Practical information

School times

Monday	8.30am – 14.30pm
Tuesday	8.30am – 14.30pm
Wednesday	8.30am – 12.15pm
Thursday	8.30am – 14.30pm
Friday	8.30am – 14.30pm

These times apple to all students aged from 5 to 12, students aged 4 come every day till midday. Every Wednesday Tec 2, 3 and 4 has physical education class, it is fine to bring in sport clothing for this. If you child is ill or has a prior arrangement which they have to attend, then please let the teacher know or telephone the school on the number: 0118 745009

Food and drink

We have two breaks per day, except for Wednesday. In the small morning break the children may eat and drink, often this is some juice and fruit or a small cake. In the larger lunch break they eat their lunch. Take this with you in a lunchbox. We think it’s important that the children get healthy food.

Holiday calendar

Autumn holiday	Monday 15^thOctober -Friday 19^th October
Christmas holiday	Monday 24^th December – Friday 4^th January
Spring holiday	Monday 4^th March – Friday 8^th March
Good Friday / 2nd Easter Day	Friday 19^th April
May holiday	Monday 22^nd April – Friday 3^rd May
Ascension Day	Thursday 30^th May
Whit Monday	Monday 10^th June
Summer holiday	Monday 6^th July – Friday 18^th August
On this school year, Eid al-Adha falls on 21^st August, with the sugar festival on 5^th June. Students can apply for 1 day’s holiday on either of these days. Study days are planned in on the annual calendar, namely: 8 October, 31 January, 9 April and 5 June.

Compulsory education

In the Netherlands most children go to school from the age of four.
However, between the ages of five till 18 it is compulsory to go to school, as stated in the Compulsory Education Act of the Netherlands.
As a parent you are responsible for registering your child at a school, as well as making sure they attend every day. This means that your child must arrive on time and follow the class timetable, unless the school is closed. If your child does not attend school according to schedule, there may be consequences for the parents, which may consist of community service and penalties.
It is best practice to make appointments with the doctor and dentist outside of school hours, however if the appointment is in school hours – we want to know a day in advance.

The Dutch educational system

The below diagram shows how the Dutch educational system is organised:

The time will come when your child knows enough Dutch to go to a regular school. If your child is less than 12 years old, this can be a primary school or a specialist school, we will discuss this with you at the appropriate time. We will also help you find a primary school, however if you already know which primary school you want your child to go to, then we are happy to hear that too.

If your child is older than 12 years old, it may be that your child is leaving for secondary education. There are different levels, but in most cases we refer our students to the ISK (international transition class). The ISK caters for foreign-language students between the ages of 12 and 18, who are from all parts of the world and who have not yet sufficiently mastered command of the Dutch language. In an average of two years, students at the ISK learn sufficient Dutch to be able to move onto Secondary Education, or to Secondary Vocational Education.