Cities / Amsterdam / Winford Bilingual Primary School Amsterdam
Winford Bilingual Primary School Amsterdam
A private 50/50 Dutch English bilingual primary in Amsterdam, the only school in the Netherlands teaching equally in both languages every day. Winford runs a single class per year model with two native speaker teachers in every classroom, one Dutch and one English.
In brief
A private 50/50 Dutch-English bilingual primary in Amsterdam, the only school in the Netherlands teaching equally in both languages every day.
Winford runs a single-class-per-year model with two native-speaker teachers in every classroom, one Dutch and one English. The curriculum blends the Dutch and UK national programmes through IPC thematic units, with assessment, lunch, school trips and materials all included in the EUR 23,800 annual fee. The Amsterdam site sits on Jan Luijkenstraat in the Museumkwartier, with sister schools in Haarlem and The Hague.
The school suits families who want full Dutch fluency alongside English without committing to a Dutch-only state school. Parents on long-term postings, mixed-nationality households and families planning to stay in the Netherlands beyond the typical expat cycle are the natural fit. Class sizes are small, the family-school relationship is close, and 40 flexible holiday days are built in. The fee is steep for a primary-only commitment, and for short-term postings a subsidised IB or international primary will usually make more financial sense.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| All year groups (Groups 1-8, ages 4-12) - all-inclusive | 4 | €23,800 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee (non-refundable) | €550 | |
| Enrolment Fee (non-refundable) | €1,000 |
Reviews
A tiny private bilingual primary near Museumplein, run by two native-speaker teachers per class and aimed at families who want Dutch and English at the same depth. Roughly seventy pupils across the school, mixed-age groups, hot lunches and a flexible holiday calendar that public Dutch schools do not allow. The Dutch Inspectorate gave the school a clean bill on every quality criterion in 2024. The trade for the small, attentive feel is that the school sits inside a private boutique register, with fees in the low twenty-thousands and an ownership chain that now runs to Stockholm.
Positives
- Bilingual model. Every class has a Dutch native and an English native teacher, each sticking to their own language. Parents describe children leaving able to hold both at near-native level, and slotting into Dutch secondaries without a stumble.
- Individual attention. Classes average around eight pupils with a cap in the low teens. Children get named, watched and adjusted to in a way larger Dutch schools cannot match.
- Inspectorate verdict. The Dutch Inspectorate visited in 2024 and rated the school positively on every criterion, including safety, teaching quality, pupil progress and continuity. No improvement notices.
- Transition to Dutch schools. Children moving on to Dutch state secondaries appear to land at level, including in pupils whose curriculum was half in English. Parents flag this as the reassurance they were looking for before enrolling.
Considerations
- Ownership. Winford College was bought by AcadeMedia, a Swedish-listed group that runs roughly seven hundred schools and nurseries across Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands, in 2023. The day-to-day feel is still small and boutique. The chain of accountability now runs to a listed parent.
- Scale and setting. About seventy pupils on roll, sharing a Museumkwartier building with the Winford secondary. The intimacy is the draw. A school this small has a thin year group and limited room for friendship reshuffles if a year does not gel.
- Fees. Around EUR 23,800 a year, in line with private bilingual provision in Amsterdam and well above subsidised Dutch bilingual streams. Hot meals and a flexible holiday calendar are included; the headline number is still the headline number.
Leadership
Joy Otto
Joy Otto is the Director of the Winford Bilingual Primary School Program. She holds undergraduate degrees in Primary School Education and Special Education (k-18), with post-graduate work in Montessori education, Orton-Gillingham Language Speech/Language Therapy, and Brain Gym Kinesiology. With over 22 years of experience as a teacher, therapist, and education specialist, she previously served as the lead docent educator for divergent learners and primary schools at the Smithsonian Institution. She is also a certified PADI divemaster and is passionate about Dutch culture and immersive bilingual education.
Academic results
- Result 90% of continuous students from age 4 score above level in CITO tests
- Result 75% of students joining after age 4 test at level compared to Dutch-only programs.