The Following Investigation Focuses on a Particular Group of Children in Amsterdam, Specifically those who are Compelled to Remain at Home

Abstract

This study examines the growing phenomenon of children and young people in Amsterdam who are effectively compelled to remain at home due to long-term school absenteeism, exclusion, or the inability of educational institutions to provide safe and appropriate placements. Drawing upon municipal statistics, educational policy reports, absenteeism data, and qualitative case studies, the investigation analyses developments within primary education (PO), secondary education (VO), and vocational secondary education (MBO) between 2020 and 2025. The findings demonstrate a significant rise in prolonged absenteeism following the COVID-19 period, with 1,183 children recorded as absent from school for more than four weeks in Amsterdam in 2025. Comparable trends are visible within MBO education, where dropout rates have exceeded 10%. The study argues that long-term absenteeism should not solely be interpreted as an individual or parental problem, but rather as an indicator of systemic strain within the educational system. Structural shortages in Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision, waiting lists, inadequate transition guidance, teacher shortages, and rising teacher sickness absence contribute to the exclusion of vulnerable pupils. Particular attention is paid to children from immigrant, refugee and expatriate backgrounds, whose experiences suggest that discrimination, institutional bias, and processes of social exclusion may further intensify educational disengagement. The article integrates statistical analysis with illustrative case studies involving Moroccan, Iraqi, Brazilian, American-Syrian, Eritrean-Italian and Iranian children in Amsterdam. These cases reveal recurring patterns of bullying, unsafe school climates, ethnic and religious stereotyping, misrecognition of disability, and institutional responses that shift responsibility onto families rather than schools. The study further situates these contemporary developments within broader historical and sociological discussions concerning colonialism, belonging, exclusion, and Dutch integration discourse. The article concludes that Amsterdam’s education system remains academically strong in aggregate terms but insufficiently inclusive for a significant group of vulnerable learners. Long-term absenteeism is therefore conceptualised as a crisis of belonging rather than merely a problem of attendance. Sustainable solutions require integrated interventions, including earlier support mechanisms, expansion of specialised educational provision, anti-discrimination safeguards, improved educational transitions, and stronger collaboration between schools, families, municipalities, and support organisations.