Welcome back to school!

On Monday 7 September we welcomed over 2300 students and their families back to our three junior school and two senior school campuses in and around The Hague, the Netherlands.  

A fresh and safe start to 2020/21  

The first day of school is always filled with unique energy (both of excitement and some nerves). This year was, of course, a bit different, with teachers meeting their students outdoors as families were requested to not enter the campus building in line with our coronavirus guidelines. However, with the sunny start to the Autumn term, the outdoor welcome was a fresh, warm and joyful one.    

Our leadership, teaching and support staff worked diligently throughout the summer holidays to ensure that our facilities are safe for our students, families and staff. Logistics and guidelines were communicated with families through emails, videos and via our intranet Gateway.   

For an up to date summary of our community’s FAQs related to the British School in the Netherlands and the coronavirus, please bookmark our dedicated webpage www.britishschool.nl/corona.*  

Wash! Wash! Here comes the handwashing train   

Heath Monk, The British School in The Netherlands CEO, has praised staff for their preparedness:

  “While visiting our five campuses last week, the attention to detail that our staff have put into preparing for the new academic year was very clear. There are detailed protocols to enable students to enjoy and make use of communal areas and well-rehearsed drop-off and pick up logistics, enabling safe and unhindered foot flow and bicycle traffic. I also liked the fun in-class hygiene routines that I saw, such as one Foundation 2 class’s handwashing train (which perhaps runs more frequently than trains to Schipol!).”      

Compassionate community   

Monk went on to thank the parent and students for their ready cooperation and readiness to adapt:  

Responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of each other is apparent in the way that our students and families have responded to the protocols. I am reminded of quote by Coretta Scott King: ‘The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members’.

All the best to students and staff for the new academic year, and a warm welcome to all of our new starters!