The Hague, The Netherlands Report of what it's like to live there - 08/17/15

Personal Experiences from The Hague, The Netherlands

The Hague, The Netherlands 08/17/15

Background Information:

1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?

Parent

View All Answers


2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?

8, 6, 3

View All Answers


3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?

2013-2016

View All Answers


4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?

Government

View All Answers


5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?

American curriculum

View All Answers


Admissions & Welcome:

1. Are the admissions and placement procedures clearly stated to prospective families, either on the school website or through other means of communication?

B - ASH relies too heavily on placement tests instead of past performance and teacher recommendations, particularly in math. This can result in a child who is jet lagged and does not perform well being misplaced, with significant repercussions for the child's future.

View All Answers


2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?

A

View All Answers


Administration & School Procedures:

1. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:

My children love the school and have made many friends.

View All Answers


2. For the following attributes, down to the next blank box, grade your experience at the school on a scale of A (excellent) to F (unacceptable/terrible) and provide comments:<br><br>Overall fair and equitable treatment of all students and families:

A

View All Answers


3. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?

B - Teachers are great. But they are often only available during the school day, which is problematic if both parents (or a single parent family) work full-time.

View All Answers


4. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?

Lunch isn't provided - you buy or you bring your own. No uniforms. Laptops are provided free of charge (unless you break/lose it). You do have to get a graphing calculator in advanced math classes. And school supplies are provided in Elementary, but not all in MS and HS.

View All Answers


5. Services for gifted students who need academic challenge and students with learning difficulties:

C - ASH has not been as open to accepting students with some learning challenges in the past. The school is changing, but it's still sometimes an issue.

View All Answers


6. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:

B - There are a lot of options, but not always consistent across grade levels.

View All Answers


7. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:

A

View All Answers


8. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):

A

View All Answers


9. Administration-parent communication:

C - The school relies on a website for all communication. The website is not hard to use, but finding information on it can be tricky. The school also doesn't always solicit parental input when making big changes, such as deciding that Middle School children now must choose between choir and instrument and can no longer do both. They just announced it with no discussion, and this really upset a lot of people.

View All Answers


10. Teacher-student communication:

B

View All Answers


11. Academics, answer the following questions "yes" or "no" with an explanation if appropriate:<br><br>Are there any classes or subjects where students are not appropriately challenged?

No

View All Answers


12. Does your child receive any special-needs assistance or instruction at this school? If yes, what types? Who provides services and where:

No

View All Answers


13. Do you believe the special-needs assistance is appropriate and fills your needs? Explain:

N/A

View All Answers


14. Does the gifted and talented program meet the needs of students? Please explain:

N/A

View All Answers


15. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?

Yes

View All Answers


16. Please describe any classes or programs that you believe are missing:

Happy with the selection, just would like to actually be able to choose electives in Middle School instead of having to take all of them.

View All Answers


17. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?

There are trips, but they don't generally cost extra.

View All Answers


18. What activities do you feel are missing?

Recreational sports. Students must try out for all sports teams, and if one don't make the team there are relatively few options to get better to make it the following year.

View All Answers


19. Have your children participated in the activities offered? If no, please indicate why:

Yes.

View All Answers


20. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?

Yes.

View All Answers


Academics & Resources:

1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?

C

View All Answers


2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?

A

View All Answers


3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?

A

View All Answers


4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?

B

View All Answers


5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?

A

View All Answers


6. Are Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses available in upper grades? If this is an IB school, is the full diploma required of all students?

A

View All Answers


7. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?

Yes

View All Answers


8. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?

A

View All Answers


9. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?

Yes

View All Answers


10. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.

No

View All Answers


11. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?

Yes - but not as many for the younger children.

View All Answers


Social & Emotional Well-Being:

1. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?

Yes.

View All Answers


2. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.

No.

View All Answers


Overall Impressions:

1. What is the greatest strength of this school?

It's a great school. Every school has issues, but we've been very pleased overall.

View All Answers


2. Greatest challenge?

Working full-time and supporting the school. All parent interaction occurs during the work day. The school assumes there is always a parent home full-time.

View All Answers


3. Would you choose this school again? Why?

Definitely. Our kids are so happy here!

View All Answers


Subscribe to our newsletter


New book from Talesmag! Honest and courageous stories of life abroad with special needs.

Read More