Together we grow stronger. On this news page we share the latest updates, inspiring ideas and innovative solutions to make your journey even better. From new courses to real-life examples: discover everything you need here.
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Online exercise platform Wieblie is taking a new direction. Whereas the initial aim was to inspire schools in the field of active learning, this is now being expanded to completely relieve primary schools of the burden of their transition to a school day full of movement. The reason for this is the involvement of education innovator ConnectAndPlay.
Child abuse is a complex and persistent problem. That is why, during the Week Against Child Abuse, the stories of (education) professionals, parents and children who have been confronted with child abuse take centre stage. What can we learn from these experiences, and how can we make the best possible use of these insights? So that more and more children can grow up safely, healthily and with opportunities.
Playing for Success has been recognized as an intervention by the ‘Development Stimulation, Education-related and Youth Welfare Committee’ of the Netherlands Youth Institute. Playing for Success is an after-school and extracurricular program for children aged 9 to 14 who, due to social-emotional factors, have difficulty keeping up with their peers at school.
Through Friday, November 12, it is Media Literacy Week. Rehoboth Primary School in Naaldwijk devotes attention throughout the school year to dealing with digital media and behavior on social media. Not only when something is going on, but structurally, using methods they have been working with for some time. On the Gezonde School website, Irene Kerssies, upper-primary learning support coordinator at Rehoboth, talks about it.
Several regional public health services and primary schools use Healthy School in combination with the Positive Health programme of the Institute for Positive Health (iPH). The Healthy School approach promotes a healthy lifestyle by providing structure, while the Positive Health Children’s Tool mainly promotes a pleasant atmosphere and the teacher–student relationship. The combination of these two products and programmes is perceived positively, as shown by our interviews with nine teachers, principals and Healthy School advisers.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to learning delays and concerns about the well-being of pupils in primary and secondary education. In secondary vocational and higher education, students’ academic progress and well-being are under pressure. This is stated in the first progress report on the National Education Programme (NPO), which the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science sent to the House of Representatives.
On Monday, 1 November, the National School Breakfast Week was officially launched at De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam. The 19th edition of the initiative was opened by presenter Klaas van Kruistum, with footballer Soufiane Touzani performing the official kick-off. Nearly 500,000 children from across the Netherlands will have breakfast at school once this week to learn more about the importance of a healthy breakfast as a good start to the day.
Kenniscentrum Sport & Bewegen is organizing Motor Skills Week from 1 to 5 November together with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, NOC*NSF, Mulier Institute, KVLO, Wij Buurtsportcoaches, Lectoratenplatform and VSG. During Motor Skills Week, various webinars will be held. One of these is the webinar ‘Physical Activity as Part of a Dynamic School Day’ on 4 November.
Knowledge Centre for Sport & Physical Activity is organising Motor Skills Week from 1 to 5 November together with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, NOC*NSF, the Mulier Institute, KVLO, Community Sports Coaches, the Lecturers’ Platform and the VSG. During Motor Skills Week, various webinars will take place. For example, on 3 November there will be a webinar entitled ‘Preschoolers on the move!’.
Preparing your students to teach about healthy relationships and sexuality and to ensure social safety around this topic, including in everyday situations in the classroom and at school. As a teacher educator, that is simply part of the job for you. To support you in this, School & Safety and Rutgers are organising the online conference ‘It’s simply part of the job’ on Friday, 5 November. The programme includes inspiring lectures and workshops, the latest developments and practical tools.
The Knowledge Centre for Sport & Physical Activity is organizing Motor Skills Week from 1 to 5 November together with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, NOC*NSF, the Mulier Institute, KVLO, Wij Buurtsportcoaches, the Lecturers Platform and the Association of Sports and Municipalities. There will be various webinars during Motor Skills Week. On 2 November, for example, there will be a webinar entitled ‘Outdoor play: importance, barriers and solutions’.
Teaching children healthy eating habits from an early age helps with the development of a healthy eating pattern. To help parents with this, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre has created a four-part video series, ‘Healthy Parenting for Ages 4–12’. The videos give parents practical tips for more peace and quiet, less conflict and healthier routines at home. The series is also of interest to primary education.
Media Literacy Week (5 to 12 November 2021) is themed this year: Together Social Online. We are taking a moment to reflect on what we REALLY consider important in the online world. We are making space to discuss this with one another. And to make yourself or someone else more media literate – and thereby more resilient and digitally skilled.
Learning delays in terms of subject matter that pupils incurred during the coronavirus crisis are not too severe. In the socio-emotional domain, however, there are often delays. This is evident from research by the Inspectorate of Education into the consequences of sixteen months of coronavirus for education.
What are the benefits of physical activity in the classroom, what role does group formation play in this, and what forms of physical activity can you use? The website of Specialist Sportieve en Gezonde School has listed them.
On 5 October, the School & Safety Foundation launched a new thematic website about gender and sexual diversity in education. Gendi.nl is the contemporary successor to Gay&School. Gendi inspires and advises education professionals in primary and secondary education and vocational education.
In 2022, KVLO, NOC*NSF and the Knowledge Centre for Sport & Physical Activity will search for the most sporty primary school and the most sporty special (primary) education school in the Netherlands. The election will take place on 23 March at the Willem Alexander Sports Centre in Groningen. In 2019, Kardinaal De Jong from Alkmaar (see photo) was the eighth most sporty primary school since 2005. In 2019, SO De Piramide from The Hague was the first most sporty special (primary) education school in the Netherlands.
In the coming years, King’s Games and JOGG will work hard to establish even more local partnerships between primary schools, sports providers and municipalities.
On 20 October, Cora Merkx will be a guest on JGZ Live! hosted by the Dutch Centre for Child Health. Cora Merkx recently launched the book, method and website Peuterbeweging. She did so because, in her work, she noticed that toddlers are not always optimally supported in moving as much as possible.
In preparation for the KVLO study trip to Denmark, organised by Arko Sports Media and Glos Educatief, the participants visited the Netherlands’ first movement-focused school, IKC De Twijn in Alblasserdam, on 6 October. Below you can read the report.
Based on her experience and knowledge, Cora Merkx noticed that today’s toddlers are not being optimally supported in their development and health. She felt the need to bring about change. This is how Toddler Movement came into being. On 8 October, she launched the accompanying method and book. Both the book and the teaching method are published by Glos Educatief. Sharon van Doorn, Regional Director of North Holland at Partou Kinderopvang, and Marlies de Haan, Director of Quality, Pedagogy and Innovation at Partou Kinderopvang, accepted the book in the presence of Tilly de Jong from Glos Educatief.
Playing is naturally great fun, but it is much more fun to play together. Right? For children, it is not only more fun, but also very beneficial. They learn how to deal with certain situations, such as winning and losing. But they also learn to stand up for themselves, make compromises and resolve arguments. So, what are the most fun games to play together? Speeltuinbende (a project of Gehandicapte Kind) has listed five inclusive tips for playing together, so that every child (with or without a disability) can have fun.
In a green area in Rotterdam, pupils from six different primary schools discovered how enjoyable and pleasant playing and exercising in nature can be. They visited Speeldernis, an inspiring nature play and learning space. During the visit, the children gathered inspiration for the design of their future green schoolyard. What do children say should definitely not be missing? IVN collected their best tips!
The Knowledge Centre for Sport & Physical Activity has published the inspiration sheet ‘Can I Participate? Sport and physical activity for every young person’. In it, the Knowledge Centre interprets the key findings of the study ‘Can I Participate? Sport and physical activity for every young person’ by Labyrinth Research & Consultancy. The Knowledge Centre also provides guidance for policymakers and practitioners in the sports and social (youth) sectors, with the aim of making participation in sport and physical activity more accessible to these young people.
The Rotterdam childcare provider KindeRdam and the Netherlands Youth Institute (NJi) have been working for four years on developing a monitor that maps pedagogical quality: Pedagogical Practice in Focus (PiB). As of 1 October, they have transferred it to the Expertise Centre for Childcare. This gives the childcare sector itself control over the assessment of pedagogical quality.
Recent research in America shows that children’s motor development improves when they start using a balance bike. It helps children learn to ride a regular bicycle, but also supports many other activities. In addition, it gives children confidence and leads to fewer unpleasant falls.
Around 1,500 schoolchildren in more than 50 classes across the Netherlands will receive an online nature lesson simultaneously on Friday, October 1. They will be seated in front of the digital whiteboard, ready to follow the lesson on edible mushrooms given live from the studio by teacher Mathijs ter Bork of IVN Nature Education.
Good ventilation is important for the healthy development of students. That is why it is good news that the Specific Grant for Ventilation in Schools (SUVIS) has reopened as of 1 October 2021. This grant is intended to improve the indoor environment of existing primary and secondary school buildings through ventilation. SUVIS is administered by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
By investing in physical activity from an early age, you lay the foundation for a healthy and active life. As a childcare organisation, you can promote children’s physical activity and, consequently, their development. It is important to establish this in policy. You can find out how to get started in the Childcare Physical Activity Policy, developed by the Knowledge Centre for Sport & Physical Activity.
The national Week Against Bullying began on Monday, 27 September. The week focuses on tackling bullying and working towards a socially safe school environment. After the turbulent year we have had, which had a major impact on group dynamics, this is especially important. Every year in September, the initiative’s founder, the School & Safety Foundation, organizes the Week Against Bullying for schools in primary, secondary and vocational education.