Research shows: primary school leaders vital to equal opportunities for children
- ABN AMRO Foundation
Hans Sjouke Koopal
Press Officer Private Banking, Personal & BB
School leaders play a pivotal role in creating equal opportunities for children in primary education. Through their day-to-day understanding of pupils and families, they are uniquely placed to bring together the wider network of support services surrounding the school. This enables them to make decisions that give school teams the space to provide high-quality education and ensure their pupils are genuinely seen and supported. These are the findings of new qualitative research by Impact Centre Erasmus, commissioned by ABN AMRO Foundation as part of its 25th anniversary year. An important way many school leaders do this is by working with liaison officers who connect schools, families and support services.
School leaders at the heart of equal opportunities
The research shows that advancing equal opportunities in primary education requires a broad approach from school leaders. They combine high-quality education and high expectations with a safe and supportive learning environment, a strong school organisation, and close collaboration with parents/carers, partner organisations and pupils. School leaders bring these elements together, while keeping the needs of pupils and school teams at the centre of everything they do.
This broad coordinating role is set to become even more important in the years ahead, given new legislation on equal learning and development conditions currently being proposed in the Netherlands. This GLO bill aims to bring together several initiatives designed to promote equal opportunities, including subsidy schemes for liaison officers and school meals, from 2029 onwards. Responsibility for directing and allocating these resources will then be shared by school boards and school leaders. The research shows that, to fulfil this role effectively in practice, school leaders need more than stable funding alone. They also need trust and room for autonomy, as well as close collaboration with partners around the school.
Carola Peters, former school leader at Het Mozaïek primary school in Arnhem: “As a school leader, you have to continually ask yourself: what do my pupils need in order to grow and develop? That means knowing your pupils and their families, genuinely believing in every child's ability to grow and develop, and expressing high expectations, while also recognising what may be needed beyond the classroom. Liaison officers help build those connections with parents. By being approachable, visible and easy to reach, they create trust. And that trust has a direct impact on what happens in the classroom.”
Liaison officers in practice
The value of liaison officers is widely recognised. Every school leader interviewed who works with them described the role as making a meaningful difference. By ensuring that children’s and parents’ questions and needs are addressed more quickly, liaison officers help create calm in the classroom and give teachers more time to focus on teaching and pupil support.
The role's steady growth over the past fifteen years reflects the impact it is making in practice. Since the first liaison officers were introduced in Groningen in 2011, the approach has been adopted by an increasing number of schools across the Netherlands. In 2022, it received a national boost through a pilot programme by the Equal Opportunities Alliance and the Youth Education Fund involving twenty primary schools. The new research shows how liaison officers fit within a broader approach to equal opportunities and highlights the central role school leaders play in making that approach work.
Sander Bestevaar, Head of Partnerships, Events & Foundations at ABN AMRO: “Many meaningful changes start with an observation from the frontline. At the Foundation, we actively look for those signals: where do we see something making a difference, and how can we help shine a spotlight on it? We saw it years ago with the liaison officer role, after hearing through the Youth Education Fund about the remarkable results being achieved in Groningen. Today, we're shining a light on another important success factor: the role school leaders play in creating equal opportunities. In doing so, we hope to help raise awareness of what children need to grow and develop.”
25 years of ABN AMRO Foundation
For 25 years, helping children develop and fulfil their potential has been at the heart of ABN AMRO Foundation's work. Through programmes in sport, arts and culture, the Foundation partners with primary schools and community organisations that support children's development. Over the past year, ABN AMRO Foundation reached 27,692 children directly through more than 150 primary schools. A further 35,100 children were reached through its community partners. In addition, around 5,000 ABN AMRO colleagues volunteer each year, supporting recreational and developmental activities for children who may not otherwise have access to such opportunities.
About the research
The research was conducted by Impact Centre Erasmus (Erasmus University Rotterdam) on behalf of ABN AMRO Foundation to mark the Foundation's 25th anniversary. The study combined academic literature and policy analysis with in-depth interviews with 22 primary school leaders and education experts. The report examines how school leaders promote equal opportunities, which support structures are most effective in practice, and what conditions are needed to embed these approaches sustainably within the education system.
Photo from left to right: Monaïm Benrida, Carola Peters, Emiel Gieles, Sander Bestevaar