The Dutch school system is one of the best in the OECD, but reforms are needed to ensure it moves from ‘good to great’, the Paris-based organisation said on Wednesday.

‘Student motivation is inadequate and there are too few top performers given the overall high standards,’ the OECD says in its new report.

In particular, efforts need to be made to improve primary school education and ensure children are not streamed into particular school types at a young age. Efforts should also be made to reverse the downward trend in schools offering multiple streams which is leading to growing inequality, the report states.

There is mounting criticism of the way children in the Netherlands are streamed at 12 into single tier schools, which disadvantages late developers and children from immigrant and non-academic backgrounds.

The OECD also warns that more efforts should be made to attract high performers to the teaching profession, especially as many teachers in the Netherlands are approaching retirement age.