The Netherlands International School Lagos

Transcription

1 The Netherlands International School Lagos 13 A/B Walter Carrington Crescent Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria Telephone : Website : www. nisl.org [email protected] Introduction This is the prospectus of the Netherlands International School Lagos (NISL). The NISL is a small-scale school with a friendly atmosphere. It is located in a prime spot on Victoria Island in the former Dutch Consulate residential compound in Lagos, Nigeria. At NISL we cover the whole Primary Education for the Dutch curriculum for children ages Language of tuition in the Dutch Stream is Dutch. Since August 2010 the school has started implementing an International stream teaching the English National curriculum with English as the language of tuition. The academic year the school will have a Reception Class, a combined Year 1 and 2 class, and a combined Year 3 and 4 class. In addition to the Dutch and British curriculum we follow the International Primary curriculum (IPC). The International stream will expand over the coming years. Dutch Language and Culture (Nederlandse Taal en Cultuur) is also available for students enrolled at NISL. We welcome children of all nationalities, religion and cultural background. Children at NISL are enthusiastic learners that fully develop their unique skills and talents. This is not only possible due to small class sizes, but also to the strong commitment of the motivated teaching staff at NISL who strive to help children reach their full potential. We would be delighted to meet you and share the friendly, family atmosphere and positive ethos that makes our school so special. A visit to the school can be easily arranged by phoning the school s principal: +234 (0) History of the school We have provided Dutch education in Lagos since 1967, under various forms of governance. We currently operate as a Dutch foundation. The Netherlands School Lagos, established August 17 th 1994 changed its name to The Netherlands International School Lagos in August 2010, to reflect the development of the English stream to be offered alongside the Dutch program. NISL is affiliated with the Foundation for Dutch Education Abroad (Stichting NOB). This foundation aims to provide or arrange for the provision of Dutch education under the Dutch Law of Primary Education and assumes the equality of all ideological and social viewpoints. Additionally to providing the Dutch curriculum, the cultural mission of the school is of great importance. Many children will return to the Netherlands to continue their education or transfer to another Dutch school and a seamless transition into Dutch schools in the Netherlands or abroad is therefore part of the mission statement of schools affiliated to Stichting NOB. Parents who place their children in a Dutch school whilst in a foreign country have consciously opted for Dutch as their mother tongue and wish to maintain a special emotional and cultural bond with the Netherlands. Our school has an important task as a center of Dutch language and culture in an international setting.

2 The Executive Board of The Netherlands International School Lagos comprises of the chairman, secretary and treasurer and is appointed by parents. A General Parent s Assembly convenes at least once per year where this right can be exercised. Character of the school NISL is a public Primary School, which means that there is a place for all children, regardless of ethnic origin, religion or culture. We endeavor to create an environment where each child can develop to their full potential in the social, emotional, cognitive, motor and sensory areas. Furthermore, we strive to ensure that children feel at home as quickly as possible in their new school and that they are placed into the appropriate educational level for them. Our students come from schools in the Netherlands and Belgium and from both Dutch and International Schools abroad. The duration of their stay at our school varies widely. A few continue throughout Primary School, some remain for 3 to 4 years and some stay for only one year. Our ability to manage these incoming and outgoing students is a hallmark of our school. Curricula at NISL We have provided Dutch education for over 40 years in Lagos, Nigeria. The international character of the school has been reinforced at the start of the school year by the introduction of an International stream, where the British National curriculum is being taught. Learning Principles We provide effective education to the children. In addition, we use the model of direct instruction. This model has the following elements: Daily recap: Classes begin with a review, which covers the previous curriculum, the work that the children have made in the previous lesson and / or their knowledge. Presentation: The presentation begins with an overview: what will we achieve in this lesson? Then, the new material is introduced. Using small steps, we build the lesson, regularly giving examples and summaries and gauging whether the children understand the material. Practicing: The children practice with clear instructions and under guidance of their teacher. We ask a lot of questions and ensure that all children remain involved, so the confidence of the children is increased. Dutch Stream (DS) The subjects we provide are described in the attainment targets for primary education. These attainment targets indicate the direction in which schools must operate. Parents who wish to know more about the content of these core objectives can obtain information through either the school or the Ministry of Education and Science's website: In year group 1 and 2, attention is paid to early literacy to familiarize students with sounds and letters. In year group 3, students learn to read and write systematically. The latest version of the

3 method "De Leessleutel" published by Malmberg is used for reading. For language instruction in groups 4 through 8, we use "Taal Actief4", also published by Malmberg. In addition to learning the main operations required for arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), much attention is paid to the solving of practical mathematical problems. Strategies for problem solving are an important component of the course. Students learn from an early age to work with tables and graphs. The method we use for this is "Pluspunt" published by Malmberg. International Stream (IS) The International Stream at NISL began in August 2010 with a Reception class, which was joined by a mixed Year 1 and 2 class. In the coming years we will continue to expand the International Stream of the school. The school year of started with a Reception Class, a Year 1 and 2 mixed Year class and a Year 3 and 4 mixed class. In addition to teaching the International Primary Curriculum in English, the International Stream uses the English National Curriculum for Literacy and Maths. The language of tuition in the International Stream is English. For more information about the English National Curriculum please visit the following website: curriculum.qcda.gov.uk English curriculum In addition to the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), the ISR class will cover aspects of the UK English Curriculum (EC), in particular Literacy, Numeracy and ICT. Literacy or CLL (Communicating, Language and Literacy) covers the four areas of language acquisition, which are; speaking and listening, linking sounds and letters (phonics), reading and writing. Children in ISR will develop their speaking and listening skills through both the IPC and EC. To support their learning of letter sounds we use the Jolly Phonics Programme. This scheme introduces letter sounds using stories, actions and pictures that help children to link letters to the sounds of the English language, and supports both their reading and writing development. As well as learning to link letters to sounds to support their reading, children will also learn to read using the Oxford Reading Tree Scheme. All the stories in this scheme are based around a typical family, which the children relate to very well. The children will be encouraged to learn the characters names and talk about and answer questions related to settings, plots and characters. Children will be encouraged to write their weekend news and through our various IPC topics they will also be encouraged to write for a range of real life situations. In Numeracy children will learn, through a range of practical activities and everyday situations, about numbers as labels and for counting, calculating shape, space and distances using approaches from both the IPC and EC. Children will use a range of ICT programs to support their Literacy and Numeracy development, as well as learning to use a mouse, keyboard and simple drawing programs. Progressing on from ISR children in Year 1 and 2 in the International Stream (ISR1/2) will continue to develop their knowledge of the letter sounds to begin to sound out words to read more fluently and write simple sentences independently. The Jolly Phonics Programme is completed in Year 1 and children will then develop their reading and writing using Jolly Grammar which again gives children the opportunity to learn through symbols, actions and sounds. Children will continue to progress through the Oxford Reading Tree Scheme and will be given the opportunity to access a range of texts in class as well as through the IS library. A variety of IPC topics will give children the opportunity to write in different contexts and for different purposes as well as allow children to develop an awareness of different genres of writing.

4 In Numeracy, as well as being encouraged to use and apply their knowledge through a range of practical activities, children will develop skills to write and record their work using symbols and simple diagrams. Children will learn to select the mathematics they use in some classroom activities and develop their mathematical vocabulary to discuss their work. Children will develop their knowledge of numbers and the number system by counting and ordering numbers as well as adding and subtracting numbers to solve problems. Children will learn to use everyday language to describe properties and positions of 2-D and 3-D shapes, and will measure and order objects using nonstandard and standard units of measurement. Data handling skills will be developed as children sort and classify objects and begin to communicate their findings by gathering information in simple lists, tables and graphs. ICT will be used to support learning across the curriculum. As children develop their keyboard skills they will use a range of programs to research information themselves and present their learning. International Primary Curriculum (IPC) The teaching of language, reading, Maths and English (the basic subjects) remains the same, and we will continue to work to a high standard as we continue to track our students progress. English will continue as a separate subject. These subjects, which fill most of our schedule, are thus outside of the IPC. In these classes, children learn the same things as in regular Dutch primary schools, making re-integration into the Dutch education guaranteed. For all other subjects, we follow the learning objectives of the IPC. The course material consists of so-called units of work. For each level, special units have been developed which are in line with the development phase and paradigm of the child. A unit of work consists of a central theme (eg Professions, Olympics, Holidays, Toys, Active Planet) and a number of learning objectives. The learning activities stem from these. In each theme, different disciplines are addressed, so students learn to look at a subject in different ways. The activities are designed so that we can concentrate on the varying talents and skills of our students. By offering thematic teaching, there is much room for students to contribute to the content and design of the lesson. We connect with the student s questions and encourage them to search for and formulate answers. For the Dutch Stream, in each unit we include knowledge of the Netherlands (or Flemish culture for our Flemish students), so that we meet the requirements of both the core goals of the Dutch Inspectorate and the IPC. Monitoring quality of education It is difficult to demonstrate quality, as education is no ready-made product. Our concern for quality is closely linked with our desire to improve our teaching methods. Our Quality Management Plan has been described in our School Plan, to be elaborated on in the coming years. We will obtain information from the year group scores of our Student and Education Monitoring Program (LOVS) as well as our Assessment for Learning Program'. In this way we will be able to monitor and demonstrate the long-term quality of our education. From such an internal investigation, it is possible to make a judgment regarding the skills and abilities of the student population, the suitability of our methods and the input of teachers.

5 English for children in the Dutch Stream NISL attaches great importance to English as a separate subject. The two main objectives of the English classes are: That young children become acquainted with English as their second or third language, and thus learn to express themselves in English in everyday life. That children can prepare for progression to an English speaking International School. English lessons take place in a separate classroom. All new entrants are assessed on arrival as to their level of competency. Where necessary, these children are offered remedial classes in a separate block to ensure that they reach their appropriate age-determined level. Students who are more competent than their peers are encouraged to complete extra material to further develop their progress. Year Group 1,2 and 3 Group 1,2 and 3 have three English lessons of 30 minutes per week. In this group, we concentrate on spoken English. The main objective of these lessons is to expand student s vocabulary, improve their oral language skills and strengthen their general confidence when they speak English. This is accomplished through conversation, songs and rhymes, stories and occasionally a drawing or a craft. We try to follow the IPC units as far as possible, and see these units as a source for learning a new vocabulary and concepts in English. Towards the end of group 3, we begin with the New Chatterbox Starter series. Group 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 Group 4 to 8 have three English lessons of 45 minutes per week. In these groups we use the New Chatterbox, a series of four different textbooks published by Oxford University Press. We also follow the IPC units during these English lessons, dealing with new vocabulary and themes that are taught during IPC in class. We try to improve the confidence and the vocabulary of the students in these groups through various activities such as singing songs, role-plays and small skits, with either the New Chatterbox series or the IPC units as a starting point. Much attention is also paid to the technical aspects of the language as well as reading comprehension. From group 5, students are encouraged to take books home. In Group 7 and 8, supplementary work with the Grammar Lab and Brain Waves published by Oxford University Press ensures students are prepared. PE and swimming instruction Physical education is allocated two hours per week and is taught by our specialist teachers for gym and swimming. Swimming lessons are taught by two swimming coaches. Classes take place in the pool on the other side of the school compound. Students are offered the opportunity to achieve the Dutch swimming certificates A, B, C, and Level 1.

6 Parent Contact Parents and the school have a shared responsibility for the education and development of the child. A good working relationship with good cooperation and contact between parents and teachers is of utmost importance. Information about the school is available on this website, in the school guide and in the editions of NISL News which is sent to all families by on a weekly basis. The Activity Calendar NISL News In the first week of school, all children receive the Yearly Activity Calendar to take home. This calendar lists the activities that will occur throughout the school year. The calendar should be hung in a prominent place at home to ensure that parents have the most important school dates at hand. Each week a newsletter, NISL News, is sent to all parents per . This newsletter keeps parents well informed and up to date with all current issues and events at school. News from classes is also included in the newsletter, which ensures that parents are kept informed of the daily activities in the classes. Back copies of this newsletter are available for downloading on this website. Information meetings At the beginning of the school year we hold an Information Meeting. On this evening, parents become further acquainted with their child s group teacher (where necessary) and the teachers explain their work methods more fully. You will get an idea of the methods and materials used in the classroom as well as the plans for the new school year. At this meeting, issues of importance to the year group are discussed and agreed upon with the parents. Teachers will do a presentation in their own classroom. It is possible that more than one Information Meeting is held during the school year, especially where either the teaching team or the parents have a need for clarification about issues at school. Parent-Teacher Interviews The school year is divided into three terms. In November parents will be invited to discuss their children's learning progress. This is not based on a written report. At the end the second and third term, students receive a written report. These reports are then discussed at a Parent-Teacher Interview. Fifteen minutes are allocated to each interview and the time of the interview will be communicated several days in advance. In order to ensure responsible reporting, students who have attended the school for less than 6 weeks will not be reported on. Extra curricular activities Extra curricular activities are organized on several days per week at the school. These activities take place on school grounds and are scheduled after the normal school program and are being organized by professional coaches or parents. The costs associated with the (voluntary) participation in these activities are to be paid for by the parents of the parents. The extra curricular activities are organized for children in the different age groups three times per year. A great variety of sports, games and creative lessons are offered and can include such things as basketball, cooking, street dance, karate, chess, technical lego, crafts and African dance