Bilingual Education in the Netherlands

Bilingual teaching at Dutch schools began in 1989 when, at the request of Dutch parents,
an international school in Hilversum introduced a bilingual stream for “normal” pupils (i.e.
pupils at schools following a Dutch curriculum). Various other schools then followed suit over
the next few years. In the Netherlands,  Tweetalig Onderwijs – TTO (bilingual education) came
into existence in 1989. In most cases, TTO refers to bilingual (mostly English-Dutch) and 
Voorbereidend  Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs  – VWO, where this is the pre-university stream in
Dutch secondary education. In the TTO schools, a wide variety of subjects such as history,
geography, math, physics, biology, chemistry, economics, IT, arts, and music are taught in
English. Bilingual lessons are taught over the preceding six years leading up to university
entrance. Whilst in the last three years, students will focus upon the academic subjects that they
will be examined on (in Dutch), some of the lessons will still be provided in English. Bilingual
students also have the opportunity to sit the internationally recognized International
Baccalaureate (IB) English Certificate.

In the Dutch context, BE has the characteristics of late immersion programs (cf. Baker,
2002). Discussions at the European level have led to forms of immersion that are specific to the
European setting and the label used for this type of education that has emerged is Content and
Language Integrated Learning (CLIL; for discussion, see Marsh, Maljers, & Hartiala, 2001). The
predominant type of BE in Dutch secondary education is partial immersion with about 50% of
the curriculum being taught in English. The curriculum content in some subject areas is taught
through the medium of a second language, whereby the main focus is on that content rather than
on the foreign language in which it is communicated. Following current theory on Second
Language Acquisition (for an overview, see Brown, 2000; Ellis, 2003; Lightbown & Spada,
1999; Mitchell & Myles, 1998; Richards & Rodgers, 2001), meaningful and authentic
communication that is functional and relevant to the students’ needs, and not contrived, tightly
controlled or repetitive, is important for second language acquisition.

English-Dutch Bilingual Education in The Netherlands. Bilingual education (BE )started

as a ''grass-roots'' movement in secondary education: Many highly motivated teachers and
parents convinced their schools to start a new line of teaching, in which the foreign language
should be used as a medium of instruction in a substantial part of the curriculum. The first school
started to use English as the medium of instruction in September 1989; in September 2005 there
will be about 70 schools for secondary education using English as the medium of instruction in a
large part of the curriculum, with more than 5,000 students. Within certain restrictions, Dutch
schools for secondary education are relatively free to design their bilingual curricula. The main
criteria from the Dutch Ministry of Education are that 50% of the total number of lessons may be
taught in English, that the Dutch pre-university curriculum is followed, and that it does not affect
students’ language proficiency in Dutch. It is usually offered in lower secondary education
(grades 1–4, age group 12–15). The subject matters taught through English are mostly History,
Geography, and Biology. In addition (to achieve the 50% English taught lessons) schools may
offer Drama, Drawing, Handicrafts, Physical Education, Mathematics in English, and, in higher
grades, Economics, Physics, and Chemistry. In the 2 years of upper secondary education, Dutch
is in most cases medium of instruction throughout the curriculum again.

CLIL stands for Content and Language Integrated Learning and is crucial to the success
of bilingual education. Bilingual teaching in the Netherlands is not just a matter of switching the
language in which classes are taught but combines subject teaching with the teaching of language
skills. So teachers of subjects such as Biology, Maths, and Physical Education are expected not
only to talk English during their lessons but also to stimulate their students to use language; and
use it in a way that not only improves their vocabulary and fluency but also helps them to
become more confident speakers.

The main difference between bilingual education and international education – apart from
the fact that Dutch children are welcome – is that in bilingual education almost half the curricular
subjects are still taught in Dutch. This is because the pupils still follow the Dutch curriculum and
at the end of their school career must still take the Dutch school-leaving exams. Many bilingual
schools complement the Dutch exams with the English Language and Literature Certificate from
the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Also, a substantial number of schools offer
a Cambridge English language exam (such as CAE or FCE) or implement the Cambridge Global
Perspectives course or Checkpoint tests. Fortunately, experience has shown that receiving tuition
partly in English appears to have no negative effect on the students' knowledge of Dutch. Time
has also shown that the two main aims of bilingual education – increasing students’ language
proficiency and providing them with an international outlook – are certainly being fulfilled.
Bilingual Education in Sweden
In Sweden language schools are becoming more and more popular. In fact, from the
2008-2009 school year to the 2017-2018 school year, the number of students enrolled in
International English schools has almost quadrupled. Many foreign residents choose
international schools for their children because classes are conducted in English or because they
follow the curriculum of the child’s home country. Since the early Twentieth Century, Sweden
has enjoyed political stability, high economic growth, and a relatively conflict-free labor market.
When judged in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, it is consistently ranked as
one of the wealthiest countries in the world. In the 1960s, Sweden launched an impressive
educational reform with the ultimate goal of creating a nation bilingual in Swedish and English
(Anderman 1974). Today the Swedes have achieved a high standard of English fluency. A large
number of ordinary people in ordinary jobs and circumstances speak relatively fluent English
(Orpet 1984).

In Sweden, curricula, national objectives, and guidelines for state education are
determined by the parliament and the government. The National Agency for Education
(Skoluerket) is responsible for the development, evaluation, follow-up, and supervision of state
schooling and is required to report on the general status of state schooling to parliament and the
government every three years. In December 1993, the Swedish parliament approved legislation
for new curricular guidelines for the entire educational system. Under the new National
Curriculum (Idroplan), compulsory schools underwent major reform, resulting in wide-ranging
changes in the curriculum, syllabi, and time schedules. The new national syllabi specify
objectives for each subject which are to be fulfilled by the end of the fifth and ninth year of
compulsory school. This requirement has made it possible to evaluate nationwide scholastic
achievement after the fifth year. In addition, the school system is moving toward
decentralization, and each school can outline its curriculum. English Curriculum English is a
mandatory subject in compulsory school. When the new National Curriculum was introduced in
1995, each local school authority was given the freedom to decide when its students begin
English instruction. Thus, in some region's children may start learning English in the 4th grade
while in others they may begin as early as the 1st grade.
 English teaching aims to develop four language skills: oral proficiency; listening
comprehension; reading comprehension; and written proficiency. Oral Proficiency and Listening
Comprehension. In class, students are encouraged to speak in English while instructions are
given in the target language. English teaching at the lower levels targets listening comprehension
and oral practice as the most important skills. In grades 1-3 (figstadium), children practice
words, phrases, and grammatical patterns of simple spoken English. In the middle levels (grades
4-6; Mellansta -dium), students listen to interviews with native speakers and stories to develop
listening comprehension. They practice easy conversation to get information and to say what
they need or want. Exercises that are practiced in these levels consist of simple role-plays,
storytelling, descriptions or explanations of things, games, and songs. In the higher grades (7-9;
Hogstadium), authentic or produced recorded materials are used for listening comprehension,
Written Proficiency. English teaching materials include the basic textbook, supplementary
booklets, and audio-visual materials such as film strips, slides, and tape recordings.
 References
https://access-nl.org/education-netherlands/school-system/primary-secondary-education/dutch-
bilingual-schools-in-netherlands/
Bilingual education in Dutch school 2013 European Platform - internationalizing education
W. Admiraal et al. (2006) Evaluation of Bilingual Secondary Education in The Netherlands:
Students’ language proficiency in English1 Educational Research and Evaluation Vol. 12, No. 1,
February 2006, pp. 75–93
D. Keydenier et al. (2021) Bilingual daycares in the Netherlands: an analysis of the
implementation of bilingual input and underlying ideologies Amsterdam Center for Language
and Communication, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands Current Issues in
Language Planning2021, Ahead-of-print, 1-19
https://www.thelocal.se/guide/childrens-education-in-sweden/

E. G. Kim-Rivera (2008) English Language Education in the Swedish Compulsory School

Foreign Language Annals 32(2):234 - 242DOI:10.1111/j.1944-9720.1999.tb02394.x