'Only digital lessons are insufficient education'
A private primary school for distance learning at home, Interteach, cannot be considered a school. The Education Inspectorate was recently ruled in favor by the administrative judge, who also found that digital teaching alone is insufficient. There is then no question of an 'uninterrupted development process'.
picture: Type tank
The decision was made by the judges of the Zeeland-West-Brabant District Court.
Interteach started a private primary school at the end of August last year, according to data from the Education Executive Agency. Students receive three to four days of distance learning and one or two days of physical education. The tutorial group focuses mainly on home-schoolers who are of compulsory school age, but who get stuck in regular education.
Compulsory education
After an investigation, the Inspectorate concluded that this school, which largely provides digital education, does not comply with the Compulsory Education Act. The inspectors lack a school setting where students have contact with each other or are in direct contact with a teacher. 'The exclusive teaching and creation of a school setting in a digital way does not sufficiently support the learning of students in cognitive and social terms.'
Teaching and creating a school setting exclusively digitally does not sufficiently support student learning from a cognitive and social point of view
Teachers cannot apply important pedagogical and didactic methods via a screen and group work and interaction between students is not easily possible. The Inspectorate believes that students learn little from each other in this way and miss social moments.
In addition, Interteach is not a day school, according to the inspectorate. Pupils do not come together and online education does not equate to 'regular school visits'. The education itself was assessed as satisfactory.
Arbitrariness
Interteach disputes the conclusion of the inspection and believes that the law has been misinterpreted, according to the ruling. There is arbitrariness. No hour standard has been set in primary education, but the Inspectorate believes that three physical teaching days per week are necessary. The law says nothing about this. Interteach also disputes that little or no physical education is offered, as the school is planning to do so for the next school year. Parents must then bring their children to school for one or more days.
Interteach believes there is arbitrariness
The court does not agree with this and follows the opinion of the inspectorate. In the conclusion, the judges wrote: 'The decision of the Inspectorate not to classify Interteach as a school within the meaning of the Compulsory Education Act, insofar as it offers primary education, stands.' The judges call the fact that many schools were closed during the corona time and actually taught in exactly the same way as Interteach. "This is not a standard."
If a school does not comply with the Compulsory Education Act, it means that the students who attend the school do not either. Usually that means the end of school. Interteach points out that education for sitters at home is a big improvement compared to no education at all.
This statement is interesting at a time when schools are thinking more than ever about online education due to the corona pandemic. With this ruling, the judges clearly state that physical contact is necessary in primary education and that this must be part of education.
Space
In the Education magazine of July stood a report on the pilot project Agora Underground. Home sitters receive a tailor-made learning path with remote guidance. Founder Jan Fasen emails that he finds this statement an 'interesting case'. "We haven't been blown back so far." However, Agora Underground is in talks with the ministry and the inspectorate recently visited. 'They had many questions and mainly wanted to be informed by us about the how and why of Agora Underground and what it looks like in practice.' The school must pass a legal test. "That process is now underway."
After the legal assessment, Fasen will again enter into discussions with both the Ministry and the Inspectorate. 'The Inspectorate cannot give policy space. The ministry does. At the moment I have a good feeling that we will be given that space.'
The Inspectorate says that it assesses each situation individually. According to a spokesperson, the Inspectorate always looks at the interests of the student and takes the laws and regulations into account. 'This differs per education sector and type of education.'
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