The Netherlands

The Netherlands

The Netherlands

Inspectorate Profile: The Netherlands

The Dutch Inspectorate of Education is one of the oldest state inspectorates of education (since 1801). 
 
Since August 2017 the Dutch inspectorate introduced a new inspection approach and a new framework, which focuses more on school boards (governing bodies) as they are legally responsible for the quality of education. The underlying idea is that inspections will have impact on the quality assurance and the quality culture of school boards and as a result this will eventually have impact on the improvement of the quality of schools.
 
During the quadrennial school board inspections the Dutch inspectors focus not only on assuring basic quality for the school boards and its schools, but also on stimulating schools and school boards to constantly improve their quality by determining their own goals and ambitions to reach a level above basic quality. The main purpose of this supervision model is to investigate and assess the quality of school boards. To this end, we also conduct research at schools to verify to what extent the quality assurance of the board affects the quality of education at the school. In addition we will in any case visit schools where we see serious risks and schools for which the board requests the inspectorate to investigate whether the level of  their schools is ‘good’ (i.e. scoring above basic quality by also realising their own goals and ambitions). When school boards or schools fail to achieve basic quality the concerning standards or the school as a whole will be graded as ‘inadequate’ or ‘very weak’. In these cases, intensive follow-up inspection will follow, up until basic quality is met.
 
A renewed framework took effect on August 2021. More emphasis lies now on supervision of the quality of the educational system as a whole. Systemic supervision is the starting point for the inspections of school boards and schools. System issues are therefore part of the inspections at the level of school boards and schools. Inspections are also more proportionate meaning less standardized.

 
 
 

By Global Administrator| Inspection Profiles|