My daughter moved here at 9 and it took her over 2 years to become fluent. My daughter of 5 had caught up to her peers in around 6 months, and passed the year*.

Your son needs to be prepared for the fact that school here is very, very different. Primary school ends at 12, and the choice of level of secondary education is made by the teachers 'advice', based on their CITO (SAT-equivalent) and their 'potential'. You as a family can have a say on which school he attends, but not the level. Also, *children can pass, repeat, or drop a year, and it's likely that he will initially be placed in a lower class (with younger children) to help him have the maximum time to grasp Dutch before his SATS, because they (naturally) only come in one language; but that's for the discussion with the school director.

Where you move to depends on the quality and method your child gets for learning Dutch. The gemeente gives extra money to the school, but it's up to the school how they spend it. In Amstelveen, for example, primary kids from several schools are taken from school (2 days pw?) by minibus to a special centre for intense language training. In the next gemeente along, they sit alone at the back of the class with a computer and headphones :/ ... when choosing the primary school, ensure you ask them about their methods and whether the gemeente offers special classes.

If you can wait and let him finish primary in the UK, he will go to Internationale Schakelklas which is the secondary level intensive Dutch teaching (full time), but he'd probably need to be 12 to qualify normally, so it depends how long it will take you to make the move. For Groningen it is here: H.N. Werkman College - Groningen - Vestiging ISK Groningen. This class takes anywhere from 1-2 years depending on the child; they do a CITO test at the end and advise which level of secondary education your child should transfer to (either at that school, as I see they offer all, or at a school nearer to home).

Shame MamaDuck hasn't posted in a while to let us know her decision, if she's taken one. I think the kids in Groningen have been back at school for a couple of weeks already.

I hope her husband warned her of the earthquakes.

Yeah..not a nice situation to be in especially when they are man-made.

In 1992 I was in Limburg (close to epicentre) when there was an earthquake here. Felt like an express train was driving under the house..it was about 3.15 in the morning. Put the light on to see the walls rocking from left to right.. thought I was dreaming almost..

5.8 on the richter scale...

Hello

I wasn't ignoring the thread, I've checked the new replies on my phone in the last couple of weeks, but as we were on holiday and I'm a slow at typing when I do it on the phone, I was waiting to get home.

We are still in England and the children started school today.

I'm aware that his father speaking Dutch to him would help, but , if he never did in all these years, I'm not sure he will do it once we move. He always said he feels awkward speaking in Dutch seeing that none of us understands and we all just reply in English (I do actually understand some Dutch, but not enough to hold a conversation of any sort).

We are getting very contradictory information about the school system in Holland. Some people mentioned what you did Red Wine Fairy, that will be the school choosing the level that he will attend in high school; some others have told us that despite the results he gets in those tests, they are still just a guidance and we will still be the ones deciding what sort of school he will go to (as in what level).

I know that in Holland there may not be any stigma associated with school results, but that is actually a point I find negative. I find that no one seems to encourage kids to do better academically, like we do here in the UK.
I want my child to be successful academically because I see he can do it. If he couldn't I wouldn't be sad about it, I would motivate him to excel in other areas. But I don't want him to miss out on his potential.

For this reason, it really is a big deal for me and his father if he wouldn't go ahead and study at VWO level.

About taking a year out of school to learn Dutch, we would prefer to avoid that to happen.

We did ask about what sort of support he would have in school when we visited the schools, but, as I mentioned before, none of the schools we visited seemed to have any experience with English pupils. They were all very clueless about it and not sure how to go on.
The school he will end up going to if we do move, was the best of the lot, but the head teacher only became interested in him once she heard how well he's doing in school. Before she was actually trying to persuade us that moving him wasn't such a good thing and they weren't ready for it in her school. Once she showed us what they were doing at his level in Holland and saw that my son was doing much more advanced stuff, then all of sudden she was happy for him to study in her school.

I had no clue about any grants for the school, but, as I say, this was all we got from all the schools we visited. They all just told us that "it would end up ok", they would come up with "something". No wonder I'm not sure at all about the whole thing.

The children at the schools also looked very unruly in my opinion. They were playing outside when we arrived and no one stopped, even with the director around, almost hitting us with balls. There was no sense of discipline or manners. The lack of uniform made some children be wearing some clothes that I wouldn't consider proper for their age or setting. I can't say I was impressed.

Thank you for your experiences, it's good to know that some of you did move at his age and it worked out well. At least it's encouraging.

About the earthquakes, I already knew about it. We did live in Groningen before we had children and have returned several times there, so I hear plenty about the place. Is just subjects concerning children that we are in the dark about it because we never had any need for it before.

The only person that can really encourage your children is you. The big problem is that the Dutch ruling parties (just like in UK) are constantly meddling with the system.

It's all very nice mentioning VWO already..but there are big hurdles to overcome before you or your son can focus on that. Then there is the daily life of living in what is in effect a foreign country with new things to learn and accept which are quite different to the UK.
That won't be different even if your partner is a Dutch National.

School clothing and kids behaviour are one of the first things you will have to accept, but at the same time I've seen some pretty shabby stuff in the UK too. In general I find Dutch kids no less polite then British kids if you stop and talk.

My kids are all in their 30's now, I came over here (well, Germany actually) to work because the wages were crap in UK for skilled people like me in the 70's. It was a big move and we struggled for a long time..but now I look at my kids and especially my Grandchildren and think it was all worth it. They would never have done so well in the UK. However, my kids were much younger (2 and 1) when we came over and our third child arrived in the 1980's.

Things have changed massively in those years, the young generation are learning skills and leaving school or college to a market of low wages, temporary contracts and zero hour contracts.
That's why the girl behind the till at the Supermarket is a qualified paediatric therapist who can speak 4 languages.

Full time employment here is becoming increasingly difficult to find. Almost everything is on short term contracts. That includes University graduates.

It's all very topsy-turvy and confusing.

<snip>

Another important consideration is where you think he will live once he's finished education. Regardless of how highly he is educated, the differences could be a hindrance in later life.

Somebody recently posted how their British university educated and near-fluent in Dutch daughter had difficulty finding a worthwhile job over here. I also quickly regarded my degree as being worthless soon after I moved here.

Hi,
Last year we moved to Leiden with our seven-year old son. We did a lot of research on schools prior to our arrival and found out that the City of Leiden had two regular Dutch primary schools that were setup to receive foreign (non-Dutch speaking) kids, as well as a program for children between the ages of 12-18 coming from abroad.
After finishing grade 1 at a 50/50 English-French elementary school in Canada our son went into group 4 (=grade 2) at the local Dutch school. He now speaks Dutch with no accent and has lots of friends in the neighbourhood.

Followed this thread with interest...have posted before on the same subject...I moved to NL with my family over 30 yrs ago when D's were 6yrs and 9yrs old..

.We left the UK for financial/job prospect reasons...My OH had been headhunted (as they called it then) for a job in Brabant..The girls went to the local International School speaking English and following a UK curriculum.
.In hindsight...had we known we would be staying 30 yrs instead of the 3yrs first mooted...I would have put them in Dutch schools..not especially because of educational differences /costs although there were many..but because they never fully integrated into Dutch society..
Mamaduck..I you really intend to make this huge step,the first thing you must do is accept its not the UK...Your son will not follow a UK education or lifestyle..but thats not to say it would be an inferior one...just different...There can be no quarantees.The work ethic is very much self motivation in NL.A child is responsible for themselves from a very early age.Your son could learn Dutch very quickly if he is happy and motivated..both my D's were fluent within a year.If he is clever there is no reason why he can't do well..Both my D's went on to universities.The key will be your and your OH's attitude and support for your son and the need for all of you to accept all the big changes ahead..and they can be sometimes difficult..especially when homesickness hits...If the move is important and necessary for your family then your attitude to it is going to be the thing that will help to make it a success ..good luck