De Cirkel Utrecht

What De Cirkel Utrecht does

De Cirkel Utrecht (obs De Cirkel / Openbare Basisschool De Cirkel) is a public primary school serving children aged 4-12 across eight grade groups in the Zuilen neighborhood of Utrecht, Netherlands, at Prinses Margrietstraat 124. Operated under the SPO Utrecht foundation (Stichting Primair Onderwijs Utrecht), which governs 38 public schools, the school's educational model is built on three stated pillars — Sterke basis (strong foundation), Samen leren (learning together), and Veilig groeien (growing safely) — implemented through thematic learning that connects language, reading, math, and world knowledge; the Vreedzame School social-emotional curriculum across groups 1-8; the Stichting leerKRACHT continuous-improvement methodology; and Foutloos Rekenen math methodology in groups 6-8.

Technologically, the school uses Chromebooks from group 5, the Parro mobile app for parent communication, Parnassys for administrative workflows, and thematically integrated digital tools for practice and reinforcement. It holds opleidingsschool category 3a certification with two certified school trainers (Koen van der Wielen, Manon den Hertog). Specialist cultural programming is delivered through third-party instructors: Endry van den Berg / ImagiN3 (theater, groups 5) and Fotodok (photography and visual literacy, groups 4-8).

The business model is fully government-funded through the Dutch primary education budget administered by SPO Utrecht, with an additional voluntary parent contribution of €47.50 per student per year that funds extracurricular activities (school trips, camps, festivals). There are no tuition fees and no commercial revenue. Enrollment flows through the municipal Utrecht registration system (naardebasisschool.utrecht.nl), with intake conversations for side-entry students. Governance includes a Medezeggenschapsraad with three parent and three staff representatives, and the school is led by Director Marja Hamers. The school is also embedded in the Brede School Zuilen network and operates VVE preschool services (ages 2.5-4) jointly with Ludens, plus multiple BSO after-school care partnerships.

Name

De Cirkel Utrecht

Legal name

Obs De Cirkel (Openbare Basisschool De Cirkel)

Website

https://decirkelutrecht.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

De Cirkel Utrecht is a government-funded public primary school in Utrecht's Zuilen neighborhood, serving children aged 4-12 across 8 grade groups under the SPO Utrecht foundation, with thematic learning, Vreedzame School social-emotional curriculum, and learnKRACHT professional development methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education (Public Elementary School)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs (EDACABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Inclusion-Focused SEL for Diverse Learners (ECE) (EDACAOAK), Teacher/Provider SEL Coaching & Implementation Training (ECE) (EDACAOAH)

Keywords

• Primary education services
• Public elementary school
• Early childhood education
• Social-emotional curriculum
• After-school childcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary education is fully funded by the Dutch government. Core educational services are covered by public funding through SPO Utrecht.
2. Voluntary Parent Contribution: Voluntary parent contribution of €47.50 per student per year to fund extra-curricular activities not covered by government funding such as school trips, camps, Sint Maarten, Christmas, King's Games, group 8 camp, musical, and summer festival.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Obs De Cirkel is a publicly funded Dutch primary school (openbare basisschool) delivering government-financed basisonderwijs to children in groups 1 through 8 (approximately ages 4–12) in the Zuilen neighborhood of Utrecht. The school supplements its core academic program with the Vreedzame School social-emotional curriculum, thematic integrated learning, the Stichting leerKRACHT teacher-development methodology, a VVE preschool program for 2.5–4-year-olds run with Ludens, and partner-delivered after-school care (BSO). Revenue comes primarily from Dutch government education funding via SPO Utrecht, with a voluntary €47.50 per-student annual parent contribution covering extracurricular activities.

Product overview

De Cirkel Utrecht is an openbare basisschool (public primary school) offering a unified educational program from group 1 through group 8. The school operates on a core educational platform centered on strong basic skills (taal, lezen, rekenen) supplemented by integrated programs including the Vreedzame School for social-emotional learning, leerKRACHT methodology for professional development, and thematic learning connecting academics with art, culture, and world knowledge. The school also provides extended services including VVE early childhood education (via Ludens partnership) and BSO after-school care (via multiple partner organizations). The educational approach is built on three pillars: Sterke basis (strong foundation), Samen leren (learning together), and Veilig groeien (growing safely).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Basisonderwijs (Public Primary Education)
• Voor- en Vroegschoolse Educatie (VVE) Preschool
• Buitenschoolse Opvang (BSO) After-School Care

Quantifiable outcome

• School participates in comprehensive satisfaction surveys every 4 years under students, staff and parents; regular smaller surveys conducted

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• LudenscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLudens provides Voor- en Vroegschoolse Educatie (VVE) for children aged 2.5-4 years, including language stimulation and school preparation. The VVE program is housed in the school building. Pedagogical staff work with De Cirkel teachers to ensure smooth transition to group 1.
• BSO Jansen (Jansen's Apenkooi)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBefore and after-school care provider operating in the school vicinity, offering childcare services for De Cirkel students.
• BSO LudenssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAfter-school care provided by Ludens for De Cirkel students, integrated with the school's VVE partnership.
• BSO BlossupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBefore and after-school care provider for De Cirkel students in the Zuilen area.
• Sport BSO TopkidssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSports-focused before and after-school care provider for De Cirkel students, located in the Elinkwijk area.
• SPO UtrechtcoreOthersSPO Utrecht (Stichting Primair Onderwijs Utrecht) is the governing body for 38 public schools in Utrecht. De Cirkel is one of these schools. SPO Utrecht provides administrative support, policy guidance, and is responsible for quality assurance and legal compliance including privacy (AVG).
• Brede School Zuilen NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDe Cirkel collaborates with Wijzer aan de Vecht, Margrietschool, Ludens, Spelenderwijs, and Harten voor Sport & Me'kaar as part of the Brede School Zuilen. The network organizes after-school activities for talent discovery across culture, sports, digital skills, and democratic citizenship.
• Endry van den Berg / ImagiN3minorOthersTheater lessons for groups 5 since December 2021, provided by Endry van den Berg who has background in Theatre for Development and experience with War Child. Sessions held every Tuesday.
• FotodokminorOthersPhotography and visual literacy lessons for groups 4-8 since March 2022, provided by Fotodok, a cultural organization specializing in photography education. Lessons in small groups covering photography and image editing.
• EVA ArchitectenminorOthersArchitecture firm from Utrecht responsible for the 2021 school renovation and expansion project, creating a nearly energy-neutral building with sustainable design features.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stichting BOOR: One of the largest public primary education foundations in the Netherlands, operating dozens of Rotterdam-based basisscholen. Comparable to SPO Utrecht in scale and public-funding model, providing a useful benchmark for De Cirkel's operating model.
• Stichting Openbaar Primair Onderwijs Den Haag: Public primary school foundation operating multiple openbare basisscholen in The Hague. Shares De Cirkel's status as a publicly governed urban school network with similar curriculum and SEL program expectations.
• Stichting Openbaar Onderwijs Amsterdam: Public primary school foundation governing multiple openbare basisscholen across Amsterdam. Comparable governance structure, urban multi-cultural mandate, and public-funding reliance mirror De Cirkel's setup.
• SPO Utrecht: Stichting Primair Onderwijs Utrecht is the governing body that oversees 38 public primary schools in Utrecht, including De Cirkel. It is the direct parent entity and provides administrative, HR, and policy infrastructure to De Cirkel.

Regional players

• Stichting Openbaar Onderwijs Groningen (O2G2): Public primary school foundation operating openbare basisscholen in the Groningen region. Comparable as a Dutch public primary school operator with similar governance and funding model, though located in a different geography than De Cirkel.

Others

• CED-Groep (Vreedzame School): Organization behind the Vreedzame School SEL and democratic-citizenship program used by De Cirkel across all 8 grade groups. Comparable as an enabling methodology provider and a peer in the social-emotional learning infrastructure for Dutch primary schools.
• Stichting leerKRACHT: Dutch education methodology foundation whose continuous-improvement framework (board sessions, lesson study, student voice) is implemented at De Cirkel. Relevant as the upstream methodology provider and as a peer in the teacher-quality-improvement ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Ludens Kinderopvang: Utrecht-based childcare organization that operates the in-building VVE (2.5-4 years) program and BSO services at De Cirkel. Directly comparable in the early-childhood and wraparound-children services space that complements De Cirkel's primary education.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/de-cirkel-utrecht

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about De Cirkel Utrecht