Admissions

Admissions

We welcome all children seeking a Dutch-language education in a warm yet academically challenging environment.

Plan a tour

Before enrolling your child, you might like to learn more about our school and come for a visit. We offer weekly English-language tours on Tuesdays at 10:00 AM, and twice a month on a Thursday or Friday at 10:00 AM. Each tour accommodates up to three families.

To sign up, please send an e-mail to e.vannifterick@ttsa.nl (Emma), and make sure to include:

• your child’s name;
• their date of birth;
• your postcode;
• preferred day(s) for a tour.

Our principal, Mr. Stefan Roskam, or our internal coordinator, Ms. Nienke Groenewege, will be there to help make sure you have as much information as possible to make the best decision for your family’s educational needs.

Citywide admissions policy (lottery)

Almost all Amsterdam primary schools use the same registration and placement process.
This ensures that all children have an equal chance of getting a place at a preferred school.
Placement follows fixed rules, is transparent, and works the same for every child.

Around your child’s third birthday, the municipality sends you the preference form for primary school and a brochure explaining the admissions policy: Starting primary school in Amsterdam.

How does the lottery work? Does Theo Thijssen have to use a lottery?

Automatic placement

After the final submission date, all registered children are placed through an automated citywide system overseen by the school boards. If a school has enough places, all registered children are placed. In recent years, more than 90% of children received a place at their first-choice school.

Lotteries are regularly necessary

When more children are registered than there are places, a lottery is required. This is regularly the case at Theo Thijssenschool. If your child is not placed at our school, they will be offered a place at the next school on your preference list that has a place for them. The exact order of placement can be found on the municipality’s Schoolwijzer website and the brochure below.

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Does my child get priority at Theo Thijssen?

Siblings

Your child always gets a place if they have an older brother or sister at the school when they turn 4. Note: You must still submit the form on time, but you do not need to list multiple schools.

Priority if you live nearby

Your child gets priority at the eight primary schools closest to your home address (but you can apply to any school in Amsterdam). Priority schools are determined by walking distance.

On Schoolwijzer Amsterdam, enter your address and your child’s date of birth to see whether Theo Thijssenschool is a priority school for you.

Children attending our preschool

Children who:

• have a VVE indicatie (“voorschooladvies“) from the OKT, and
• have attended preschool Ot en Sien for at least 8 months, and
• have Theo Thijssen as a priority school,

receive extra priority in placement. Proof of VVE status must be attached to the lottery form. You must still submit the form and list at least five schools. Without a VVE-indication, you only get priority based on living nearby.

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How can I register my child for groep 1?

Fill in the form

The pre-printed form lists your child’s name, date of birth, and home address. If anything is incorrect, correct it on the form.

• Fill in the form completely.
• List at least five schools in order of preference.
• Sign the form and include your phone number and email.

Supporting documents

You must provide documents in these situations:

• VVE indication from the OKT → include proof
• The pre-printed address is incorrect → include address proof (e.g., rental contract)
• You use a blank form → include ID and address proof

Submit the form at your first-choice school

If Theo Thijssenschool is your first choice, submit the fully completed and signed preference form (no copy or scan), including any required supporting documents, before the deadline at our school. You can hand in the form at our administration office from Monday to Thursday between 8:30 and 15:00 at Anjeliersstraat 153, or place it in the mailbox there.

Always check your proof of registration!
Once we have processed your application form, we will send you a proof of registration by email. Please check this document carefully and contact us immediately if anything is incorrect. Also contact us if you have not received a proof of registration within 5 business days after submitting your application.

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What if I didn’t receive a form, or if I’m moving soon?

If you didn’t receive a pre-printed form, you can download one here. You may also use this blank form if you have recently moved, or are about to move, and therefore have priority at different schools. Always include a copy of your child’s ID and proof of address so we can verify your child’s details.

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When can I register my child?

Child’s date of birth	Deadline to submit at Theo Thijssen
before 1 September 2022	contact us for lateral entry
1 September–31 December 2022	Thursday 12 March 2026
1 January–30 April 2023	Thursday 28 May 2026
1 May–31 August 2023	Thursday 5 Nov 2026
from 1 September 2023	date to follow

You register your child at Theo Thijssen by handing in this form at our school. Having space for everyone who would like to join us has sometimes proven difficult. Make sure to submit the lottery application form on time (around your child’s third birthday).

When is my child placed?

After the lottery, you will receive a letter from the school where your child is placed. This letter gives the deadline by which you must confirm that you want to accept the place. Only after formal enrolment does your child have a guaranteed place. If you miss the deadline, the place is offered to the next child on the waiting list.

Exception

If, after enrolment, it becomes clear that your child has support needs the school cannot meet, the school may decide not to admit your child. In that case, we will work with you to find a school that can provide the required support.

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After final enrolment: intake meeting

After you formally accept the place, we will invite you and your child to an introductory meeting. These small group sessions include other new families and help us understand how we can best support your child’s educational needs. They’re also a nice opportunity to meet other parents and children who will be starting at Theo Thijssen at the same time.

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Starting school

A few weeks before your child turns 4, the lower-school coordinator will contact you to discuss the start date and the first weeks at school.

Your child can usually start on the first school day after their fourth birthday. Sometimes, in consultation with parents, December-born children start after the Christmas break.

Children who turn 4 in June, July and August usually start after the summer holidays, because groups 1/2 are often full until the older children move to group 3.

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More information

• Brochure Naar de basisschool (citywide admissions policy 2026–2027)
• More information on the admissions process is available from the BBO helpdesk:
  020 716 3801 · toelatingsbeleid@bboamsterdam.nl. On the BBO website you can also find information on available capacity and past placement results.

Brochure: Starting primary school in school year 2026-2027

Lateral entry – Is your child 3.5 years old (or older)?

You will need to apply for a place directly if you have an older child (who missed the lottery deadline for 3 year olds). Please follow the Lateral Entrance Procedure in that case.

No rights can be derived from the information on this page. For exact regulations, consult Schoolwijzer Amsterdam and BBO Amsterdam.