Younger than 5 years

Many younger children attend preschool, daycare or host parenting. Playfully, they are prepared for elementary school. Your child may go to elementary school at age 4, but you don't have to yet. You can keep your child at home until the age of 5 without reporting it. Is your child 4 and already attending school? Then you must report absence to school.

5 to 16 years: compulsory education

After the fifth birthday, your child is subject to compulsory education. This means that the child must attend school on the first school day in the month following the birthday. For example, if your child's 5th birthday is October 10, he or she must attend school on the first school day in November. This compulsory education ends at the end of the school year in which your child turns 16. Or when your child has attended school for at least 12 full school years.

Compulsory education: up to the school year in which the child turns 16 years old

All children remain in full compulsory education until the end of the school year in which they turn 16. After the end of full compulsory education, compulsory qualification applies to young people who:

• are not yet 18 years old
• Have not yet obtained a starting qualification 
• and have completed full compulsory education

As a young person, you can obtain a basic qualification by following a full-day education program or a combination of work and learning, such as the vocational training program (BBL). Only a VMBO education is not yet a starting qualification! This means that young people are obliged to follow education until they turn 18 if they do not yet have a starting qualification. A starting qualification is a diploma at at least MBO-2, HAVO or VWO level.

Extra leave and exemption

Reasons for special leave include:

• relocation
• marriage or wedding anniversary of relatives by blood or by marriage
• celebration of civil service anniversary of father or mother
• a religious holiday
• or the parents can only vacation outside school vacations due to their occupation

A request for one or more days is called a "request for additional leave.

• Additional leave must always be requested in writing (giving reasons) to the school principal.
• Application forms can be obtained from the school.
• Requests of less than 10 days will be decided by the school principal.
• Requests of more than 10 days shall be submitted by the school principal to the compulsory education officer.

The school attendance officer distinguishes between vacation leave and leave for serious circumstances. The school is required to notify you in writing of the decision (a decision within the meaning of the General Administrative Law Act) whether or not to grant the leave.

Compulsory education exemption

If your child cannot attend school for a long period of time because of physical or psychological problems, you can appeal for exemption from compulsory school attendance to the compulsory school attendance officer. He will engage a doctor or psychologist to assess whether your child should be granted exemption. For religious obligations or important family events, you can also request an exemption from the compulsory school attendance officer.

Is your child near the end of the compulsory education period and struggling in school? Ask if your child may attend a different program during that year. This is substitute compulsory education. The program of substitute compulsory education consists of general education and vocational education. In addition, it contains practical time. This is light work. When your child enters this program, you enroll them at an institution where they can attend this modified education.

Starting Qualification

After full compulsory education, compulsory qualification begins. Compulsory qualification extends compulsory education:

• until the young person has obtained a starting qualification, or
• until the day he or she turns 18.

A starting qualification is a vwo diploma, a havo diploma or a mbo diploma at level 2, 3 or 4. The young person may combine school with work, as in the vocational training program in the mbo.