Three quarters of children in their last year of primary school who scored higher than expected in tests which determine which secondary school they should go to have moved up into a higher stream, according to education ministry research.

The test, known as a doorstoomtoets, was first implemented this year. The aim of the new system, in which the test is taken before children have to pick their next school, is to improve equality of opportunity, by focusing on more than just teachers’ opinions.

If children perform better in the tests than expected, the school is required to revise their secondary school recommendation upward. School pupils are streamed in the Netherlands at the end of primary school into vocational (vmbo), pre college (havo) and pre university (vwo) education.

Junior education minister Marielle Paul said the figures show that the new test structure is boosting equality of opportunity. “Your school advice should not depend on where you live or how many diplomas your parents have,” she said. “I am very pleased that the test is contributing to that.”

The Dutch system of early streaming has come in for constant criticism in recent years.

Earlier this year, education campaign group KIS said primary schools are continuing to discriminate against children from migrant backgrounds when deciding what level of secondary school they should go to.

The PO-Raad, the advisory body for primary schools, has also called for the system to be overhauled. In a letter to parliament last May, the council said the current system had “mostly negative effects on pupils with a migrant background and from less favourable social-economic environments.”

Once placed in a certain category, it is more difficult to move up to a different level of education because so many secondary schools only offer one type.

The proportion of mixed ability first year classes, known as brugklassen or bridge classes in Dutch, has gone down from 70% to 55% over the past 10 years. Some 54% of 12-year-olds currently go to vmbo schools, while 22% are in pre-university streams and 24% in pre-college streams.

Inequality

School inspectors have also warned of the ‘unacceptable’ inequality in Dutch education because children of well-educated parents are scoring better in final primary school exams than children of equal intelligence from more disadvantaged backgrounds.

For example, well-educated parents are more involved in the choice of school and invest money in tutors, homework classes and training in exam techniques. Their children are also more likely to be labelled dyslexic or as having adhd, which also entitles them to extra teaching time.

The government’s socio-cultural advice group SCP has also said the lack of contact between different social groups at a school level can lead to increased segregation in society as a whole.