Quick summary of key school information
School details
| Number of students |
275 |
| Number of nationalities represented in the school |
40 |
| Most common nationality |
We have a great mix of nationalities, around 40, including South Africa, New Zealand, Japan, S-Korea, India, Poland, Israel, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Austria, Spain, Romanian, Turkish, Russian |
| Ratio of local students to international students |
All our students come from overseas. A small percentage of our students have a Dutch passport. Those are students who have lived and been educated abroad |
| Native English speaking teachers |
Most teacher are native English speakers. |
| Language support for students not fluent in English |
English as an Additional Language is taught to all children who do not have English as a mother tongue and whose command of the English language is not sufficient for them to access the curriculum with ease. Children from all classes can be eligible for EAL. |
| Additional language classes offered by the school |
Dutch |
| Max. number of students per class |
Maximum of 22 children per class. |
| Average number of students per class |
22 |
| Does the school employ teaching assistants? |
Yes |
| Use of technology in the classroom |
We use laptops and chromebooks to support its curriculum. |
| Is the school ready to use virtual classrooms when needed? (e.g. teaching lessons online if the school is closed, e.g. during COVID-19 closures) |
Yes, we use Google Suite as our core platform. We can set up conferences with either the whole class or small groups or parents (e.g. Google Meet), and we can link to online lessons or demonstrations. Furthermore, Google Classroom is being used to allocate tasks. as well as other platforms. |
| Do students practice religion at the school? What religion? |
No we are a non-denominational school. As an intercultural international school we value all religions. |
| How does the school accommodate non-religious students or students of a different religion? |
N/a |
| External examinations or assessments available |
There is not an assessment or external test before starting our school or to enrol in secondary education. Assessment is on an ongoing process of observing, collecting and analysing evidence to decide where the students are in their learning, where they need to go, what the next step is and how they can get there. This includes standardized assessments. |
| Do teachers assign homework to their students? |
Yes, dependent on the age of the students. This can be learning to be done by the whole class which reflects former learning in class or it can be an individual activity based on the specific needs of a student. |
| Approximate hours of homework given |
No specific time, but home learning should be enjoyable and manageable whilst having plenty of free time after school. As the students progress through the school, home learning time increases and more is expected of the children and in preparation for higher education. |
| Percentage of students who pursue further education post-graduation |
We are a primary school. Our students either leave abroad or enrol to international or bilingual secondary education nearby. |
| Dedicated staff/programs for students with special learning needs |
Yes, for example an English as Additional Language (EAL) specialist, School counsellor, speech therapist. |
| Learning support offered |
If a student’s needs falls outside of the basic support, a consultation with the School counsellor is planned to discuss the support required by the student. When a student has a learning and or educational difficulty the school will try and meet the needs of that child. Besides expertise we have within our team, we also have a network of external support (e.g. school doctor/nurse, external school counselor, behaviour specialist). If the needs of a student are no longer able to be met within the school, alternative solutions will be recommended and implemented. |
| The school supports gifted, able and talented students |
Students who can handle more than the standard curriculum are offered enrichment and extension work based upon their needs, abilities and interests. Our International Primary Curriculum (IPC) offers a lot of opportunities for this. |
| Student access to education psychologist |
Yes |
| Entry evaluation for students |
We do start assessments in the first weeks after arrival, to determine the educational needs. We don’t perform an evaluation before enrolling, but we ask for previous progress reports or permission to contact the previous school. |
| Brief description of entry evaluation required |
See answer above. |
| Waiting list |
No |
| Deadline for registration (new academic year) |
No deadline, we accept registrations throughout the year and can enrol immediately (in case of availability) |
| Students can join after academic year begins |
Yes |
| School start time |
8:15 |
| School finish time |
14:30 |
| Supervised care before/after school |
Yes we have an afterschool care company within our premises who provides supervised care from 2.30-6.30pm |
| School bus service available |
No |
| School provided lunches |
No |
| Food alternatives for special dietary needs (ie. vegan, kosher, halal etc) |
No |
| Uniform required |
No |
| Extracurricular activities or clubs offered |
Our afterschool care provider, UniKidz, offers a varety of activities including art, dance, drama, swimming. |
| Sports activities included |
All children attend PE lessons twice a week and children in group 4 & 5 get swimming lessons. OIS also takes part in several sporting tournaments such as hockey, football, hockey and handball. |
| Sports teams or sport competitions available for students |
Yes, children can take part in school sporting tournaments |
| Facilities at the school |
We have a school library |
| Sports facilities at the school |
We have access to a gymhall next to our school |
| Qualities and characteristics best defining the school |
Optimist International School is a public international primary school in the Netherlands offering a happy, safe and encouraging learning environment where everyone feels welcome and valued. Surrounded by nature, our location in Hoofddorp (Haarlemmermeer) is 15 minutes from Schiphol Airport and the city of Haarlem, and only 20 minutes from Amsterdam. |
| Teaching approach of the school |
We make learning visible by providing inquiry-based education and giving children the opportunity to discover and develop their unique talents and learning skills. We embrace each child’s continuous learning journey; ‘Bringing out your child’s inner magic’. |
Contact the admissions team at Optimist International School
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