As far as is known, the gifted children of the abolished square class in Hoogeveen have almost all found a new primary school. This is reported by the partnership that included the square class. Just before the summer holidays, it was announced that the class will not return this school year.
“A number of students have been accommodated at regular schools and one at a Renn4 school. Six of the seven have accommodation, I don’t know about one yet,” says director Leon ‘t Hart of Joint Partnership PO 2203 in which various school boards in the region work together. . “Parents have individually sought an alternative for their child. They do not always feel compelled to report whether their child has finally ended up in a good place.”
The end of the squared class was already near last year, but thanks to a special construction it was still possible to keep the class going at PricoH school De Krullevaar. At the end of the past school year it turned out to be no longer feasible to continue after the summer holidays. The class would take up too much of the building and education of De Krullevaar. “Five of the seven students still had a year to go before they transfer to secondary education. It would have been worth a lot to me to still offer that year,” reflects ‘t Hart. “But the burden on the regular school was too great. It required too much management and did not fit in the building. There was no other address.”
This caused a lot of headaches for parents who had to find a new school for their child. Director ‘t Hart: “We are not happy with the entire process. The timing was unfortunate. If you say: ‘We will stop in August 2023’, you take your parents seriously and give them time. This was six weeks before the holiday We’re not proud of that.”
The fact that most gifted children are now going to try it in regular primary education is what the school boards prefer. “We are working on a quality improvement in regular education, so that these children can receive lessons there. Those processes are still ongoing,” says ‘t Hart. “Ideally, a facility such as the square class is not necessary, in fact it was an emergency provision. It was there because there was a need for it.”
The squared class has existed for about ten years, but the new influx has stagnated in recent years. “In the past, about thirty students were accommodated at PricoH. They came from the wider region, from Dedemsvaart to Assen and Emmen. Other partnerships have set up facilities, which has reduced the intake. But it is actually positive news that the registrations dried up somewhat, because schools are increasingly able to provide good education for these children.”
In the Hoogeveen region, they hope that the squared class will not return. That would mean that education for gifted individuals is in order in other places. “I don’t see it returning in the short term, but I can’t see into the future,” said ‘t Hart.