How to Find the Right Primary School in Weert for Your Child
Updated: Mar 16
Does your child need a good primary school in Weert? Find out how to select the right one with this handy guide!
In the Netherlands, officially children do not need to begin until they are 5 years old. Primary school in Dutch is known as basisschool, and it’s compulsory for children to begin attending from group 2 (5 years old) and they stay until they reach group 8 (12 years old). By looking up “basisschool Weert” on Google, several primary schools appear with locations in various neighborhoods in Weert. Instructions are given to help you choose a suitable one.
Here are some schedules for the open days coming up in 2020:
Laar
Address: Aldenheerd 10, 6003 NW Weert
Email: administratie@ikclaar.nl
Tel: 0495-533058
Open Day: Sunday, 8 March from 10am - 12pm
Boshoven
Address: Anjelierstraat 9, 6002 TP Weert
Email: info@odaschoolweert.nl
Tel: 0495-452877
Open Day: Sunday, 8 March from 10am - 12pm
Address: Meidoornstraat 2, 6002 TZ Weert
Email: info@obsdeuitkijktoren.nl
Tel: 0495-535444
Open Day: Monday, 16 March from 9-11am
Molenakker
Address: Oude Laarderweg 15, 6003 ME Weert / Molenakkerdreef 103, 6003 ME Weert
Email: info@obsmolenakker.nl
Tel: 0495-539067
Info Session: Tuesday, 7 April from 7.30 - 9pm
Address: Wiekendreef 101, 6003 BV Weert
Email: info@msweert.nl
Tel: 0495-543381
Open Day: Wednesday, 11 March / Thursday, 9 March / Tuesday, 26 May from 9am - 12pm
Saturday, 21 March from 11am - 1pm
Fatima
Address: Marienhagelaan 2, 6001 TP Weert
Email: info@bs-kameleon.nl
Tel: 0495-533086
Open Day: Sunday, 22 March from 11am - 1pm
Biest
Address: Maaslandlaan 1, 6004 GC Weert
Email: administratie@meerderweert.nl
Tel: 0495-452088
Open Day: Tuesday, 10 March and Thursday, 12 March from 9am - 12pm
Moesel / Kent
Address: Sint Jozefslaan 102, 6006 JN Weert
Email: y.vaes@eduquaat.nl
Tel: 0495-534518
Open Day: Friday, 13 March from 9am - 4pm
Graswinkel
Address: Graswinkellaan 9, 6005 KE Weert
Email: info@obsgraswinkel.nl
Tel:0495-540951
Info session: Tue, 10 March & Tue, 14 April from 8.45 - 10.30am
Leuken
Address: Middelstestraat 77-79, 6004 BL Weert
Email: b.caris@ikc-leuken.nl
Tel: 0495-534143
Open Day: Call them at 0495-534143 to make an appointment
Public schools, also known as Obs, are open educational institutions in the Netherlands. They are free from religious orientation and enable each school to customize its own educational program accordingly. Thus, teaching philosophies and methodologies vary among Obs schools.
Important Factors To Consider When Selecting A Primary School For Your Child
Pay attention if the children at the school are happy, the body language of the teachersRead the mission and vision and see what fits your parenting style
Request for a school visit, it would give you a better idea when the school runs on a regular school day rather than an open day
Try to read about the school performance of the group 8 graduating scores
Try to read about the school inspection report
Close to home, most of the children who go to the school will live around the neighbourhood. Which makes it handy when they want to have a playdate after school.
Unfortunately, all the school listed are fully Dutch school. At the moment Weert is not equipped yet with any bilingual school. So, the big question is would my child be able to cope with a Dutch primary school without speaking a word of Dutch?
It all depends on a few factors.
How young is the child?
If your child is below 5 years old, the tendency for them to pick up the Dutch language and adapt to the new environment is a lot higher. Proper classroom learning only begins at the age of 6 (group 3). So even if your child does not speak a word of Dutch, kids at this age absorb the new language very quickly through playing and songs.
How open the child is to a new environment and people?
Bear in mind that your child is already having to adapt to a new environment, everything is new to him or her. If your child is outgoing and a happy-go-lucky kind of child, the chances are that he or she would own the new environment in a heartbeat.
How open the child is to learning a new language?
It could be frustrating when you have to express a feeling in a language that you do not understand. When the child is young enough, whether it's own native language or the new language it would be almost on a similar difficulty level. But if the child is already on a learning age, this could be a challenge at school. You can sign up to extra lessons (bijles) after school to help speed up Dutch learning your child.
Personally, I think it's important to understand if the school has a growth mindset and see if they can accommodate your child's best interest. My daughter started school here at Obs Graswinkle when she was 3.5 years old. The transition period was relatively smooth considering she spoke no Dutch prior to moving to Weert. The school had no special class to transition the non-Dutch speaking children. However, I would pledge to the dedication of the teachers from Humanitas kindergarten which is located within the Obs Graswinkle premise. They helped to build her confidence and create the most natural transition period for her as she eases into primary school at Obs Graswinkle too.
PS: English classes stain in group 7 (11 years old).
If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line at nomadsinweert@gmail.com and I'll be happy to help you personally.
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