Children attend primary school for 8 years, from group 1 to group 8. Many schools combine groups 1 and 2 into a kindergarten class (kleuterklas). The more formal academic curriculum begins in group 3, around the age of 6. Primary schools often have Wednesday afternoons off.
Most primary schools are public/state-owned (openbaar) or faith-based (Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, or Jewish). Some schools teach according to a specific method, for example, Montessori, Jenaplan, Vrije Scholen, or Dalton. Most schools teach in Dutch, with English being officially added as a subject in group 7, but there are some bilingual primary schools and also schools that introduce English as a subject in the younger age groups.
The primary curriculum is broad, and progress is monitored by standard testing (CITO). In the final year of primary school, students take a test (doorstroomtoets) which measures their skills in the Dutch language (spelling, vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension), arithmetic and mathematics. The result of this test along with the teacher’s advice determines which level of secondary education they will follow. The government offers 6 different tests and each school chooses which test they will use.
There are quite a few language-friendly (taalvriendelijke) primary schools in the region, and also several newcomer and international schools.
A list of Dutch primary schools in the Eindhoven region can be found in our Living In Guide: Eindhoven region and Dutch Education brochure or via the Insidr website. Some schools are part of a larger organization and have a central website with pages in English detailing all the options for internationals within their group. Each individual school also has its own website, some with pages available in English.