Welcome

A very warm welcome to the International Primary School (IPS GSV).

The Groningse Schoolvereniging (GSV) is a Dutch International Primary School. At the GSV the ‘Dutch’ departments, one of which is for highly gifted children, are bilingual, offering education which is 70% Dutch and 30% English medium. The international department, known as the International Primary School, is English-speaking as well as offering all children two hours of Dutch per week.

At IPS we offer children from all over the world an educational climate in which we celebrate our diversity and meet children’s needs as best we possible can with the help of a team of skilled staff. Our curriculum follows England’s Literacy and Numeracy National Curriculum as well as the International Primary Curriculum for Geography, History, Science, Design, Technology and Art. For the children’s social-emotional development we use the successful, research-based KIVA programme which is originally from Finland.

Each class has one or two class teachers who teach most subjects. The class teachers are either originally from an English-speaking country or are bilingual. Music, physical education, Dutch and Computer skills are taught by specialist teachers. Most of our classes have around 20 children in them. We also have a team of teaching assistants who offer additional support to classes which have more than 20 children.

The International Primary School is for children aged 3-11 whose parent(s) are working temporarily in The Netherlands, for children who are returning from an international education setting abroad and for children of families which are planning to move abroad in the future. Children who join our school and don’t speak enough English to access the curriculum are given intensive specialist English as an Additional Language (EAL) support. A team of Additional Educational Needs staff offer specialist help to children who need some support with their learning.

Please enjoy looking through our website. The Parent Handbook and GSV Index contain useful information to new families. For questions regarding our educational provision, about your children or about your plans to move to The Netherlands, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

If you are definitely planning to move your children to our school, please complete a registration form, after which we will contact you.

We look forward to meeting you and your children.

With kind regards,

Sue Beattie (IPS team leader) and the IPS staff team