Our experienced staff help your child with speaking English as they progress through school.
Young children easily learn languages and love learning about cultures - we nurture this enthusiasm.
The British School in the Netherlands encourages you to continue speaking your personal languages at home as your child will practise English all day at school.
Junior School
Our Personal Language Classes help your child progress in a language spoken at home.
The programme currently offers Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish classes. The teachers of these lessons are all fully qualified proficient speakers.
- Classes start at the beginning of the school year and follow the co-curricular schedule.
- Classes last from 15:20-16:20 - different languages/abilities are on different days.
- Children joining partway through the school year begin at the start of a new term.
- Not all languages are offered at each location.
- The programme is offered for an additional fee (€35/lesson) through the co-curricular activities programme.
We hold regular language events in the Junior Schools, including European Day of Languages, BSN International Days, and the BSN International Festival.
Year 6 students have beginner-level Spanish, French and German lessons. Specialist teachers from the Senior Schools cover one language per term.
Each year we customise our Dutch programme to meet variations in student fluency.
- Younger children do more in-context lessons e.g art, cooking and drama
- Dutch culture/traditions are covered
Senior School
Your child can study Spanish, French, German, Dutch, and Italian in the Mother Tongue Enrichment Programme (MTEP). The Italian Embassy arranges Italian lessons.
Similarly to the Junior School, we organise events to increase exposure to other languages.
| Programme | Description |
|---|---|
| Mother Tongue Programme (Yr 7) | Students who have French, German, Spanish, and Italian as a personal language have lessons for an hour a week. Other personal languages can be supported; please get in touch with the Head of Languages. |
| Bridging Programme (Yr 8 & 9) | A language assistant teaches personal language speakers of French, German, Spanish, and Italian for an hour a week, usually after school. |
| GCSE Course (Yr 10 & 11) | Students with French, German, Spanish, and Italian as a personal language are offered tuition with native-speaker language assistants for two hours every two weeks as an additional GCSE. These lessons usually take place during one lunch hour and one PE lesson. |
| Advanced Mother Tongue Programme (Yr 12 & 13) | We give lessons to personal language speakers taking a qualification in French, German, Spanish, or Italian. The lessons cover geography, history, culture, and linguistics. Students can also self-study another language with a private tutor. |
Dutch Language Provision
Dutch is one of the Modern Foreign Languages offered at the BSN, though it is treated somewhat differently because it is the official language of the Netherlands.
In Years 7 - 9, Dutch is compulsory. Each year group is divided into ability groups to best meet the students’ individual needs and support them to make progress in their Dutch language learning.
CNaVT (Certificaat Nederlands als Vreemde Taal / Certificate in Dutch as a Foreign Language) in Y9
It is our intention that, by the end of Year 11, students are ready to do a CNaVT examination. However, some students will be ready to take this examination by the Summer Term of Year 9.
To determine which students are ready to take the CNaVT examination, students in the more advanced ability groups will take a CNaVT mock examination at the start of the Spring Term in Year 9. Students who demonstrate the appropriate level in this mock exam will prepare to sit the actual CNaVT examination in May.
Students who were not at the appropriate level to take the CNaVT exam at the end of Year 9, can choose to study Dutch in Key Stage 4 and work towards taking the CNaVT examination in Year 11 as part of their GCSE programme.
In Years 10 - 11, students must study a language as part of the GCSE programme. Students who did not sit the CNaVT examination in Year 9 can choose to take Dutch as one of their optional subjects during Years 10 and 11. These students will then sit the CNaVT examination at the end of Year 11.
Students with a Dutch passport are offered the PSHE programme in Dutch in Years 10 and 11 to meet the legal requirements in accordance with the Dutch government’s regulations. They also have access to enrichment self-study online courses.
In Years 12 and 13, students have IB and CNaVT qualifications available in Dutch. We offer IB Dutch Language B at Higher and Standard Level (Minimum Entry Requirement: Level A2 CNaVT or equivalent). We also offer IB Dutch Language A (Language and Literature).
Dutch passport holders studying for IB qualifications in Dutch meet their legal requirements for Dutch language study.
Students with a Dutch passport who do not choose to study IB Dutch are supported in accordance with the Dutch government's regulations.
Modern Foreign Languages
The Modern Foreign Languages Faculty at the BSN consists of four departments: Dutch, French, German, and Spanish.
Our Languages Enrichment Programme offers Italian for Years 7 to 13.
In Year 7, students study French, Spanish, Dutch and German. In Year 8 they choose two of the languages as well as Dutch. If they need extra support with English they may have EAL lessons instead.
Students are required to study a foreign language for GCSE. They can choose French, Spanish, Dutch or German.
Our Language Faculty offer French, Spanish, Dutch and German at AS and A2 Level. Those doing an IB study a language.