Practical Information

School guide

All practical information can be found in our school guide (Dutch only) which you can download. You can also visit the school comparison website for additional information (results, ratings, etc.)..

School guide 2023 - 2024

Schedule

Our school hours are from 8.30 to 14.45 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. On Wednesdays from 8.30 to 13.00. All students stay for lunch on Mon-Tue-Thu-Fri from 12.15 to 13.15. There are costs associated with the lunch break, these amount to 160 euros per child per year. Should you choose not to participate in our lunch break proposal you will have to pick up your son/daughter from our school at 12.15 and ensure that he/she is back at 13.15. At the end of the school day teachers bring the pupils outside for pick up.

Walk in

Parents are allowed in at the first bell at 8.20 to take a look at the classroom. At 8.25 all parents are to go outside again so that the lesson for the children can start at 8.30. Please refer to the schedule below.

  1/2  3  4   5   5/6   6   7   8 
Monday X


X

X
Tuesday X X X     
 
Wednesday X
 

 X X   
Thursday X
 X      
 
Friday X X
 X        


Holidays and important dates

When are the holidays and important dates?

Holidays (pupils are free from school) From To
Summer holiday Friday 21-07-2023 Friday 01-09-2023
Autumn holiday Monday 23-10-2023 Friday 27-10-2023
Christmas holiday Monday 25-12-2023 Friday 05-01-2024
Spring holiday Monday 19-02-2024 Friday 23-02-2024
May holiday Monday 29-04-2024 Friday 10-05-2024
Summmer holiday Monday 22-07-2024 Friday 30-08-2024
     
Days of celebration (pupils are free from school) From To
Good Friday and Easter Friday 29-03-2024 Monday 01-04-2024
Ascension Day (is during May holiday) Thursday 09-05-2024 Thursday 09-05-2024
Whit Monday Monday 20-05-2024 Monday 20-05-2024
     
Study days (pupils are free from school) From To
Study days Thursday 21-12-2023 Friday 22-12-2023
Study days Monday 08-01-2024 Tuesday 09-01-2024
Study day Friday 16-02-2024 Friday 16-02-2024
Study day Friday 21-06-2024 Friday 21-06-2024
Study week (June vacation) Monday 17-06-2024 Friday 21-06-2024
Study day Friday 19-07-2024 Friday 19-07-2024
     
Important dates From To
First school day Monday 04-09-2023 Monday 04-09-2023
Start meetings Monday 02-10-2023 Friday 06-10-2023
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Thursday 02-11-2023 Thursday 02-11-2023
Saint Nicolas (school ends 13.15) Friday 01-12-2023 Friday 01-12-2023
Christmas celebration and diner Tuesday 19-12-2023 Tuesday 19-12-2023
School report consultations Monday 04-03-2024 Friday 08-03-2024
Kings games Friday 26-04-2024 Friday 26-04-2024
School report consultations Monday 01-07-2024 Friday 05-07-2024

 

Preschool / Playgroup

Partou is our in-school toddler care partner for children between two and four years old. Here they can have fun, play, and discover the world together with their peers. Partou offers preschool and early childhood education according to the Uk & Puk method. They work with themes to prepare your child for primary school in a fun and playful way. Your child will learn to play together, make friends, dress himself/herself and wait for his/her turn. This can make the transition to school a lot easier and with a lot less anxiety! Interested? Click here.

Partou / Smallsteps

Akros Amsterdam

De Kinderster

Impuls Het Groeiplein Kinderopvang

Kindercentrum Nella Della

After-School Care

Partou also offers after-school care in our school building for children from four to twelve years old. There are also other various after-school care organisations that provide after school pick-up for our students.

After-school activities

After school activities are regularly available for all of our students. These activities are provided by specialised subject teachers from outside our school, but the activities themselves take place inside our school building. The after school activities are subsidised by the municipality of Amsterdam, and the fee to participate is based according to income. Choices range from both creative to sport, for example: carpentry, acrobatics, science experiments, fashion entrepreneur skills, singing lessons, free-running, and kickboxing. Which activities are offered vary and change throughout the school year. Mr Luuk is the contact person at our school for after school activities. Registration is digitally via www.naschoolseactiviteiten.amsterdam. Typically there is place for 10 to 15 children per after school activity. Activities last from 1-1½ hours during the course of 8 to 10 weeks. You may register your child for as many of these activities as you want.

Absenteeism and leave

Teaching time is precious. Our aim is to keep absenteeism to a minimum. There are defined rules for authorized and unauthorized absence from school.

We ask parents to ensure that their children arrive at school on time every day, arriving late is not permitted. Classes begin at 8.30am, and on Monday's, Tuesday's, Thursday's and Friday's after the break at 13.15pm, and all children are expected in the classroom at this time.

If there are too many unauthorised absences from school (including late arrival) management will contact the parents. If this does not have the desired effect, a truancy officer must be notified.

When is an absence permitted? Cases of illness and serious circumstances fall under justified absence. If your child is ill or has a doctor's appointment, we ask you to inform the school between 7:45am-8:20am by calling 020 618 04 81.

Leave for a family wedding, funeral, or anniversary may be requested by applying for administrative leave due to serious circumstances. The principal will assess the application. If leave is requested due to weighty circumstances for more than ten school days per school year then the truancy education officer will make the decision.

Please read additional information request for leave first before filling out the form and hand delivering it to the administration. You can find the form at the bottom of this page, below the heading "School documents".

Parro

At the Visserschool, we use the Parro app to notify our parents about our latest news, holidays, study days, and to share nice photos from their child's group. All parents have access to a page that is visible only to their class.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Visserschool an international school?
No, the Visserschool is not an international school and cannot be seen as a substitute or replacement for an international school. We are a Dutch primary school where students receive lessons in Dutch and in English. We must comply with Dutch legislation for primary education, and CITO tests are given in Dutch. English is taught for 30-40% of teaching hours, the remaining 60-70% are in Dutch.
Are there any extra costs to parents for the bilingual primary education at the Visserschool?
No, the Visserschool requests a standard annual parental contribution of € 72 from parents / guardians for the education of their children. These funds are used for outings (such as a visit to the zoo, museum, or petting zoo) and celebrations (Sinterklaas and Christmas). The parental contribution is voluntary but is indispensable for a balanced budget.
Does the Visserschool have a waiting list?
Due to the lack of space and the popularity of bilingual primary education, there is unfortunately not enough space for every child that registers at the Visserschool. We are the only school in Amsterdam offering this form of education. For children younger than four years old, parents should follow the registration procedure as described on our site. Due to the number of registrations exceeding capacity, school spots are allotted via a lottery. Currently, we only have space in a few groups for students who are four years and older. If you have moved and are looking for a new school for your child, please contact our school to discuss the possibilities.
Is bilingual primary education suitable for every child?
It is recommended that at least one parent is fluent in Dutch. Bilingual education can be an enrichment for students, but is not the right choice for every child. Children are not sponges that are able to absorb everything they hear and reproduce information at any given time. Learning a second language is hard work! Therefore, bilingual education is usually not a fitting choice for children with a language delay or language development disorder.
Where can I find more information about bilingual primary education and past results?
Click on this link to read more about the 17 primary schools in the Netherlands offering bilingual education.

School documents

A number of school policy documents and forms are available below to download in PDF.

Application form leave because of weighty circumstances

Folder De Visserschool English

Folder De Visserschool Nederlands

School support profile