The International School of The Hague (ISH)

In 1983, Het Nederlands Lyceum, the oldest Lyceum group of schools in the country opened the international stream at their school in The Hague. In 1991, the school was closed and taken over by the Rijnlands Lyceum Wassenaar (RLW). The school was renamed The International School of The Hague and maintained its original building in The Hague whilst being affiliated to RLW as their international stream. The school was for 11–18 year olds.

The International School of The Hague (ISH), both Primary & Secondary, is part of the Rijnlands Lyceum Foundation, an educational organisation for secondary and primary education in The Hague and Leiden area. The schools within the foundation offer national and international programmes. The eight schools which are part of this organization are overseen by the Chairman of the executive board for Rijnlands, Mr Arjan Kastelein. As a partially subsidised school, which besides receiving fees from parents, is also supported by the Ministry of Education, ISH operates in accordance with the rules and regulations for Primary & Secondary education in the Netherlands.

Both the Primary and Secondary schools at ISH have their own School Principal who report directly to the Chairman of the executive board. They are supported in the day to day running of the campus by the Director of Operations. Each Principal has a leadership team for their school and the administration team for both sections is under the supervision of the Senior Leadership Team of the school.

ISH is very much one school and ensures that there is parity (where possible) with curriculum issues between the schools and that there are ample opportunities for school wide events in which all stakeholders are included. The staff at The International School of The Hague (ISH) in both Primary and Secondary are a committed group of professional teachers. Like our student population that comes from all over the world, so do our teachers. All teachers at ISH are university graduates and have teaching qualifications. Many of our teachers have international experience and are experienced curriculum practitioners in International Primary Curriculum (IPC) and International Baccalaureate (IB).

We are open-minded critical thinkers who learn through inquiry, reflection and engaging with different perspectives. We learn about ourselves and the world around us through service and experiential learning. We are independent and interdependent life-long learners. We take pride in the strength of our community and the diversity within it. We value our individual identities and celebrate cultural diversity. We connect with local and global communities through our learning.

Our Primary programme seeks to develop the intellectual, social and emotional, physical and aesthetic potential of each child. Our philosophy is to help students reach their full potential as individuals in the local and global community. ISH recognises that all students have the ability to learn and that they learn at different rates and have different learning styles, abilities and interests. We encourage children to learn through inquiry, reflection and engaging with different perspectives on the path to lifelong learning.

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) is a curriculum framework designed to offer inclusive, challenging and age-appropriate education to students aged 11 to 16. The MYP aims to develop students’ personal, social and emotional wellbeing as they acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will support their further learning. The curriculum is underpinned by the IB Learner Profile which consists of 10 attributes that embrace the development of the whole person. Students learn through inquiry, action and reflection across eight subject groups that are connected through key concepts and global contexts. They develop approaches to learning skills across the different subjects that empower them to manage their learning and meet the objectives of the different subjects, and prepare them for life long learning. Students, in all years of the programme are required to engage in the school’s Service and Action programme that develops their awareness of local and global issues and their commitment to helping others. In the final year of the MYP students complete the Personal Project, an independent piece of work. The MYP provides a very good foundation for the IB DP.