And the winners are….

And the winners are….

Secondary school the Eligant Lyceum from Zutphen and primary school the Schakel from Utrecht have won the award for most parent-friendly primary and secondary school in the Netherlands. Ouders & Onderwijs visited them on Friday 22 November for a festive presentation.

Most parent-friendly school in the Netherlands

Parents are very important for their child’s development and indispensable for the school and education. Besides supporting, listening, and standing up for their child, they are always beside their child. Parent involvement is therefore very valuable. For this reason, Ouders & Onderwijs wants to highlight parent-friendly schools.

Almost 100 parents nominated their child’s school for this unique award. A professional jury selected three special, parent-friendly schools per school type. The public could vote on these schools. More than 2000 votes came in. The votes have been counted. The winners of the most parent-friendly school in the Netherlands Award are the Eligant Lyceum and the Schakel!

Secondary school the Eligant Lyceum

The Eligant Lyceum wins the award for most parent-friendly secondary school thanks to their open and accessible attitude towards parents. At many places in the school, the door is always open. Whether it is a question about administration or a conversation with the principal, parents experience the school as approachable and involved. One parent says: “Parent friendliness is in the whole school, from administration to the principal.”

Festive presentation at the Eligant Lyceum 

During the festive presentation of the Ouders & Onderwijs Award, jury chairman Mohammed Saiah spoke: “The equality between the school, students and parents really stood out to us, and we found that very beautiful. The triangle meetings and the workshops the school offers to parents are very special and not often seen.”

The alderman for education Jasper Bloem is also very happy with the presentation. “This is the best event I get to experience this month. That a secondary school in Zutphen is chosen as the most parent-friendly school is not only very important for the school itself, but really puts Zutphen on the map. My month is already very good.”

Saiah presents the award, which consists of a certificate and a bouquet, to the principal of secondary school the Eligant. “It is special that we as the first secondary school get to receive this prestigious prize. At Eligant we expect a lot from students. This is seen by the parents and proves itself through this prize. That we are now chosen as the most parent-friendly secondary school in the Netherlands confirms that we are on the right path,” says the principal.

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Primary school the Schakel 

That the Schakel wins the award for most parent-friendly school is not without reason. At the Schakel, parents are more than spectators; they really are part of the school community. The Schakel is also called a ‘family school’, and that appealed greatly to the jury. Jury chairman Mohammed Saiah says about this: “It is nice how the school helps parents in many ways, so they can be more involved in their children’s education.”

Festive Award Ceremony At The Schakel

During the busy award ceremony at The Schakel in Utrecht, jury chairman Mohammed Saiah says: “What makes this school so special is that the school and parents really form a community and that parents are helped in many different ways. We find that very special.”

The alderman for education Eelco Eerenberg could not attend the ceremony in Utrecht, but left a video message: “When you think of parent friendliness, you quickly think of parents helping their children with what needs to be done at school. But you do much more than that. You also help the parents.”

The director of The Schakel addresses the many parents who came to the ceremony: “Thanks to you, we have grown closer over the past years. Thank you for who you are. Let’s keep doing this together in the coming years!”

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About the award 

Ouders & Onderwijs is 10 years old this year. To celebrate this anniversary, we are giving an award this autumn to the most parent-friendly schools in the Netherlands: one primary school and one secondary school. With this award, we want to bring positive attention to parent involvement and parent friendliness in education. The winners received a nice prize, certificate, and of course a bouquet of flowers from us.