Netherlands
Homeschooling in the Netherlands is not allowed by the law, however, there are two possible reasons parents are able to receive an exemption from the law that requires children to be
enrolled in a school: the first being the child is physically or mentally unable to go to school,
the second being the parents are unable to find a school that conforms to the (not
necessarily religious) beliefs in proximity of the home address.
Currently, about 2.500 children have an exemption
By law, it is not possible to have an objections to a school the children have been enrolled in the previous year. Therefore, most homeschooled children in the Netherlands have been so from youth.
In order to obtain an exemption parents have to notify the municipality.
Our Dutch Expert :
Daan Lensink
Organisations
There are several non-profit organisations active in homeschooling.
Stichting Keurmerk Thuisonderwijs (Foundation for Certification of Homeschooling,
https://www.stichtingkeurmerkthuisonderwijs.nl) provides parents who homeschool with the
possibility to apply for certification. Parents provide a homeschool plan for up to three years
which has to meet some criteria. Once the plan is approved, an appointment is made and a
inspector meets the parents and children at home and talks through the plan. Parent pay a
small fee for the certification.
Nederlandse Vereniging voor Thuisonderwijs (Dutch Association of Homeschooling,
https://www.thuisonderwijs.nl/english/) is an association of over 1.000 families which are or
have been homeschooling, or are planning to do so. They provide learning materials for
parents through deals with publishers, organize small groups and workshops, lobby in the
politics and organize meetings locally and nationwide.
Thuisonderwijsverbond (Homeschooling Covenant, https://www.thuisonderwijsverbond.nl/) is
a smaller Christian association. They organize small groups and workshops.