The school advice in group 8: what every parent should know
In group 8 your child gets a school advice for secondary school. Here is how it works, when it happens, and which questions help you take part in the decision.
In the last year of primary school, group 8, your child gets a school advice (schooladvies). It says which type of secondary school fits your child best. It is one of the most important conversations you will have with the school — and you have a voice in it.
The levels of secondary school
- vmbo — practical and vocational education, in several tracks (for example vmbo-tl, the theoretical track)
- havo — senior general secondary education, which prepares for a university of applied sciences
- vwo — pre-university education
Sometimes the advice combines two levels, such as vmbo-tl/havo. Moving between levels later is possible, but it is often harder than starting at the right one.
How the advice is made
The teacher does not base the advice on one test. The school looks at your child’s development over several years: the results of the pupil monitoring tests (leerlingvolgsysteem), how your child works, their motivation and what they need.
The timeline in group 8
- Provisional advice — in the winter, the school gives a provisional advice (voorlopig schooladvies) in a meeting with you and your child.
- The national test — after that, your child takes the doorstroomtoets.
- Final advice — before the end of March, the school gives the final advice. If the test result is higher than the advice, the school must reconsider it. It may raise the advice, but it does not have to.
Every school plans its own dates, so ask your child’s teacher for the exact moments.
Questions you can ask
- Op welke resultaten is dit advies gebaseerd? — Which results is this advice based on?
- Wat kan de uitslag van de doorstroomtoets nog veranderen? — What can the test result still change?
- Wat heeft mijn kind nodig om dit niveau goed te halen? — What does my child need to do well at this level?
- Kan ik het advies op papier krijgen? — Can I have the advice in writing?
You know your child at home. Telling the teacher what you see — motivation, interests, worries — helps the school give a better advice.
Prepare with Lexora
In Lexora you can practise the school advice meeting with an AI teacher who speaks Dutch at your level. You hear the words the teacher will use, try your questions, and get feedback before the real conversation.
