Understanding international school curricula

Curriculum guide

Dutch curriculum

By Giulia Ceccon · Chief Marketing Officer

Dutch international schools follow the Netherlands' national curriculum or its English-medium variants for international families. Senior secondary leads to the VWO (Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs) diploma, which gives direct access to Dutch and many European universities. Many Dutch international schools offer a bilingual track that pairs Dutch-language teaching with English-medium subjects.

Ages 4–12

Basisschool

Dutch primary. Bilingual (tweetalig) tracks available at many schools, blending Dutch and English delivery.

Ages 12–18

VWO (Voortgezet Onderwijs)

Six-year pre-university stream. Students pick one of four profiles: Culture & Society, Economics & Society, Nature & Health, or Nature & Technology.

Dutch

Streaming and profiles

Three streams from age 12: VWO (6 years, pre-university), HAVO (5 years, applied-sciences pathway) and VMBO (4 years, vocational). VWO is the international-school standard.

Is Dutch right for your child?

It tends to suit families who…

• •Have Dutch connections or are moving to the Netherlands
• •Are aiming at Dutch or European universities
• •Value bilingual education (Dutch + English)

It may be less ideal if…

• •Your child joins at 11+ without Dutch
• •You'd prefer a globally uniform curriculum

Common questions

FAQs about the Dutch curriculum

Is VWO accepted at UK universities? +

Yes — the VWO diploma is widely accepted by UK universities, including the Russell Group. Typical offers cite specific subject grades and an overall threshold (often 7.5+ average).

Do I need to speak Dutch to attend a Dutch international school? +

Many Dutch international schools offer English-medium tracks, but at some point most students take Dutch as a subject. For young children, immersion handles the language gap; from age 11+ it gets harder without some Dutch.

Find schools

Schools teaching Dutch on doris

Dutch in Netherlands (12)Dutch in Denmark (4)Dutch in China (2)Dutch in Portugal (2)Dutch in Italy (1)Dutch in Jordan (1)Dutch in Kenya (1)Dutch in Nigeria (1)Dutch in Norway (1)Dutch in Philippines (1)Dutch in Poland (1)Dutch in Singapore (1)Dutch in Vietnam (1)