House of Representatives about small and new schools: what do the plans mean for parents?.

House of Representatives about small and new schools: what do the plans mean for parents?.

On October 14, the House of Representatives spoke with Secretary of State Tielen about small primary schools and starting new schools. What do they want to change? And what does Ouders & Onderwijs think about it?

Small schools: two changes

A primary school must have enough students to stay open. How many students this is depends on the municipality. The cabinet wants to change two things:

• An exception disappears
  Now a small school can sometimes stay open. This is possible if the other schools of the same school governing body have on average enough students. The cabinet wants to remove this exception.
• Extra money only for schools in rural areas
  Small schools now receive extra money. This is called the small school allowance. In the future, only schools in areas with few people living there will get this money. It is estimated that about 200 small schools will lose this extra support. This mostly concerns schools in cities.

Because of these plans, some small schools may have to close or merge with another school. This can happen especially in cities, but also in other areas.

There will be a new exception. A small school may stay open if the nearest other school is too far away. Members of parliament think the real travel time and distance for children must be taken into account. Only measuring how far the schools are apart as the crow flies is not enough. The Secretary of State will look into this.

What does Ouders & Onderwijs think?

We think these changes must be handled carefully. If a school closes or merges with another school, parents must hear about this in time. This gives them enough time to find another school that suits their child.

For children who need extra help or support, a transfer can be extra difficult. That is why good thought must be given beforehand to what this change means for them.

Members of parliament also think parents must have enough time. The Secretary of State agreed with this and promised to keep the House of Representatives informed step by step.

New schools: parents must still be able to start a school themselves

In the Netherlands, parents can start a new school themselves. They must show that enough parents are interested in the school. They must also show that the school will provide good education. Each year, several dozen new schools are started this way.

The cabinet wants to make the rules more practical. For example, municipalities will get more time to arrange a school building. The required consultation with other schools and the municipality must also play a bigger role.

Some political parties want stricter rules for starting a new school.

Yet the message during the debate was clear: many members of parliament think parents must still be able to start new schools themselves.

Ouders & Onderwijs also thinks the freedom of choice for parents must remain. This freedom must not slowly disappear because there are more and more rules and barriers.

What happens next?

The House of Representatives will talk about these subjects again soon in a short follow-up debate.

The bill about starting new schools will go to the Council of State at the end of this year. This council advises on new laws.

The cabinet is still working out the plans for small schools further. Ouders & Onderwijs will continue to follow the developments.

Before the debate, we sent the House of Representatives a letter with our focus points