Class

For this seven-part documentary series, Sarah Sylbing and Ester Gould, the makers of the award-winning series Debt Society (2016) return to the district of Amsterdam-Noord, this time to take a closer look at opportunities and inequality in education. In this diverse district, there is a relatively high level of poverty, despite the recent influx of well-off, well-educated families. At the end of primary school, aged 11 or 12, Dutch children receive a recommendation that determines the academic level of their education at secondary school—and thus affects the rest of their lives.

Class closely follows various children in the district for a year. Some are in their last year of primary school; others are already at secondary school, experiencing the consequences of their final-year recommendation. While some have to deal with a lack of resources or instability at home, others feel weighed down by the pressure to succeed.

The series explores the everyday lives of these children and poses the question whether schools can make a difference. Teachers, school boards, and the deputy mayor of education are also struggling to work out how to give every child a fair chance.