International Schools Directory

The International School Hilversum ' Alberdingk Thijm' has 370 students. The school not only offers the international examinations of Middle Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate Organisation and International Baccalaureate Diploma, but it is also geared towards the Dutch national programme in bilingual format (English/Dutch). Forms 1-4 are taught within the MYP (IB). In forms 5 and 6 the students follow the International Baccalaureate Diploma course. Fifty percent of the staff at the International School Hilversum ' Alberdingk Thijm' is Dutch and fifty percent is recruited from non-Dutch qualified applicants. The first two years of employment are always on temporary contracts; after two years, permanent positions could be offered on mutual agreement. Only qualified teachers are employed. The student body at International School Hilversum ' Alberdingk Thijm' consists of 37 nationalities; every student is expected to leave the school with internationally recognized certificates or diplomas (IBMYP or IB), dependent on the duration of their stay, which is, on average, three years. The International School Hilversum ' Alberdingk Thijm' follows the Dutch calendar for holidays. The number of lessons per day is usually seven. One lesson is 45 minutes. The whole school is involved in extra-curricular CAS and community service activities, along the IB lines. All forms have their own classrooms; there are six laboratories for physics, chemistry and biology. There is a design/technology room, one art studio and two gymnasiums. The school has an IB-course-based library and a large computer room. Students are admitted on the basis of information provided by the previous school; if this is not deemed sufficiently clear, entrance tests are decisive. The school has no scholarships. The International School Hilversum ' Alberdingk Thijm' has recently moved to a campus with a school building of historical and architectural interest and is located in a residential area in the middle of the Netherlands.