Consisting mostly of children from families studying at the UT or the ITC (International Training Centre in Enschede), the Prinseschool provides bilingual and English instruction for about 450 children ages 4-12 from some 35 nationalities. Unlike other Dutch early education, the Prinseschool begins English lessons at the age of four; many Dutch families from areas outside of the neighbourhood choose to send their children to the school due to its international focus. The international program began in the 1970s as a response to requests from ITC parents looking for English-language education opportunities for their children; after review by the Dutch education system, the program began in earnest in 1994 and has now been offering native speaker instruction for 8 years.
`This sort of program was and is very difficult to find outside of the Randstad (the urban areas in the west of Netherlands), we are quite proud to offer even a limited curriculum for this area,' claims Groot. `We have been approached not just through the schools and university but by private companies in the area interested in international education.'
Classes are not exclusively in English at the school, though Groot is working towards providing that option in some way in Enschede: `We are working hard to improve the program, but do not yet have the facilities or funding to provide a full English curriculum; we are currently talking to the secondary school in Enschede to make this a real option.' Children in the international program receive two hours of English instruction a day and spend the rest of their time in Dutch classes. Although students can opt for classes in English, native speakers of English should not expect the level to be comparable to what they would find at home. Opportunities for integration are emphasized but not always successful for students with no knowledge of Dutch. `It can be difficult for students whose grasp of Dutch is only beginning to integrate immediately into the programs,' says Groot. For this reason and because of difficulties integrating students of varying levels into a single classroom, the Prinseschool has taken several steps to ease the transition for transplanted families.
The Guest and Host project is a big part of this assimilation process. This initiative involves voluntary participation of visiting and Dutch families that come together for parents and students to get oriented in the new environment. `We are lucky to have heavy parent involvement in the program, it's an integral part of our success,' comments Groot on the four year old initiative. `Many families keep these connections for years after the children are through school.' The system has the advantage of involving parents not only with their child's education but also providing social opportunities and orientation for the parents themselves in a foreign place. Anyone interested in learning more about the school should check out www.prinseschool.nl
Prinseschool teacher Zoe Price and her international students.
