← Back to the rankingNederlands Onderwijs Algarve Portugal (NOAP)
Alcantarilha, Portugal · est. 2018 · Private
Illustration · Alcantarilha
Nederlands Onderwijs Algarve Portugal (NOAP) is a small Dutch full-time day school in the Algarve, near Silves, among orange groves. Teaching is entirely in Dutch under the Dutch curriculum: primary school (basisschool, groep 1-8) and, since the 2025-2026 school year, secondary level, where students work with the distance school Wereldschool towards the Dutch State Examination (Staatsexamen) at vmbo-tl, havo and vwo level. The first Dutch day school in Portugal opened in 2010 and closed in 2013; on the initiative of parents, the school has operated as an independent organisation since 1 September 2018. The primary school is affiliated with Stichting NOB and is inspected by the Dutch Inspectorate of Education, and, according to the school, children meet Dutch compulsory education requirements and re-enter school in the Netherlands without difficulty. All students learn Portuguese twice a week, and English is also part of the curriculum. On average 55 children attend, about 12 per group; about two thirds stay temporarily, for a year, a semester or a term, and many families winter in the Algarve. The school is built on the Noordwijkse Methode and draws on Montessori, Jenaplan and Reggio Emilia; its motto is 'Jij mag (er) zijn!'.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $6 439–7 569 a year
5 700–6 700 EUR
Programmes
Dutch programme
Admits from
4 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
Dutch
Languages taught
English, Portuguese
Class size
about 12 students per group
Registration fee
≈ $339
300 EUR
About the fees Fees for the 2026-2027 school year: groep 1/2 5700 EUR, groep 3-8 6700 EUR, secondary 6150 EUR plus the Wereldschool package, whose price depends on the subjects chosen. Paying the full year before 1 June gives a 5% discount (5415, 6365 and 5842.50 EUR); the year can also be paid in two semesters of 2850, 3350 and 3075 EUR. For part of the year: a semester costs 3265, 3840 and 3525 EUR, a term (minimum) 2220, 2615 and 2400 EUR, a one-month extension 740, 875 and 800 EUR. Invoices are issued 3 months before the period starts. Wereldschool packages carry a 5% discount when the school enrols more than 5 students, as in 2026-2027.
Admissions The school admits children aged 4 to 18; by arrangement children from 3.5 may attend for a few days if toilet trained. Teaching is intended for children with Dutch as a mother tongue or a good command of Dutch: students can transfer from a Portuguese or international school if their Dutch is sufficient. Enrolment is for a full school year, a semester (5 months) or a term (3 months, the minimum); start dates are 31 August and 1 February, and for a three-month stay also after the autumn and Christmas holidays and on 1 April. Steps: the family sends information from the current school (report, recent test results or school report) and an email to info@noap.info with the period and group, receives a link to digital enrolment, then a contract and an invoice; a place is secured once the registration fee is paid. The school management checks whether a place is available; places are limited. For children with additional support needs the school decides on admission based on a report from the previous school; there are no specialists on staff. Secondary admission includes an intake interview together with Wereldschool. The school does not name citizenship as an admission condition; most students come from Dutch families living temporarily or permanently in the Algarve.
Stages and year groups Grades groep 1-8, VO (vmbo-tl, havo, vwo). Dutch curriculum. Primary school (basisschool) groep 1-8 following the Noordwijkse Methode and the Dutch ministry's core objectives; in 2026-2027 combined groups: 1/2, 3, 4, 5/6, 6/7/8. In groep 8 students take the IEP exit test (doorstroomtoets) and receive a secondary school recommendation. Secondary level (voortgezet onderwijs) since 2025-2026: students follow the Wereldschool (Lelystad) distance course at vmbo-tl, havo or vwo level, a full package or at least 4 subjects, guided by school mentors, and sit the Dutch State Examination (Staatsexamen); the school adds Portuguese, sport, cooking and project lessons. No international programmes (IB, Cambridge). Hours: primary Monday to Thursday 8:45-15:15, Friday 8:45-13:15; secondary Monday to Thursday 8:45-15:30, Friday 8:45-13:30.
Address Fontes da Matosa, 8365-006 Alcantarilha, Silves, Portugal
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
NOBThe school is affiliated to the Dutch NOB foundation, and the Dutch Education Inspectorate checks it as a Dutch full-day school abroad.
school is in an official registryconfirmed by a school document, by membership or by taking part in a networkclaimed by the school, no confirmation, not counted in the scoreGuide to all organisations → What stands behind each entry
NOBDutch Education Abroad Foundation (Stichting NOB) and the Dutch Education Inspectorate
A Dutch full-day school abroad: affiliated to the NOB foundation, subsidised by the Dutch education ministry and inspected by the Dutch Education Inspectorate.
What the badge means for this school. This is a Dutch full-day school abroad: it is affiliated to the NOB foundation, and the Dutch Education Inspectorate checks its teaching - this can be seen in the Inspectorate's documents. The entry is not a quality inspection against international standards. Whom the school admits and what it charges are on its own website. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →Dutch programme
The Dutch school curriculum taught in Dutch: the basisschool primary school, groep 1-8 (ages 4 to 12).
What this means for this school. The curriculum is set by the Dutch state: the school is affiliated to the NOB foundation, receives a Dutch education ministry subsidy through it and is inspected by the Dutch Education Inspectorate as a whole, not only for its Dutch lessons. A child who returns to the Netherlands carries on without switching from another system.
Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Exam results The school does not publish exam results. The school guide says students generally achieve average to above-average results and many leave groep 8 with a havo or vwo recommendation; standardised IEP tests are taken twice a year and the IEP exit test in groep 8. The secondary level has run since 2025-2026, and the school gives no State Examination results.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
·Laboratoriesnot stated on the website
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
·Cateringnot stated on the website
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Sports ground or field · Playground
Campus: Since 1 September 2024 the school has been in a new, light building on a large private plot set back from the road, with separate parking so children can be dropped off and collected easily and safely. Inside there are many open spaces, and classrooms connect through large double doors. Outside there is a sports field, swings, hammocks and climbing equipment; the grounds are also used for learning. There is a library with a reading corner, with books lent by parent volunteers every two weeks. After school, Monday to Thursday 15:15 to 17:30, a paid after-school club (NSO) runs for children aged 4 to 12, and on study days care is offered from 09:00 to 15:00. It is a day school with no boarding.
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
What the listings show: The team consists only of qualified and certified teachers; physical education is taught by a teacher certified for it; secondary mentors are certified teachers.
Some teachers work part time, so a group may have two teachers. The 2026-2027 school guide lists the group teachers, two secondary mentors, a PE teacher, a teaching assistant, a Portuguese teacher, the head Mariska Diehlman and a quality coordinator. Work follows the PDCA cycle; a remedial teacher is brought in when needed.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
·Nurse or medical roomnot stated on the website
·Counsellornot stated on the website
✓Child protection policy
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
✓Anti-bullying policy
The school has an anti-bullying protocol, two anti-bullying coordinators and confidential counsellors for younger and older groups. Rules are set out in a code of conduct, accepted by signing the education contract. The school surveys students on their sense of safety (IEP questionnaires, teacher observations in groups 1-4) and holds group-building weeks at the start of the year. There is a complaints procedure up to an independent committee. The plot with separate parking is set back from the road.
Reviews
No reviews yet. The community rating counts towards the score once a school has five verified reviews - until then we do not show a zero, so as not to mislead.
Criteria breakdown criterion weight in brackets
Academics and programmes (16%)72 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data80 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data65 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data65 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data55 "Scored on disclosed data" stands where we count only what the school has written about itself on its own site: exams and destinations, safety and wellbeing, teaching staff, facilities, clubs and activities. A low score here means the school does not write about this, not that the school does not have it: a school with good security and a sparse site will score low. A school can fill in its profile, and the score will be counted again.
The score is counted from 8 of the 9 criteria.Only those with checkable data count: programmes and accreditations from official registers, the fee from a published price list. Where it says "scored on the median", the school has no data and the middle of the list is put in its place, so that a gap gives no advantage. Admissions, teaching staff and reviews come in as their data arrives.
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