School delays parental access to grades

In an effort to reduce academic pressure on students, a secondary school in the Netherlands has implemented a one-term ban on parental access to their children's grades.

While students in the Netherlands must maintain specific grade averages to advance academically, the Jordan-Montessori Lyceum, in the city of Utrecht, discovered that real-time grade reporting to parents through an app was heightening student anxiety.

Stijn Uittenbogaard, an economics teacher at the school, surveyed 500 students — half its population — and found that children whose parents regularly monitored the app reported stress levels of 2.7 out of five, compared to a level of two among students whose parents checked less frequently, The Guardian newspaper reported.

"This pressure for students to achieve is really a modern thing in my opinion," Uittenbogaard said. "When I was at school, there was a report four times a year, but otherwise, you could tell your parents when and what you wanted. Now, parents can get a push notification on their telephones: 'Hey, your child has had a new result', and the child comes home with their parents sitting ready for a conversation. This is appalling."

Following discussions between Uittenbogaard and school rector Geert Looyschelder, administrators proposed a one-month pause on grade sharing. The recommendation found support, with student groups positive, 95 percent of parents backing the plan, and the parents' council pushing for a 10-week suspension.

With 40 years in education, Looyschelder argues that too much focus on grades overshadows crucial life skills, countering the Montessori principle of student autonomy in education, which he described as "responsibility and ownership of the choices they make in their learning process".

"The fact that parents are looking over the students' shoulders only causes stress," he said. "In our education system, we always say: 'You have the right to make mistakes. That's how you learn'."

Lobke Vlaming, the director of a national parents' association, reported positive feedback on the grade-sharing ban.

"For some time, we have been hearing about parental concerns about pressure to perform and also about children's privacy," she said. "Perhaps, they have the right not to have everything shared about them with everyone. And it shouldn't replace a conversation (between school and parents) if things aren't going so well, because sometimes parents hear this very late."

Experts in the sector say the pilot program could offer schools a model for reimagining parental oversight in education.

Karen Veij, former director of the testing service Bureau ICE, backed the initiative.

"Our whole testing system means that children can't fail and every figure counts," she said. "But if you don't get a 'satisfactory', you should have the chance to do it again... It's important that you understand."