Nadya

Her friends went to other schools, but she didn't care.Bridge student Nadya van der Lusdonk (12) just wanted a whole new adventure. At Sondervick College, she is in the transition year vmbo basis/kader. "The first day I had already made new friends."

The switching year makes the transition from elementary to high school easier. There are fewer students in the class and teachers teach multiple subjects. This way, there is not a different teacher in front of the group all the time. "I like that the class is smaller," Nadya says. "From the first day of school, I had a good feeling about it. It's not too crowded and you get to know each other quickly. I had made new friends in no time."

Homework at school

Nadya quickly got used to high school. "For me, the switching year is very good," she says. "I have trouble concentrating sometimes, and in this class I don't have as many distractions. We are taught in one set classroom, so we don't have to keep running all over the school. And very relaxed: we do our homework in class as much as possible. In fact, until the fall break we do everything. That really makes a difference, because I hear from others that they still have a lot to do at home."

No stress

About her teachers, Nadya is also satisfied. "They give me enough time to think," she says. "If I don't know the answer, they calmly go over the question with me. They are eager to help and because of that I don't get stressed. We also get help planning school work. And if there is anything, I can go to the mentor. I feel that at the Sondervick I can be myself and that the teachers believe in me. Because of that, I feel perfectly at home here."

New: starting in school year 2022-2023, all first-graders vmbo basis/kader will enter the transition year.