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What are the rules about moving up and staying back?.
Who decides if your child can go to the next year or if it is better to repeat the year? What does the school look at? What role do you have as a parent in the decision? And what can you do if you disagree with the school's decision? We explain this to you.
School policy
The school decides if your child moves to the next grade. The rules and conditions the school uses are in the school policy. You hear from the school if and why your child moves or stays back. This happens at the end of the school year after your child’s last report. If things are not going well at school, you usually hear this earlier in the school year.
Moving up or staying back
Are the results good or enough? Then your child moves to the next grade. Are the results not enough? Then your child probably learned too little to continue in higher years. Your child usually stays back. Schools call this repeating a year.
Doubts about moving up or staying back
Does the school doubt if your child should stay back? Then the school looks at other facts. How does your child feel in class and with classmates? Does your child have an independent and motivated attitude? Can your child concentrate well? How is the social and emotional development? Or are there personal reasons that affected learning? Then staying back can be the best choice. In some cases it is still possible to move up.
Conditional moving up in primary school
If your child does not meet the standards to move up but the school wants to give it a chance? Then your child can move up conditionally. The school agrees with you when you make the final decision. Usually this is in the autumn or Christmas holiday. Together you also agree on what your child must do to move up for sure or go back to the earlier grade.
Moving to group 3
Is your child still in kindergarten? Sometimes the school finds it harder to decide which group your child fits in now. As a parent you may also have doubts if your child is ready to move to group 3. You can best discuss this with the teacher in group 2. Young children’s development happens in steps and not every child starts at the same time in the year. The decision to have a shorter or longer kindergarten period focuses on the child’s development. The decision may not be based only on the birth date.
Conditional moving up in secondary school
Does the school have doubts? Sometimes it is still possible to move up conditionally. Then your child gets a chance to prove themselves in the next year until the autumn or Christmas holiday. Make clear agreements beforehand about when your child may or may not stay in that year and put them on paper. If it does not go well, the child goes back to the previous year. It must be clear by December 31 if your child moves up for sure or not. Conditional moving up is not possible if your child is going to the final exam year.
Other possibilities in secondary school
If your child’s results are not good enough to move up, sometimes there are other options so your child does not repeat the year.
- During a spring or summer school your child can improve bad grades and still move up. This is not possible at all schools.
- You can immediately submit a revision request after the school’s decision. This request contains reasons the school did not know but are important for the stay back decision. The school will discuss again if your child can still move up.
- Your child can sometimes transfer to another education level. For example, from vmbo to havo or the other way. If your child stays in the last years of havo or vwo, mbo can also be an option.
Not moving to the next class
If your child does not move to the next class, you cannot object to this. It is a content decision made by the teachers with their knowledge and professionalism.
Parents can file a complaint if the school does not follow the procedure about staying back and promotion or is careless. Examples of carelessness are a rushed decision or not using all important information in the decision.
Does my child have to repeat everything if they stay back?
No, that is not always needed. The school must ensure a continuous learning path. This means that an extra year in the same group is not only repetition. Your child might already know some subjects well and others not. You can expect the school to see this and adjust the lessons for the new year. If your child stays back, ask for a plan and how the school will help your child catch up.
Skipping a class
If your child learns much faster than classmates and finishes the material quickly, skipping a class or accelerating can be an option. The development of your child is important here. Many schools have policies that say what the rules are for skipping a year.
Related Subjects
Switching to another school type
Is your child doing very well or very badly in secondary school? Then the school can advise switching to another school type.
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The school decides if a student moves to the next grade. They have their own policy for this.
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