The learning of foreign languages has now become one of the objectives that arouses most interest in the educational systems. For this reason, reviewing the procedures implemented to improve its quality and efficiency is a really necessary issue. Doing so, moreover, from a comparative perspective, alluding to one of the countries that has a high ability in the use of this language, is a road which has hardly been developed. The aim of this article is to contribute to a better knowledge and understanding of the policies and initiatives carried out in the field of English teaching in Spain and the Netherlands in order to suggest possible aspects that may improve our educational system. To do this, firstly, the description of the most significant aspects of the structure and functioning of the teaching of English of the two countries is presented, detailing each of the stages of compulsory education. Then, within this framework, a comparative analysis is performed. Finally, the conclusions found are presented, and based on these results, some lines of reflection are proposed that could contribute to the improvement of the teaching and learning of the foreign languages at compulsory education stage in our country. ; El aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras se ha convertido actualmente en uno de los objetivos que mayor interés despierta en los sistemas educativos. Por esta razón, revisar los procedimientos que se ponen en marcha para mejorar su calidad y eficiencia resulta una cuestión realmente necesaria. Hacerlo, además, desde una mirada comparada, aludiendo a uno de los países que posee un mayor dominio en el manejo de esta lengua, es un camino apenas trabajado. El objetivo de este artículo es contribuir a un mejor conocimiento y comprensión de las políticas e iniciativas llevadas a cabo en el ámbito de la enseñanza del inglés en España y Holanda con el fin de sugerir posibles aspectos susceptibles de mejora para nuestro sistema educativo. Para ello, en primer lugar, se presenta la descripción de los aspectos más ...