School Attendance and Compulsory Education

Under Dutch law, parents of children aged 5 and above are required to register their child at a school and to ensure their attendance at school. Students are expected to be in time for all lessons. When a student is sick or is absent for another legitimate reason (doctor's or Embassy appointments), parents are requested to contact our school at the latest on the day of the absence before 8:45 am (via email, telephone or our school app Seesaw).

Request for additional special leave beyond the official school holidays can be only considered if our school has been contacted beforehand and a special leave application form has been filled (available from our school administration office). Such extra leave can be granted only once a year and for a maximum of 10 school days.  Permission can only be granted under specific conditions which are detailed below (and also on the document on the right handside). 

Please be aware that unless this is an emergency, a request for extra leave needs to be submitted to our school at least 4 weeks in advance. 

Should parents take their children out of school without permission, the school has the legal obligation to report this to the Leerplicht Ambtenaar (school atttendance officer) who, in most cases, will take legal action. 

The school has the duty to consider any applications for extra leave and reject it when it is deemed unreceivable. According to the Dutch law, there is no such thing as a ‘right’ to ten days off school, in any shape or form. 

The full absence and attendance protocol  can be downloaded from the municipality website (Gemeente) where you live and are registered. 

For Rotterdam: https://www.rotterdam.nl/werken-leren/leerplicht/

Capelle aan den Ijssel:

 https://www.capelleaandenijssel.nl/home/onderwerpen_42338/product/leerplicht_1771.html

What does the law say about Compulsory School Attendance and extra leave? 

Education is very important for the future of your child. It is therefore of the greatest importance that your child attends all lessons at school. Missing lessons today may result in missing opportunities in the future.  

The Dutch Government has laid down in the “Compulsory Education Act” that states that every child has to attend school.  

It is the task of parents to see to it that their child attends school every day. This means that your child is never allowed to stay away from school unless the school has been informed about the absence and that the school has approved the absence.  

If there are exceptional circumstances of any kind that lead parents to think that their child cannot attend school, parents must adhere to the rules and regulations for these circumstances and contact the school as soon as possible.  

The regulations for extra leave (any absence not related to a child being ill) are very specific and apply in the following cases: 

. 1. Religious Duties 

. 2. Holidays outside regular school holidays 

. 3. Other important events 

Parents can apply to extra leave for these circumstances. Please note however that the school has the duty to consider any applications for extra leave and reject it when it is deemed unreceivable. According to the Dutch law, there is no such thing as a ‘right’ to ten days off school, in any shape or form. 

1. Extra leave due to religious duties 

Every child in The Netherlands is free from school on a number of Christian holidays. In order to allow children to celebrate certain non-Christian feasts, parents may request extra leave for religious holidays of their own faith. Examples of religious holidays that can be authorised are listed in our extra leave leaflet (handed over to all families when the child starts school):  Depending on the nature of the duty and location, 1 to a maximum of 3 days can be granted.  

Please note: There will be no extra leave granted (as there is no right to it) for cultural gatherings or festivals. 

2. Taking Holidays during school term (outside the regular school holidays).  

The main rule: it is not permitted to go on holiday during school term.  

Deviations to this rule may only occur if your family was/is unable to travel during official school holidays because: 

• One or both of the parents/guardians works in a specific profession field that does not allow the parent to follow the normal school calendar for holidays. “Professions of a specific nature” refer, for instance, to a parent working on a ship, who will not be ashore during school holidays.   

In such a case, the school head may grant your child a maximum of ten consecutive school days off in one year to allow (the only) family holiday in that school year.  Such a request must be accompanied by an employer’s declaration (with signature and employee company’s stamp).  

The following two conditions must also be met: 

• Hand in any written request to the school head at least 6 weeks in advance.  

• This holiday may not take place in the first two weeks of the school year. 

No leave can be granted for reasons such as: 

. Cheaper holidays in the off-season 

. Holidays paid for by others 

. Collecting relatives 

. Midweek or weekend holidays 

. Family have not been on holiday for years 

. Tickets have already been bought 

. Travelling with other people 

. Another child is free already 

3. Leave taken due to ‘important circumstances’ 

‘Important’ or ‘exceptional’ circumstances covers those situations that are beyond the control of parents/guardians and/or the child. You can request time off school when this sort of thing applies. Any request must be in writing to the school and you will need to supply them with the necessary proofs and written reasons showing why you need it. 

You may request time off school under the following circumstances: 

.- Serious illness of a close relative: A pupil is granted special leave for a maximum 10 days.  (A doctor’s certificate will be required showing clearly the medical condition and additional information justifying the absence.) 

.- Death of a close relative:  In country of origin maximum 5 days. 

- Family wedding:  In country of origin maximum 5 days.  (A copy of the invitation must be attached to the special leave form.) 

-  12 ½, 25th, 40th 50th wedding anniversary:  1 school day. 

-  Moving house:  1 school day.  

- New baby: 1 school day. 

Birthdays of relatives or friends are not important enough to allow you to keep your child at home.  This also applies when a grandfather celebrates his 85th birthday in the country of origin.  Your child will not be entitled to special leave. 

No importance will be given to the circumstances as listed here and your child has therefore no right to (extra) leave for: 

• Family visits/reunions abroad; 

• (Great) grandparents’ birthdays; 

• Meeting (great) grandparents for the first time or after a long period 

• Time off school for a child because other children in the family are already, or are still, free; 

• A very long absence, such as a world tour or a sabbatical; 

• Cheaper tickets at times other than school holidays; 

• A holiday you won that is to take place outside official school holidays; 

• Leaving early (or later) to avoid the holiday rush; 

• There being no other time to book than during school term; 

• Budding talents: tired after competitions, special lessons etc. – all are non-admissible during school time. 

Asking for permission for Special Leave  

If you wish to apply for extra leave, you should contact our administration office and submit the application form as soon as possible (legal requirement is 4 weeks in advance, except in emergency situations).  

If the school decides to reject your application and you keep your child away from school, our school is legally obliged to report the absence to the Leerplicht (which will investigate the absence, making you run the risk of a hefty fine or even being called in by a judge). 

The circumstances, once leave is given 

If you have been granted extra leave but circumstances dictate that your child can only return later than is planned, it is of the utmost importance that you contact our school as soon as possible (veroniquez@harbouribsr.nl) – It should be no longer than 2 days after any hindrance starting. This will help to prevent any possible misunderstandings. 

 Justifying absence 

To properly judge an absence, the school requires evidence of said absence. Think for instance of (copies of) say, a garage invoice by a car breakdown, or original flight tickets to prove unplanned changes or overbooking by an airline. 

Unfortunately, it can also occur that your child or other family member takes ill during a holiday, causing your child to return to school later than planned. In cases such as this, it is of the utmost important that you produce a letter from the (foreign) doctor stating the nature of the illness, the duration and the seriousness. This will help to prevent misunderstandings. 

 Unlawful absences 

If you prevent your child from attending school without prior permission from the school head (or the school attendance officer), this will be classed as an unlawful, school absence. You are in fact breaking the law on school attendance and are punishable by law. The school must report this to the school attendance officer.