suit them next.
The same guidance also says that children aged 4 and 5 attend lessons in primary school. Handling may differ for young children, so check with the school whether your child would be eligible for a newcomer class. The actual eligibility conditions and availability also need to be checked with the school or municipality.
What to check in Amstelveen
The Gemeente Amstelveen page says that children aged 6 to 12 who do not speak Dutch receive intensive Dutch education at a language school known as a taalschool. For ages 12 to 18, it describes a transition class called the Internationale Schakelklas, ISK for short.
The age bands and the way the steps are presented differ somewhat from Amsterdam, so once you have decided where to live, it is safest to check the latest information from that municipality. National information on education for newcomers is also gathered by LOWAN, an organisation that supports schools and organisations in providing education for newcomers and that also lists schools with an ISK.
Don't leave the problem at "weak in English"
In learning consultations after transferring schools abroad, "weak in English" or "the lessons are hard" is often not enough to decide what support is needed.
It becomes more specific if you break it down: for example, they can read the textbook but stop at long written answers; they understand the teacher's explanation but miss the conditions in the question; or they can do the calculations in maths but word problems in English take a long time. We also look at the materials and task formats used at school, and at what the child can do and where they get stuck.
Decide how much of your Japan learning to continue
Even in a period when settling into Dutch school life comes first, you do not necessarily have to stop learning for Japan altogether. What you keep up at home depends on whether you plan to return, whether you are considering Japanese high-school or university entrance, whether you will continue Eiken, and whether you want to maintain Japanese reading and writing.
Rather than continuing everything at the same intensity, it is easier to adjust the load if you divide it into what is needed now, what will be needed in six months, and what will be needed on return.
Choosing between online and in-person
If you want in-person lessons, first decide the station or area, the one-way travel time, and whether weekdays or weekends are realistic. For online lessons, check whether school materials can be shared easily on screen, whether writing correction is needed, whether the focus is conversation, and whether you can set a fixed day of the week.
More than the format, prioritise what your child can keep up and what fits the actual tasks.
The 12-item learning support checklist
Writing down these 12 items once before an enquiry makes it easier to share the situation at the first meeting.
- Municipality of residence
- School name or type of school
- Year group (Year or Grade)
- Main language of instruction
- Current level of Dutch
- Language used at home
- Subjects they are struggling with
- The specific tasks they are struggling with
- Homework and assignments set by the school
- Learning you want to continue for Japan
- Online or in-person
- Travel range and preferred times
Summary
In learning after moving to the Netherlands, the starting point is to sort out separately adjustment to school, Dutch language support, understanding of subjects, and the learning you want to continue for Japan, rather than lumping them together. Amsterdam and Amstelveen have public education routes for newcomers. A clear approach is to check the official information and the school's guidance first, and then add private learning support where something is still missing.
At Petra Tutors, we put weight on checking your child's school, materials and goals, and then working out together the support that is needed.
