Amsterdam’s 230 primary schools are to gradually stop hiring freelance teachers in an effort to save money and improve standards.

The decision, which will apply to all primary schools in mainstream and special education, is not linked to the government clampdown on bogus self-employment, Arie van Loon from the primary schools’ board BBO told the Parool.

Permanent teams help foster stronger connections and ensure that children have a familiar face at the front of the class, Van Loon said. Freelance teachers also tend to have less responsibility and be less involved with their pupils, according to experts.

Many schools rely on freelance teachers to fill gaps in staffing. Around 4,600 people work in the city’s primary schools, of whom between 5% and 10% are freelance, though the proportion is higher in areas with the most acute teacher shortages.

Many of them will now be offered permanent contracts. The capital’s primary schools currently have 723 vacancies, the Parool said.