“As an international family, we feel lucky to have found Optimist International School (OIS). Ever since having moved here six months ago, the warm and personalised support given to us has been beyond amazing. The kids have settled in very well; they have grown and learned a great deal. Yesterday, I even heard them speak English to each other in the car and I was really impressed!” ~ Claudia Baker, parent.
Mistakes? Yes please, this is something the teachers at OIS encourage!
Walking through the school, you can see the fun in learning everywhere. “Bringing out your inner magic” is how Optimist International School considers learning.
“Learning is fun, engaging and inspiring. It is important that children feel safe enough to make mistakes and accept them as learning opportunities”, says Anne Marie van Holst, director of OIS. “It is our mission to prepare children for the fast-changing world in which they will live and work, to become lifelong confident learners.”
How does OIS make learning interesting and fun? The International Primary Curriculum (IPC) is the core programme of OIS.
Marjolein Schenk, head of learning, clarifies: “All IPC's thematic units of learning are designed to appeal to children’s interests and help them to learn more about the world around them.
For example, group 2 might work with a theme such as “Toys” whereas group 7 would study a more complex topic such as “Sustainability”. Combining different subjects such as Science, ICT, History, Geography, Art and Music in units helps children to see the big picture of their learning”.
Excursions and extra-curricular activities support learning within the units. Since both language and mathematics are crucial, the IPC is integrated with Mathematics and Literacy from the British National Curriculum.
OIS places great importance on being physically active during the day, through active learning experiences, activity breaks and a physical education (PE) programme.
Taking part in school sporting tournaments and local activities gives children many fun opportunities to get acquainted with different sports and develop lifelong skills.
“What I am also very happy about is that OIS organises after-school activities, such as swimming, art, Spanish, music and programming, which help my children to get more settled and make new friends in a safe environment”, says Claudia.
All children must feel secure, so that they can become the best version of themselves and develop to the fullest extent possible
Surrounded by nature, the new location of Optimist International School in Hoofddorp is situated only 15 minutes by car from Schiphol Airport, 15 minutes from the city of Haarlem and 20 minutes from Amsterdam. As well as offering great opportunities for growth, the new location enables OIS to have small classes, ensuring that children have all the care and support they need from day one.
Besides class teachers and learning support assistants, the school also provides specialist teachers for extra support in English (EAL), Dutch as an additional language (DAL) and physical education (PE). The Inspectorate of Education recently qualified OIS with a score of two times “Good” for “quality assurance” and “quality culture”, which means that they saw a great quality of education, above and beyond the regulations enshrined in law.
OIS has availability in all groups for children aged 4 - 11 years. Children are accepted throughout the school year. Secondary education can be found nearby. To find out more about Optimist International School, please contact them to make an appointment. You can also visit the school on one of their open mornings, check the website to see the dates and register online.