Problems in primary school

• Talk to your child. Ask him or her what he or she likes and dislikes at school. Try to find out what is going on and how you can help.
• Talk to your child's teacher. What does she or he see happening with your child and in the classroom?
• Please contact Youth Health Care Utrecht . Utrecht PO Collaboration.
• Isn't that enough? Take touch with with the neighbourhood team in your district. You can contact us with all your questions and concerns.

It is possible that your child's school is not a good fit. It may be too difficult or too easy. Discuss this first with your child's teacher, the school's Internal Supervisor (IB'er), and/or someone from the Utrecht Primary Education Collaboration . Together, you can determine whether the school can provide what your child needs or if you need to look for alternative or special education for your child.

• See what your child is good at and tell your child. Show that you have confidence in her or him.
• Let your child solve small problems by themselves. That gives self-confidence.
• Let your child be themselves. Tell them that they can be who they want to be. Set a good example yourself and don't judge others.
• At school all children learn new things. Give your child the space to make mistakes and learn from them.

You can find more tips on the website Ouders van nu.

• Compliment your child when he or she makes an effort, perseveres, or interacts well with others.  
• Encourage your child to express feelings and listen carefully. Give your child space and do not judge.
• Encourage your child to come up with solutions and try them out. This way your child learns to deal with things that don't work (yet!).
• Teach your child to set clear boundaries ('No, I don't want to do that and I won't do that') and to stick to them.

Is your child struggling with reading and spelling at school and do you suspect they might have dyslexia? First, talk to your child's teacher or the support worker. The school can offer additional exercises and support to help your child further develop their reading and writing skills.

If your child shows little or no progress over a prolonged period, this could indicate severe dyslexia. The school records these suspicions in the student's file and, together with you, may decide to register a child with the Dyslexia Gatekeeper. The Dyslexia Gatekeeper is the gateway to dyslexia support in Utrecht and assesses the school's student file for completeness. For example, it assesses whether the persistence of the problems is clearly described, how the school has provided additional support, and the substantiation of the suspected dyslexia.

Does the Dyslexia Gatekeeper share the suspicion of (severe) dyslexia? If so, you will receive a statement from the gatekeeper, which you can use to contact one of the contracted providers for further assessment.

On Poortwachter Gemeente Utrecht – Het ABC, you will find more information about how support for severe dyslexia is organized in Utrecht.

View on:

• Behavior and development
• Additional youth care
• Stress
• Special education
• Secondary education