Grammar schools are still selecting pupils, according to the AD on Thursday.

From this school year it is against the law to select pupils, but many independent grammar schools are ignoring the law and the advice given by primary schools, the paper says.

From this year, the Cito test taken by children in their final year at primary school no longer counts towards which school they will move on to. Instead teachers advise on which secondary education their pupils should get. Their advice must be followed and pupils must be considered for the available places at the recommended school.

A number of independent grammar schools has joined together to continue selection, adding extra demands from pupils over and above the teacher’s advice, the AD says.

Comfortable

One of the schools involved is the Haganum grammar school in The Hague. Headmistress Joke Gaasbeek told the paper that she wants pupils to feel comfortable at her school. ‘Personally, I feel we should be able to refuse pupils who we think are unsuitable, in the interests of the child,’ she told the paper.

The education ministry said in a reaction that it thinks this kind of selection is ‘unacceptable’ and is threatening to cut the schools’ subsidies. A spokesman told the paper: ‘A secondary school may not refuse pupils because it disagrees with the teacher’s advice or on the basis of exam results.’