KNM education and parenting: school, leerplicht and childcare

Education and parenting is one of the eight themes of the KNM exam. The questions are about the school system, the rules for school-age children, and the help parents can get. Here are the key facts, with real practice questions from Kora.

By the Kora team: Alex, Mariel and Abena, who did inburgering themselves. Written with help from AI. Every fact is checked against the official source. How we write our guides

Sources checked on 8 November 2026 (list at the bottom of this page). Kora is independent and not connected to DUO, CvTE or the IND. Plain text version to copy (.md)

What the KNM exam asks about education and parenting

Many questions give a child's age and ask what applies: may the child go to school, must the child go, may the family go on holiday now? Learn the ages, because the wrong answers are often one year off.

Other questions ask which school comes next, or which organisation helps with the costs.

Ages and rules

From 4: a child may go to the basisschool (primary school).
From 5: a child must go to school. This is leerplicht (compulsory education). It starts on the first day of the month after the fifth birthday.
Until 18: a young person without a basic diploma (startkwalificatie) must keep learning. This is the kwalificatieplicht.
School holidays are fixed. Taking a school-age child out of school outside the holidays is usually not allowed and can lead to a fine. Only the head teacher can give permission, in special cases.
Public primary education is free. A school may ask for a voluntary parental contribution (ouderbijdrage).

The school system

Basisschool: 8 years, from groep 1 to groep 8. At the end, the child gets a schooladvies (school advice) for secondary school.
Voortgezet onderwijs (secondary school): vmbo, havo or vwo.
After vmbo: mbo (vocational training). After havo: hbo. After vwo: university or hbo.
Freedom of education: you choose a school yourself, public or special (bijzonder), such as a religious school.

Parents: help and having a say

Kinderopvang (childcare): for young children while the parents work or study. Working or studying parents can get kinderopvangtoeslag from Dienst Toeslagen.
Kinderbijslag (child benefit) comes from the SVB. It is for all children, not for childcare costs.
Ouderavond: you talk with the teacher about how your child is doing. Parents can have a say through the ouderraad or the medezeggenschapsraad (MR).
Studiefinanciering (student finance) for mbo, hbo and university: DUO.

Practice questions from Kora

These are real questions from Kora's KNM practice, in Dutch like the exam. In the app, each fact comes back in new words, so you learn the fact and not the sentence.

1. De dochter van Amina wordt binnenkort 4 jaar. Wat geldt er dan voor haar?
Answer: Ze mag vanaf 4 jaar naar de basisschool.
Why: From 4 a child may go to the basisschool. It is only compulsory from 5.
2. Vanaf welke leeftijd is een kind in Nederland leerplichtig (verplicht naar school)?
Answer: Vanaf 5 jaar.
Why: Leerplicht starts at 5. At 4 school is allowed but not yet compulsory.
3. De zoon van Layla is 17 jaar en heeft nog geen diploma. Wat geldt er voor hem?
Answer: Hij moet doorleren tot hij een startkwalificatie heeft of tot hij 18 wordt.
Why: Without a basic diploma, a young person keeps learning until 18.
4. Nadia wil met haar schoolgaande kinderen op vakantie in een goedkope week midden in het schooljaar. Mag dat zomaar?
Answer: Nee, kinderen hebben vaste schoolvakanties; daarbuiten vrij mag alleen in bijzondere gevallen met toestemming van de school.
Why: Holidays outside the school holidays need permission from the school, and only in special cases.
5. De zoon van Omar zit in het laatste jaar van de basisschool. Wat krijgt hij aan het eind?
Answer: Een schooladvies voor het voortgezet onderwijs.
Why: At the end of the basisschool, every child gets a schooladvies.
6. Nadia (19) wil in Nederland studeren maar heeft weinig geld. Waar vraagt ze studiefinanciering aan?
Answer: Bij DUO.
Why: Student finance for mbo, hbo and university is arranged by DUO.
7. Sara en haar man werken allebei en brengen hun kind naar de kinderopvang. De opvang is duur. Waar kunnen ze hulp krijgen met de kosten?
Answer: Kinderopvangtoeslag van de Belastingdienst.
Why: Working parents get help with childcare costs through kinderopvangtoeslag. Kinderbijslag is something else.
8. Hassan wil graag meepraten over dingen op de school van zijn kinderen. Hoe kan dat?
Answer: Via de ouderraad of de medezeggenschapsraad (MR).
Why: Parents have a say at school through the ouderraad or the MR.

Practice all education questions Try one KNM question free, no account

Questions people ask

At what age must a child go to school in the Netherlands?

At 5. A child may start the basisschool at 4, but leerplicht starts on the first day of the month after the fifth birthday.

Can we go on holiday during the school year?

Usually not. Children of school age go on holiday in the school holidays. Only in special cases, for example because of the kind of work a parent does, can the head teacher give permission. You ask well in advance.

Who pays child benefit, and who helps with childcare costs?

Kinderbijslag (child benefit) comes from the SVB, for all children. Kinderopvangtoeslag, for childcare costs while you work or study, comes from Dienst Toeslagen.

Practice education in your own language

Kora explains every KNM answer in your own language, and asks each fact again in new words. 7 days free, no card needed. It is practice, not a promise: nobody can tell you in advance that you will pass.

Practice all education questions

Sources

Sources checked on 8 November 2026. The facts on this page come from these official pages and from Kora's own checked KNM questions. Rules change: if something here differs from an official page, the official page is right. This is general information, not legal advice.

Kora is independent, not DUO. It is not connected to DUO, CvTE or the IND, and it cannot book exams for you.