Since 2020, the EASIE data collection has taken place annually. Before 2020, it took place every two years. The default view below is the most recent school year available.

The data is presented in tables, focusing on different aspects of inclusive education. Unless stated otherwise in the notes, the data displayed is from the selected school year.

Click on the icon in the data tables to open a pop-up window containing the data sources and notes.

The Country Report presents the indicator tables, which are generated from the data in the data tables. The HTML versions of the Country Reports on the webpage are accessible; the PDF downloads are automatically generated and may not be fully accessible. To view the Country Report, click the 'View Country Report' button below.

In all tables, where data is not displayed, the following reasons have been given: ‘M’ for missing data, ‘NA’ where data is not applicable, and ‘NC’ where indicators cannot be calculated.

The ‘Background Information’ questionnaires are completed to give context to the data in the data tables. You can download the background information for the 2012/2013, 2014/2015 and 2016/2017 datasets as PDFs. For all other datasets, use the drop-down menu below.

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2021/2022 Data:

Question ISCED 02 ISCED 1 ISCED 2 ISCED 3
Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total:
1.1 Actual population of children/learners in the typical ISCED age ranges
180,006
170,997
351,003
1.1
661,067
628,765
1,289,832
1.2
394,761
376,030
770,791
1.3
213,959
205,028
418,987
1.4
1.2 All children/learners enrolled in any form of recognised education
167,483
161,267
328,750
2.1
586,912
555,280
1,142,192
2.2
392,652
359,007
751,659
2.3
422,118
440,726
862,844
2.4
1.3 All children/learners enrolled in mainstream (pre-)schools
164,400
160,076
324,476
3.1
564,740
547,479
1,112,219
3.2
365,799
347,796
713,595
3.3
422,118
440,726
862,844
3.4
1.3a All children/learners educated with their peers in mainstream groups/classes for 80% or more of the time
164,400
160,076
324,476
4.1
564,740
547,479
1,112,219
4.2
365,799
347,796
713,595
4.3
422,118
440,726
862,844
4.4
1.3b All children/learners educated in separate groups/classes, spending less than 80% of the time with their peers in mainstream groups/classes
M
M
M
5.1
M
M
M
5.2
M
M
M
5.3
M
M
M
5.4
1.4 All children/learners educated outside of mainstream (pre-)schools
3,083
1,191
4,274
6.1
22,172
7,801
29,973
6.2
26,853
11,211
38,064
6.3
NA
NA
NA
6.4
1.4a All children/learners educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by the ministry of education
3,083
1,191
4,274
7.1
22,172
7,801
29,973
7.2
26,853
11,211
38,064
7.3
NA
NA
NA
7.4
1.4b All children/learners educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by other sectors/ministries
NA
NA
NA
8.1
NA
NA
NA
8.2
NA
NA
NA
8.3
NA
NA
NA
8.4
1.4c All children/learners educated in other recognised forms of alternative education
NA
NA
NA
9.1
NA
NA
NA
9.2
NA
NA
NA
9.3
NA
NA
NA
9.4
1.4d All children/learners educated in recognised forms of home schooling
M
M
M
10.1
M
M
M
10.2
M
M
M
10.3
M
M
M
10.4
1.5 All children/learners who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education.
M
M
M
11.1
M
M
M
11.2
M
M
M
11.3
M
M
M
11.4
Question ISCED 02 ISCED 1 ISCED 2 ISCED 3
Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total:
2.1 Actual population of children/learners with an official decision of SEN in the typical ISCED age ranges
3,083
1,191
4,274
1.1
22,172
7,801
29,973
1.2
26,853
11,211
38,064
1.3
NA
NA
NA
1.4
2.2 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN in any recognised form of education
3,083
1,191
4,274
2.1
22,172
7,801
29,973
2.2
26,853
11,211
38,064
2.3
NA
NA
NA
2.4
2.3 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in mainstream (pre-)schools
M
M
M
3.1
M
M
M
3.2
M
M
M
3.3
NA
NA
NA
3.4
2.3a All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated with their peers in mainstream groups/classes for 80% or more of the time
M
M
M
4.1
M
M
M
4.2
M
M
M
4.3
NA
NA
NA
4.4
2.3b All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in separate groups/classes, spending less than 80% of the time with their peers in mainstream groups/classes
M
M
M
5.1
M
M
M
5.2
M
M
M
5.3
NA
NA
NA
5.4
2.4 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated outside of mainstream (pre-)schools
3,083
1,191
4,274
6.1
22,172
7,801
29,973
6.2
26,853
11,211
38,064
6.3
NA
NA
NA
6.4
2.4a All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by the ministry of education
3,083
1,191
4,274
7.1
22,172
7,801
29,973
7.2
26,853
11,211
38,064
7.3
NA
NA
NA
7.4
2.4b All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by other sectors/ministries
NA
NA
NA
8.1
NA
NA
NA
8.2
NA
NA
NA
8.3
NA
NA
NA
8.4
2.4c All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in other recognised forms of alternative education
NA
NA
NA
9.1
NA
NA
NA
9.2
NA
NA
NA
9.3
NA
NA
NA
9.4
2.4d All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in recognised forms of home schooling
M
M
M
10.1
M
M
M
10.2
M
M
M
10.3
NA
NA
NA
10.4
2.5 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education
M
M
M
11.1
M
M
M
11.2
M
M
M
11.3
NA
NA
NA
11.4

Netherlands - Country Background Information

Describing the forms of education in the country

The EASIE data collection covers all recognised forms of education at ISCED levels 02, 1, 2 and 3.

This means any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector: municipality, local or regional educational provider from the public or private sector, working with/for ministries responsible for education and areas such as health, social, welfare, labour, justice, etc.

What is the compulsory education age range in the country?

5–16/18 years.

The Compulsory Education Act (1969) sets down the obligation to attend school. Every child must attend school full time from the first school day of the month following their fifth birthday; however, nearly all children attend school from the age of four. Children must attend school full time for 12 full school years and, in any event, until the end of the school year in which they turn sixteen.

Since August 2007, the obligation to continue education in order to obtain a basic qualification is applicable to young people under the age of 18, who have finished compulsory education but have not yet obtained a basic qualification certificate. They have to achieve at least a diploma at general secondary (HAVO), pre-university (VWO) or vocational (MBO-2) level.

What are the typical age ranges for the ISCED levels?

ISCED LEVEL 02 ISCED LEVEL 1 ISCED LEVEL 2 ISCED LEVEL 3
4-5 6-12 13-16 17-18
Is private sector education covered by the data provided for the country?
Yes

Private schools can be based on a particular denomination, such as Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Anthroposophy or educational models, such as Montessori, Dalton, Freinet or Jenaplan. Public and private may also be based on combinations of denominational and educational ideas (e.g. Catholic Montessori school or public Dalton school). Although most private schools are 100% funded by the government, a small number of schools are privately funded. Exact data on the latter category is not available, because the private, non-government-funded sector is not obliged to register data on pupils. Therefore, an estimation of pupils in privately-funded schools is included. 

Is recognised public or private education organised by sectors other than education (i.e. health, social, welfare, labour, justice, etc.) in the data provided for the country?
No
Are there recognised forms of alternative education covered by the data provided for the country?
No
Are there recognised forms of home schooling covered by the data provided for the country?
No
Identifying an ‘inclusive setting’ in the country

In the EASIE data collection, an inclusive setting is operationally defined as:

A recognised form of education where the child/learner follows education in mainstream classes alongside their peers for the largest part – 80% or more – of the school week.

The 80% time placement benchmark clearly indicates that a child/learner is educated in a mainstream class for the majority of their school week. At the same time, it acknowledges possibilities for small group or one-to-one withdrawal for limited periods of time (i.e. 20% or one day a week).

Very few participating countries can provide exact data on children/learners spending 80% of their time in a mainstream group/class. However, all countries can apply one of three agreed proxies that provide an approximation to this benchmark:

  • Placement in a mainstream class implies over 80% or more
  • Data is available on the number of hours of support allocated to a child/learner
  • Placement in a mainstream class implies over 50% or more.
Are you able to provide actual data to verify the 80% placement benchmark?
No
If no, which proxy are you using
Placement in a mainstream class implies 80% or more
What an ‘official decision of SEN’ means in the country

In the EASIE data collection, the agreed operational definition is:

An official decision leads to a child/learner being recognised as eligible for additional educational support to meet their learning needs.

Countries may have different types of official decision, but for all official decisions:

  • There has been some form of educational assessment procedure involving different people. This procedure may involve the child/learner, parents, school-based team members, as well as professionals from multi-disciplinary teams from outside the child’s/learner’s (pre-)school.
  • There is some form of legal document (plan/programme, etc.) that describes the support the child/learner is eligible to receive, which is used as the basis for decision-making.
  • There is some form of regular review process of the child/learner’s needs, progress and support.
Please describe what an ‘official decision’ is in the country.

An official decision of SEN in the Netherlands means a declaration of admissibility to special education.

The allocation of resources for extra support in mainstream schools is organised on a regional level, where school alliances can set the criteria and procedures. Therefore, the allocation of extra support is not an ‘official decision’. 

What educational assessment procedures are carried out and who is involved?

Since 2014, the regional school alliances have their own educational assessment procedures (instead of a nationwide procedure). The outcomes of the assessment procedure can lead to a declaration of admissibility to special education. This decision is made by a multi-disciplinary team. It is required by law that two experts must be involved in the assessment procedure. One of the experts has to be a special education generalist or a psychologist, the other expert is chosen by the school or the regional school alliance.

What formal, regular review processes of a child/learner’s needs, progress and support are linked to an official decision?

The declaration of admissibility is valid for at least a year. The regional school alliance sets the criteria for duration and review of the declaration. 

What ‘out-of-education’ means in the country

Within the EASIE data collection, specific questions examine children/learners who are out of education. This means children/learners who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education. A recognised form of education is any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector.

Is there a formal definition of ‘out-of-education’ in the country?
No

Pupils who are not registered in any form of recognised education (from the age of 5).

Please describe which learners are considered ‘out-of-education’ in the country

Pupils who are not registered in any form of recognised education (from the age of 5), but are obliged to go to school. The national data that is collected about the number of pupils who are out-of-education is not available for the different ISCED levels, and is therefore not provided in the EASIE data for the Netherlands. 

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