Admissions

Enrolling at DENISE for students under 4 years old is done through the Central Enrollment Policy (Stedelijk Toelatingsbeleid). When a child turns four years old, they can attend primary school. The registration and allocation process for spots in most Amsterdam primary schools work the same way. Around your child's third birthday, you will receive a preference form (voorkeursformulier) and an explanatory brochure about the admission policy from the Municipality of Amsterdam. You can register your child by submitting this form to your first-choice school.

You can find more information about the admission policy on the Municipality of Amsterdam's website.

Submitting the Preferred School Form from the City Admission Policy:

• Children born before September 1, 2021: The application deadline has passed; you can send an email to admin@denise.espritscholen.nl;
• Children born between September 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021: March 6, 2025
• Children born between January 1, 2022, and April 30, 2022: June 5, 2025
• Children born between May 1, 2022, and August 31, 2022: November 6, 2025
• Children born after August 31, 2022: Dates will be announced later.

You can email the preferred school form to admin@denise.espritscholen.nl.

Following the submission deadline, in March, June, and November, under the responsibility of the school boards, placement for all registered children is automated. Every child has an equal chance of placement under equal conditions. The goal is to offer children a spot at their highest preferred school. If there are enough spots available at a school, all children who applied to that school are placed.
Your child has priority at the eight closest primary schools. These schools are determined by the walking distance between your child’s official home address and the primary school. By entering your child’s home address and date of birth at www.schoolwijzer.amsterdam.nl, you can see if our school is a priority school for your child.

When there are more applications for DENISE than available spots, a lottery is conducted. Your child will participate in the lottery based on the order of schools you provided. Priority placement is given first, followed by other applications. If your child is not placed in DENISE through the lottery, they will be considered for the next preferred school/schools you listed. The following priority rules are applied during placement:

1. If a younger sibling attends the first-choice school when the enrolled child turns 4.
2. Children with DENISE as their first choice outside the postal code area have priority over students within the postal code area who listed DENISE as their 2nd or lower choice.

Since DENISE is a highly sought-after school, we advise you to list at least 5 schools on the form.

In our primary school, we provide bilingual instruction - three days in Dutch and two days in English. It's beneficial if your child speaks one of the languages.

To enroll your child in our primary education, please send an email to admin@denise.espritscholen.nl.

Include the following information in the email:

• Your child's name and birthdate.
• Which school and grade your child is currently attending, or when your child will arrive in the Netherlands.
• A brief motivation.

We will then assess if there's a spot available in the appropriate group for your child and may offer you a place on the waiting list if necessary.
Most groups are full, and the waiting list is long.

ENROLLING NEWCOMERS

Newcomers start in our newcomers program with a temporary curriculum. Their age upon arrival in the Netherlands should be between 12 years and 17 years and 10 months. During this period, they learn the basics of the Dutch language, and their learning level and potential are assessed. Based on these outcomes, they are then placed at either Mundus College (VMBO-B/K/TL and practical education) or DENISE (from VMBO-TL to IB). The newcomers group is located at Van Hallstraat 621 in Amsterdam.

If a student is eligible to come to DENISE (based on their educational level), they will start in a language class. There, they mainly study Dutch as a Second Language to reach B1 level (European reference level). Once their Dutch language skills are sufficient, they can transition as soon as possible to our regular bilingual classes or English-language IB education (with Dutch as a mandatory subject).

To enroll, once your child has arrived in the Netherlands, you should schedule an appointment with the newcomers student administration at Mundus College using the phone number +31 20 585 4854.

REGISTRATION FOR GROUP 8/LANGUAGE STUDENTS (from primary to secondary)

For the admission of students transitioning from grade 8 to secondary education, DENISE participates in the municipal placement policy of the Municipality of Amsterdam. Students in grade 8 can register for participation in the Centrale Loting & Matching (ELK). The current primary school can provide more information about this process. For additional information about the central lottery system, you can visit https://schoolkeuze020.nl/.

From March 20th to March 31st is the central application period. Registration via the parent portal of ELK is possible after you have received the final primary school advice, which is no later than March 22nd. Detailed information on how the central application works can be found at https://schoolkeuze020.nl/centrale-aanmeldingsperiode/.

At DENISE, we mainly focus on providing education to students aged 4 to 18 who are new to the Netherlands or have an international (educational) background. In doing so, we have requirements regarding the level of proficiency in English and Dutch.

ENROLLING FROM ANOTHER DUTCH SCHOOL (AND OTHER SITUATIONS)

Students who are already attending seconday education school in the Netherlands or have a basic understanding of the Dutch language (but not proficient enough to attend a regular Dutch secondary school) fall under "side-entry." The available spots in regular classes are limited because our classes are generally full (maximum of 24 students). However, the chance of obtaining a spot in language classes is higher. Based on information from the previous school and any additional tests we conduct, we determine which group is suitable and assess whether there is availability in that group.

Firstly, we refer you to our admission policy, which outlines the conditions for acceptance. To register (for the waiting list) for our secondary education, send an email to admin@denise.espritscholen.nl.

Provide the following information in the email:

- Your child's name and birthdate.
- The current school, education, and level your child is attending.
- A brief motivation.

We will then assess if there are possibilities/spots available and inform you about any further steps.

If you have a question that is not answered on our website, send an email to admin@denise.espritscholen.nl. Your question will be answered as soon as possible. School visits and phone contact are by appointment only.