Underprivileged pupil

Underprivileged pupil

A pupil in primary education who, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, belongs to one of the categories of underprivileged pupils. The primary schools these children attend receive extra funding from the government on the basis of the weights they are assigned. The government takes the background of pupils into account when setting the amount of funding of primary schools. First of all, all pupils are assigned weight 1. Underprivileged pupils are assigned an extra weight (or factor). The schools thus receive more money for these pupils.

Starting from school year 2006/'07, a new scheme is being introduced for extra funding factors. In this new scheme two weights are used: 0.30 and 1.20:

• 0.30 for pupils for whom the education level of both parents is not higher than lower secondary vocational education (lbo), preparatory vocational education (vbo), practical education, or one of the practical streams of preparatory secondary vocational education (vmbo); or both parents attended another form of secondary education for a maximum of two years directly after primary school, e.g. basic technical school, lower vocational technical school (lts), domestic science school;

• 1.20 for pupils for whom one of the parents has an education level no higher than primary education or primary/secondary education for children with severe learning difficulties ((v)so-zmlk); and the other parent has an education level no higher than lower secondary vocational education (lbo), preparatory vocational education (vbo), practical education, or one of the practical streams of preparatory secondary vocational education (vmbo), or attended another form of secondary education for a maximum of two years directly after primary school, e.g. basic technical school, lower vocational technical school (lts), domestic science school.

The new scheme will be introduced over a period of four years. In addition to the 4 year-old pupils starting in that year, each year a new age group of pupils already attending school will be weighted according to the new scheme. Up to and including school year 2008/'09 the old and new weighting schemes will be used side by side. In school year 2006/'07 new pupils aged 4 years and pupils already attending school aged 5 years were counted according to the weighting scheme; in school year 2007/'08 new pupils aged 4 years and pupils already attending aged 5-7 years; in 2008/'09, new pupils and pupils already attending aged 5-9 years; and from school year 2009/'10 all primary school pupils will be weighted according to the new scheme.

The National Youth Monitor includes only the new scheme of weights.