Better education through digital transformation
Challenge
In the Netherlands, there is significant attention and funding for high-quality educational conditions, with spending levels exceeding the OECD and EU-25 averages. This creates scope for support that can genuinely help schools and pupils move forward. Yet in major cities such as Amsterdam, this support did not always reach its destination efficiently. Until recently, the application and accountability process for subsidies was entirely paper-based. School boards and headteachers had limited oversight, making it difficult to see which forms of support were available and where they were most urgently needed. The process was error-prone, time-consuming and complex, offering little insight into the actual needs of schools.
Result
With the introduction of the Subsidy portal (Subsidieportaal), schools in Amsterdam can now submit their applications digitally. Norday began by digitising a single form, and the system now processes more than 6,000 applications each year from over 250 schools. The portal provides the municipality with clear insight into where support is needed and which schools require additional attention.
Thanks to this digital transformation, the process has become far more efficient and transparent. Headteachers spend less time on administrative tasks, while the municipality can allocate subsidies more effectively, ensuring they reach the pupils who benefit most.
What we did
Service design, digital strategy, accessibility, customer journeys
Impact
From paper to digital
Norday started by digitising the paper forms schools were required to complete. What began as replacing stacks of paperwork evolved into the digitalisation of the entire process: from logistics and application routing to communication between the municipality and educational institutions.
By making the process digital, valuable insights emerged into how applications were submitted, where bottlenecks occurred, and what support schools genuinely needed. This enabled the municipality to:
- improve processes and facilities;
- provide more targeted support to school boards and leadership teams;
- allocate subsidies more effectively.
The result was a more transparent, less error-prone and more accessible system, giving schools greater freedom to focus on what truly matters: delivering high-quality education.
The way we invest in children today helps shape the future of Amsterdam. With the education subsidy portal, Norday contributes a digital building block to good education that is distributed fairly.
Starting small, delivering big results
Traditional ICT projects often attempt to define everything upfront and deliver it in one large programme. This carries significant risks: long lead times and limited insight into effectiveness until after delivery.
The City of Amsterdam chose a different approach. Together with Norday, they started small and worked in short iterations. An initial version was made available quickly, allowing schools and policy officers to contribute ideas and provide feedback. By continuously learning from real-world use, the system was gradually refined and scaled up.
Process-oriented design
In complex digital transformation projects, success depends not only on technology, but primarily on processes and the people who work with them. Using design thinking and service design methodologies, the portal was designed around real user scenarios and the actual needs of schools, policymakers and administrative teams. The focus extended beyond the interface to the entire end-to-end process.
By starting small and testing continuously, a solution was developed that is practical, manageable and flexible. The portal can evolve alongside everyday practice and respond directly to new insights and emerging needs.
Norday demonstrates that it is possible to deliver large-scale digital transformation in a stable and cost-effective way by starting small and building step by step.
Digitalisation in practice
Thanks to short development cycles and close collaboration, the first application form was quickly fully digitised. From that moment on, headteachers could submit applications without paperwork. At the same time, the municipality gained a real-time overview of applications and the support being used by schools. This made it clear where additional support was required and enabled schools to apply for appropriate measures in a timely manner.
In this way, a complex and error-prone process was transformed into a clear and efficient solution that directly supports both schools and the municipality.
Impact
The portal now processes more than 6,000 applications each year from over 250 schools and supports the municipality in allocating more than €400 million in subsidies. These funds are directed to pupils who benefit most, for example through:
- housing and healthy learning environments;
- specialist teachers for maths, language, sport, culture and physical education;
- additional teachers and educational support staff.
The result is a system that relieves schools of administrative burden, enables the municipality to steer more effectively, and ensures that investments have maximum impact on education.
Ready to change things?
