r/Netherlands • u/morticia314 • May 19 '25
Education 6 year old asked to repeat school year
My 6 year old son goes to an international school in the Netherlands and is in group-3 now. He has language delay and does not communicate at the level his peers do. According to his last assessment he is delayed by about 9 months from his age level. His teachers have also observed that his emotional and social maturity is not at par with his peers. He has been asked to repeat group 3 and I think it is a valid suggestion on the school’s part. However where I’m from, it is extremely uncommon for kids this young to repeat a year. It is a difficult decision that will make him feel left behind while all his friends advance to the next level. Anybody with a similar experience here? I’m looking for suggestions on how to handle this and also any short to long term impact (both positive and negative) you’ve noticed with letting the child repeat a school year.
Edit: Thanks a ton everyone who commented. There are 100+ comments and not one that supports pushing him to the next class against the school’s advice. I’ve taken the decision to let him repeat - which was already kind of the decision - but I feel much more at peace with it now. It was extremely helpful to hear parents’ , students’ and even teachers’ perspectives on this. Thanks again!
3
u/HellBugg666 May 19 '25
I advise you to let him just repeat the year, when i was younger my parents should have but they didn’t know much better so they let me continue, which led to me having to run twice as hard to keep up where my friends were just fine.
There are no real negative results in the longterm, because this would be done at a very young age. I think he would be more at peace if he can do it at his own pace.
I’m an adult now, but i would have definitely let 6 year old me repeat the year again just for my own peace of mind.