Central Reporting Point newcomers Primary Education Amsterdam

The Central Reporting Point Newcomers Primary education Amsterdam is an initiative of the Joint School Boards Primary Education (BBO) in Amsterdam and Het ABC. The objectives of the Central Reporting Point are:

• quick and transparent procedure for notification and placement on initial language classes;
• get a view on the urban capacity and the need for growth or decline;
• shorten potential waiting times for placement in a newcomer group;
• prevent absolute absence among newcomers of primary school age.

How is the organization of the Reporting Point?

The Central Reporting Point Newcomers is an office function that administers a database of all filled and available places for newcomers at various primary schools in Amsterdam. When a primary school is faced with a pupil that comes straight from abroad, and no or very little mastery of the Dutch language, this school contacts the Reporting point. If the pupil fulfils the criteria for placement, the Reporting point will find a place for this pupil at one of the language classes. The reporting point keeps track of placements and potential waiting list(s) for the initial language classes in Amsterdam. The reporting point operates on behalf of BBO. Decisions about the procedures of the reporting point are prepared in a steering group and are set in the BBO. The steering group of the reporting point is under the direction of the BBO. The steering group consists of representation of the BBO, school boards that offer a language class, the Municipality of Amsterdam and two employees of ABC Educational advisors.

Placement and waiting list

Placing a pupil at a school remains the responsibility of school boards. In the case of a waiting list, newcomers must be temporarily taken up in a regular class of the reporting school. The reporting point reports the steering group of the capacity, to make sure that school boards can increase the offer of places in language classes, if desired.

Reporting a newcomer pupil

To report a newcomers pupil, the stem school contacts the Central Reporting point. For a detailed description, refer to the flow chart. The stem school is the primary school where parents/carers report to register a pupil that comes straight from abroad. Also, the children will return to this school, normally after one year of newcomers education. You can find the contact details of the Reporting Point at the bottom of this page.

Rules / Criteria

All rules/criteria for placement, duration of the language class and discharge to the stem school are to be found in the flow chart. The reporting point does not arrange registration at schools and/or language class locations. The reporting point:

• registers the report
• checks for available places in newcomers groups
• keeps up a database for all reception locations and registers which locations have waiting lists
• keeps track of how many pupils are waiting for placement
• communicates all of the above to boards and to the obligatory education department of the municipality.

No separate reception group exists for toddlers, the rules/criteria have been unchanged.

Contact the Reporting Point

The reporting point was established for and by school boards of Amsterdam to be of service to the primary schools. It is not intended that parents contact the reporting point directly. All contact runs through the primary school where the parents registered their child (= stem school). For questions and further information, the stem school can contact Inge van Os Denninger, of Het ABC, by phone: 020-7990050, or by email: nieuwkomer@hetabc.nl.