Vmbo pupils can keep up with extra coaching

One in six pupils in prevocational secondary education (vmbo) receive extra attention at school. These pupils perform nearly just as well as other vmbo pupils.

Mainly practice-oriented education

In school year 2004/’05, 17 percent of vmbo pupils received extra coaching in years three and four, in the form of special education (lwoo). Most of these pupils were in the two more practically oriented learning streams of vmbo: 46 percent of pupils in the basic practical streams and 12 percent of pupils in the advanced practical streams were in special education classes. For those in the theoretically based and combined streams this was only 2 percent.

Smaller classes

Pupils with special needs may receive an indication for special education. These pupils attend normal vmbo classes, but receive extra coaching, homework supervision and other special attention. They are often placed in separate, smaller  classes, which means they receive more individual attention.

Pupils in special education do not repeat more

In 2004/’05, 4 percent of all pupils in year three of the practical steams of vmbo had to repeat year three. Those in the special education streams did nearly just as well, and the advanced practical stream they did even better. Differences between boys and girls were very small. 

Repeaters in year three of vmbo, 2004/’05

Pass rates slightly lower in special education

In the year of the final exam, the special needs pupils did less well than their peers in other streams of vmbo. In 2004/’05, 91 percent of candidates in special education classes passed their exams. For the other vmbo pupils the pass rate was 96 percent. Girls in special education did slightly better than boys.

Pass rates in year four of vmbo, 2004/’05

Most pupils go on to senior secondary vocational education

Most pupils in the theory and practice oriented prevocational streams transfer to senior secondary vocational education (mbo) after year four of vmbo. Pupils who do not pass their vmbo exam may transfer to the lowest level of mbo. The transition of vmbo pupils in special education was only slightly lower than that of other vmbo pupils.

One in eight practical steam vmbo pupils who did not pass their exam in 2004/’05, resat the exam, while two in eight dropped out of education. For the special education pupils who did not pass their exams, also one in eight resat the exam, while slightly fewer of them dropped out.

Next stage for pupils after practical streams of vmbo, 2004/’05

Jantien van Zeijl