How many British schools in Amsterdam
The Amsterdam metropolitan area currently runs around five schools delivering a British curriculum pathway. The British School of Amsterdam in Oud-Zuid is the only through-school in the city, taking pupils from Foundation Stage to A Level on a single age cohort. Around it sits Brookfield International School in Amsterdam Noord, the bilingual Winford and a handful of primary settings that follow EYFS into Year 6. For families who want the full BSN scale, the British School in the Netherlands, anchored in The Hague, is 50 minutes by train and remains a viable commuter option from southern Amsterdam.
The Amsterdam British cluster is small for a city of its commercial weight, with maybe 2,200 British curriculum places in total. The reason is structural. The Netherlands' subsidised Dutch International Schools model funnels much of the international demand into the IB pathway, which absorbs a chunk of would-be British families. UK leavers without DIS eligibility, particularly those committed to A Levels for UCAS coherence, anchor the private British market that remains.
Inspection cover comes from the Dutch Inspectorate of Education, which audits every school regardless of curriculum, supplemented at the British School of Amsterdam by BSO accreditation through Penta International. Brookfield and Amity sit outside BSO coverage but both run a Cambridge Assessment exam centre licence.
Fees and the Amsterdam tiers
British curriculum tuition in Amsterdam falls into two rough bands. The mid tier, EUR 17,200 to EUR 21,500 per year, captures Brookfield and the smaller primary settings, where Year 6 fees sit comfortably under the local IB premium tier. The premium tier, EUR 24,000 to EUR 26,900, covers the British School of Amsterdam and the Amity sixth form stream. There is no value tier in Amsterdam British provision the way there is in Doha or Dubai, because the DIS subsidy does not extend to the British curriculum.
Two cost traps catch UK arrivals. First, the one-off enrolment fee, set at EUR 2,000 to EUR 3,000 depending on school, is non-refundable and rises every two years. Second, the British schools price each examination entry separately at IGCSE and A Level, which adds roughly EUR 1,200 to the Year 11 and Year 13 budget. Our Amsterdam fees guide walks through the full cost-of-place arithmetic by school.
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Take our 5 minute school finder quiz. We shortlist three Amsterdam British schools based on your child's stage, your sixth form qualification preference and your budget.
Illustrative example schools
The schools below are illustrative, not a ranking. Each delivers a clearly mapped English National Curriculum pathway and has been operating in Amsterdam for at least seven years.
British School of Amsterdam, in Oud-Zuid, is the anchor school. Founded in 1978, it now runs from Reception through to Year 13 and is the only school in the city offering both A Levels and IB Diploma at sixth form. Cohorts of around 900 students send the majority of leavers to UK universities, with a steady minority heading to the Netherlands and North America.
Brookfield International School in Amsterdam Noord is a smaller primary through to lower secondary setting following the English National Curriculum and Cambridge Primary. It is the natural feeder for families who plan to move on to BSA or to British schools elsewhere in Europe.
Amity International School Amsterdam, in Amstelveen, is the IB Diploma school with a British primary feel through to Year 9. Useful for families wanting IGCSE optionality at Year 11 and the IB Diploma at sixth form rather than A Level.
Where British families live in Amsterdam
British curriculum families in Amsterdam cluster around three districts. Oud-Zuid and the Vondelpark belt, for proximity to the British School of Amsterdam and the diplomatic posting community. Amstelveen, particularly Buitenveldert and the Westwijk neighbourhoods, for shorter commutes to Amity and the wider international school cluster. Amsterdam Noord, for Brookfield and the cheaper rental market across the IJ. A meaningful minority of UK families on temporary postings end up further out in Haarlem, Bussum or Hilversum and commute to BSA on the train, which works well at primary but less so by sixth form. For the wider relocation picture see our Amsterdam city hub.
Admissions and the UK transfer
Applications for September 2026 entry at the British School of Amsterdam opened in November 2025 and close on a rolling basis as places fill. Year 7 and Year 12 are the hardest to enter mid-cycle because both feed the school's anchor cohorts. Assessment days run February through April with offers issued within ten working days of the assessment.
UK leavers moving mid-academic-year have two practical considerations. First, A Level subject availability at BSA is finalised in May for the following September, so a transfer requesting Mathematics, Further Maths and Physics in late October may find one or more subjects unavailable for resourcing reasons. Second, predicted grades for UCAS are usually issued in early December, so a transfer in November risks the receiving school not having enough evidence to issue UCAS references for the January deadline. For the curriculum-level view see our British curriculum hub and the cost calculator for full Amsterdam relocation arithmetic.
Frequently asked questions
How many British schools are there in Amsterdam?
The Amsterdam metropolitan area lists around five British curriculum schools as of 2026. Three deliver IGCSE at age 16 and two carry through to A Level. The British School of Amsterdam in Oud-Zuid is the only school in the city offering both A Levels and IB Diploma at sixth form.
Do British schools in Amsterdam offer A Levels?
Yes. The British School of Amsterdam offers A Levels alongside the IB Diploma at sixth form, with subject availability driven by enrolment each cycle. Amity International School Amsterdam offers IB Diploma only, so UK families committed to A Levels have a narrower choice than in The Hague.
How much do British schools in Amsterdam cost?
Tuition at Amsterdam British schools ranges from about EUR 17,200 at the smaller primary settings to EUR 26,900 at sixth form. The median Year 9 fee for 2026 sits at roughly EUR 22,400, before capital fees, transport and the EUR 2,000 to EUR 3,000 enrolment levy at the larger schools.
Are British schools in Amsterdam BSO accredited?
British Schools Overseas inspection coverage in Amsterdam is limited because the Dutch Inspectorate of Education inspects all licensed schools in the country. The British School of Amsterdam holds BSO accreditation through Penta International, giving UK universities and UK private schools direct comparability.
Can a UK leaver join Year 12 in Amsterdam mid-year?
Year 12 transfers into Amsterdam from the UK are possible only at the British School of Amsterdam and require an A Level subject match. Transfers after the October half-term are difficult because UCAS predicted grades are usually issued by the receiving school before Christmas.
