Not happy with the school advice.

Parents conversation about school advice

The school makes a school advice for all pupils in group 8. You usually hear the advice for your child in a parents conversation between 10 and 31 January. It is important that the school can explain well to you and your child why a certain advice was chosen.

What are the scores on the tests? What does the school think about your child’s work attitude and motivation? Also discuss if you have the same view of your child. Ask all the questions you have during the conversation.
Do you not agree with the school advice? Then you cannot demand that the school changes the school advice. But, what can you do?

1. Talk with the teacher

It should have been talked about earlier what the expectations are for the school advice in group 8. Then the advice is not a surprise and the advice talk with the teacher does not have to take long.

If you disagree with the advice or have questions after going home, it is best to talk again as soon as possible with the teacher, possibly with the internal support coordinator. You can contact the teacher yourself.

Tips for preparation

These tips can help you prepare well for the conversation:

• Write down your questions and thoughts before the conversation.
• Ask if the teacher will make a report of the conversation or make one yourself.
• Give reasons to back up your opinion.
• Give the teacher space to explain the advice further.
• Ask questions if something is not clear.
• Say which and why you had certain expectations about the school advice.
• Try to find a solution together. Sometimes, for example, a double advice can help.
• Know that the school must raise the advice if the test advice is higher than the preliminary school advice from January.
• If you cannot agree with the teacher, you can talk with the internal support coordinator or later with the director and the school governing body.
• Look at Schools on the map. The ‘results’ show if former primary pupils are at the right level in secondary school. If a high percentage of pupils are above the school advice after 3 years, the school guided too carefully. Say this in a conversation if your child gets a lower school advice than expected.

2. Use the result of the secondary school transition test

All pupils in group 8, also those in special education and special primary education, take a secondary school transition test in the first two full weeks of February 2025. The test checks knowledge and skills at the end of primary school.

The law says the primary school must raise the school advice if your child does better on the secondary school transition test than the provisional school advice you got in January. Only in exceptional cases can the school decide not to do this. The school must explain why it is really not good for your child to raise the advice. A raised school advice gives the right to admission to the corresponding school type.