De Spreng

What De Spreng does

Basisschool De Spreng is a public primary school (openbaar onderwijs) located at Rhijnsburglaan 7A in Heerde, a village in the Veluwe region of the Netherlands, serving children aged approximately 4-12 across groep 1 through groep 8. The school is housed inside Brede Schoolgebouw De Rhijnsberg, a multi-purpose facility that co-locates childcare, toddler programs, and primary education, and operates under the governance of Aurora Onderwijsgroep, a foundation that manages 26 public primary and secondary schools across the Veluwe and Zeewolde. The school's stated pedagogical differentiator is a nature and movement-based learning approach (natuur en bewegen), in which cognitive instruction is concentrated in mornings and creative/hands-on activities in afternoons, supported by an indoor garden (binnentuin), rooftop terrace (dakterras), and gymnasium (gymzaal De Rhijnsberg). Additional programs include Kanjertraining for social-emotional learning (with NJi-recognized evidence base and KanVAS tracking), Breinhelden for executive-function development, and Groove Me for English-language instruction in kindergarten. Free weekly Peutergym sessions for toddlers from approximately 2.5 years function as an upstream enrollment funnel.

The school is led by directeur Robin (who also leads a sister Aurora school), with an intern begeleider (Imke) handling care-coordination duties on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, an administratief medewerker (Sandra), named groep 1-2, 3-4-5, and 6-7-8 leerkrachten, an onderwijsassistent, klassenassistent, and a specialist gym teacher (Emiel) who also runs Peutergym. The team page identifies 12-15 named staff, which sits above the firmographic headcount of 6 and is the more realistic operational footprint for an 8-grade Dutch basisschool. Business operations run on Parro (parent communication), Digikeuzebord (digital choice board for kindergarten), and standard Dutch public-education tooling.

Commercially, De Spreng operates as a tuition-free public school funded by Dutch government education financing routed through Aurora Onderwijsgroep; there is no tuition revenue and no disclosed financials. Ancillary revenue-adjacent activities include the in-building childcare partnerships with 't Hummelhuis and BSO Heerderkom (KOM), which monetize before- and after-school care directly through the partner organizations rather than the school. Distribution is purely local: enrollment is open to all children in the catchment via direct intake, continuous year-round registration from age 3, personalized rondleiding (school tours), and open days, with the school also receiving referrals via word-of-mouth and joint tours with sister Aurora schools Jenaplanschool Heerde and De Horsthoek. The primary external risks are local demographic decline in rural Veluwe, competition for pupils from neighboring Aurora schools, and Dutch primary-education policy/funding changes.

Name

De Spreng

Legal name

Basisschool De Spreng

Website

https://sprengheerde.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Basisschool De Spreng is a tuition-free public primary school in Heerde, Netherlands, serving children aged 4-12 across groep 1-8 under Aurora Onderwijsgroep, with a pedagogical focus on nature and movement-based learning and integrated in-building childcare partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

Keywords

• Primary education
• Public schooling
• Nature-based learning
• Movement education
• Early childhood education

Headquarters

HQ city

Heerde

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: As a public primary school (basisschool) in the Netherlands, De Spreng is funded through government education funding. Primary education in the Netherlands is publicly funded and free for students. The school operates as part of Aurora Onderwijsgroep, a public education foundation managing 26 schools.
2. Peutergym Free Program: Peutergym (toddler gymnastics) is offered free of charge (kosteloos) as a community service to attract families to the school. This is a cost center rather than revenue generator, serving as a marketing/recruitment tool.
3. Childcare Partnerships: The school partners with external childcare providers ('t Hummelhuis and BSO Heerderkom/KOM) for before- and after-school care within the Brede School building. Revenue from childcare goes to these partner organizations, not directly to the school.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

De Spreng is a public primary school (openbare basisschool) located in Heerde, Netherlands, operating within the Brede Schoolgebouw De Rhijnsberg. The school delivers government-funded primary education to children in groups 1 through 8, with a distinct pedagogical focus on nature and movement-based learning. As part of the Aurora Onderwijsgroep network, it also integrates early childhood activities (Peutergym), social-emotional programs (Kanjertraining), and out-of-school childcare (Kinderopvang/BSO).

Product overview

De Spreng is a primary school (basisschool) offering education from toddler/kindergarten (peuters, groep 1-2) through group 8. The school operates as part of Aurora Onderwijsgroep and is housed in Brede School De Rhijnsberg. The core offering includes traditional primary education enhanced with nature and movement-based pedagogy, supplemented by toddler gymnastics (Peutergym), social-emotional programs (Kanjertraining, KickFit!, Breinhelden), English language instruction via Groove Me, and before/after-school care through partner providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Basisonderwijs (Primary School Education) Standard Dutch primary education for children in groups 1 through 8 (ages ~4-12), delivered at the school in Heerde under the public (openbaar) education system, with a nature- and movement-oriented pedagogical approach.
• Peutergym Movement/gymnastics program for toddlers (peuters) designed to develop motor skills in early childhood, aligned with the school's movement-based educational philosophy.
• Kanjertraining Social-emotional learning program (Kanjer training) used across the school to teach children prosocial behavior, cooperation, and self-confidence; the school is a certified Kanjerschool.
• Breinhelden In-school program focused on brain development and learning skills for primary school children.
• Kinderopvang / BSO (Out-of-School Care) Before- and after-school childcare (buitenschoolse opvang) offered on site within the Brede Schoolgebouw De Rhijnsberg, allowing children to remain in one location for school and care.

Quantifiable outcome

• Movement-based learning increases engagement and reduces behavioral issues
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 't HummelhuiscoreOthersBefore- and after-school childcare provider (BSO) housed within Brede Schoolgebouw De Rhijnsberg. Provides integrated childcare services for De Spreng students, allowing in-building drop-off and pickup. Operates as part of the broad school concept serving children 0-12.
• BSO Heerderkom (KOM)coreOthersBefore- and after-school childcare provider (BSO Heerderkom) operating within Brede Schoolgebouw De Rhijnsberg. Partnership provides extended childcare options for De Spreng families in the Heerde area.
• SWV 2305POcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cooperation association for passend onderwijs (inclusive education). Covers schools from Kampen to Raalte and Zwartewaterland to Olst-Wijhe. Provides support funding, expertise, and TLV (admission certificates) for special education placements. De Spreng participates in joint support plans and receives ondersteuningsmiddelen (support funds) through this partnership.
• Team Jeugd en Gezin (Heerde)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Youth and Family team providing support for parenting and child development questions. School collaborates with this municipal service for holistic child welfare support.
• Bibliotheek Heerde (Library)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the local library for reading promotion. School collaborates on 'bieb-op-school' (library-at-school) project and receives support for vocabulary education. New students receive vouchers for free library membership.
• Jenaplanschool HeerdeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner public school in Heerde offering alternative educational approach. Joint school tours available for families considering options in local public education. Schools are sister institutions under Aurora Onderwijsgroep.
• Basisschool De HorsthoekminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner public school in Heerde. Joint school tours available for families exploring options. Schools operate as alternatives within the Aurora Onderwijsgroep network of 26 schools.
• GGD Noord- en Oost GelderlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal health service providing youth healthcare (Jeugdgezondheidszorg). School collaborates on health monitoring and provides information to parents about health services for children.
• Aurora OnderwijsgroepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization managing 26 public primary and secondary schools in the Veluwe region and Zeewolde. Provides administrative support, HR, strategic direction, policy frameworks, and career development opportunities. De Spreng operates as an autonomous school within this foundation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Montessorischool Heerde: Local Montessori primary school offering an alternative pedagogical approach to families in the Heerde catchment. Directly competes for the same parents seeking non-traditional public primary education within commuting distance.
• Vrijeschool Deventer: Waldorf/Steiner-inspired primary school in the Veluwe region serving similar age cohorts with a comparable alternative-pedagogy positioning (nature-based, holistic development). Comparable as another independent-pedagogy primary school competing for philosophically-aligned Dutch families.
• Basisschool De Horsthoek: Public primary school in Heerde and Aurora Onderwijsgroep sister school. Joint school tours are explicitly offered with De Spreng, positioning them as alternative options for the same Heerde families.
• Openbare Basisschool De Slinge: Small-scale Dutch public primary school (OBS) in a similar-sized community, offering the same openbaar onderwijs (public education) model with comparable funding, governance, and operating constraints. Representative peer for benchmarking cost structures and small-school economics.
• Jenaplanschool Heerde: Public sister school in Heerde under the same Aurora Onderwijsgroep network, offering the alternative Jenaplan pedagogical approach. Directly comparable as a same-town, same-network primary school competing for the same local enrollment pool.
• Kindcentrum De Bieb (Brede School concept): Brede School / Kindcentrum concept integrating primary education with childcare and BSO under one organizational roof. Directly comparable to De Spreng's Brede Schoolgebouw De Rhijnsberg operating model — both deliver the integrated 0-12 service bundle.
• Basisschool De Pionier (OBS): Openbare Basisschool (public primary school) serving similar age groups under comparable Dutch government funding. Comparable as a standard-format Dutch public primary school alternative in the broader regional market.

Broad incumbents

• Stichting Kanjertraining: The Dutch organization that owns, certifies, and trains schools in the Kanjertraining social-emotional methodology. Kanjerscholen like De Spreng are certified via this foundation, making it the closest enabling/ecosystem participant comparable.
• Aurora Onderwijsgroep: Parent foundation managing 26 public primary and secondary schools in the Veluwe region and Zeewolde. Provides the administrative, HR, and policy framework within which De Spreng operates — the closest broad incumbent comparable in scale and governance structure.

Emerging players

• Natuurbasisschool (Forest School concept, NL): Emerging category of Dutch primary schools whose entire pedagogy is built around outdoor nature-based learning. Closely aligned with De Spreng's nature-and-movement differentiation, representing both a comparable model and a potential competitive threat from schools that take the concept further.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/de-spreng

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Spreng