BSN Essentials 2015-16

Welcome | 1

Essentials2015 | 2016

Internationally British

2 | BSN Essentials

BSN Essentials | 3

Useful dates for your calendar

School Year 2015 | 2016

Autumn Term Term begins | Mon 7 Sep 2015

Half term | Mon 26 Oct to Mon 2 Nov 2015

End of term | Fri 18 Dec 2015

Christmas Holidays

Spring TermTerm begins | Tues 5 Jan 2016

Half term | Mon 15 Feb to Mon 22 Feb 2016

End of term | Thurs 24 Mar 2016

Easter Holidays

Summer Term

Term begins | Tue 12 Apr 2016

Half term | Mon 30 May to Fri 3 June 2016

End of term | Fri 15 Jul 2016

Summer Holidays

Note: All terms end at 12:00 midday

Welcome to the BSN

Welcome to the BSN and – in many

cases – to the Netherlands. We are really

happy that you have made the choice

to join us and become part of the BSN

community here in The Hague.

We know that for many of you this is a

time when you have many things to think

about, organise and arrange. Moving to a

new country, house or school can be a busy

and hectic time. That is why we have done

our best to gather together all of the really

important things that we think you may

want to know about the BSN – both before

you get here and once you’ve arrived.

Although much of the information here is

also available on our website and on the

BSN parent portal known as ‘Gateway’ we

know that many still value the convenience

of a small booklet to refer to.

We really hope that you will be able to find

all the information you are looking for either

here or in the individual school campus

‘Welcome’ booklet that you will be receiving

shortly. If, however, you are still unsure or

have questions that need answering please

do not hesitate to call either the admissions

department or the school office of the

relevant BSN campus – we are always happy

to help.

4 | BSN Essentials

School contact and address

details

Junior School VlaskampVlaskamp 19

2592 AA Den Haag

Telephone: +31 (0)70 333 8111

Fax: +31 (0)70 333 8100

Email: [email protected]

Head Teacher | Sue Aspinall

Junior School DiamanthorstDiamanthorst 16

2592 GH Den Haag

Telephone: +31 (0)70 315 7620

Fax: +31 (0)70 315 7621


Head Teacher | Angela Parry-Davies

Junior School Leidschenveen Vrouw Avenweg 640

2493 WZ Den Haag

Telephone: +31 (0)70 315 4040

Fax: +31 (0)70 444 7861


Head Teacher | David Porritt

Vlaskamp

Diamanthorst

Leidschenveen

BSN Essentials | 5

The BSN Language Centre Leidschenveen Campus

Community Services Building

Vrouw Avenweg 640

2493 WZ Den Haag

Telephone: +31 (0)70 315 4080


Head of Centre | Sandra de Bresser

Principal’s Offi ce Boerderij Rosenburgh

Rosenburgherlaan 2

2252 BA Voorschoten

Telephone: +31 (0)71 560 2251

Fax: +31 (0)71 560 2290


Principal and CEO | Mr Kieran Earley

Senior School Voorschoten Jan van Hooflaan 3

2252 BG Voorschoten

Telephone: +31 (0)71 560 2222

Fax: +31 (0)71 560 2200


Head Teacher | Peter Simpson

BSN Essentials | 5

Voorschoten

6 | BSN Essentials

How do I get to the school sites?

Travelling to any of our school sites

by car or public transport is straightforward.

See the maps to show the location of our

campuses. Google maps are available on

our website www.britishschool.nl

and BSN Gateway.

Public transport optionsFor train travel within The

Netherlands (available in English) www.ns.nl

Please visit www.9292ov.nl when planning

any journey by public transport (bus, tram

and/or train) within The Netherlands.

Click where it says English to change the

language setting.

Don’t forget to visit www.ov-chipkaart.nl

to purchase your OV-Chipkaart. The OV-

Chipkaart is a relatively new, easy method

of payment for all public transportation. The

card contains a small chip that can be linked

to a balance in Euros and allows you to

travel everywhere in The Netherlands with a

single fare, return ticket or season ticket.

Our school bus service

The service operates every school

day. Various options are available including

a door-to-door service. The school bus

service is a ‘two way’ service including the

morning and afternoon - at the end of the

standard school day. Students attending

extra-curricular activities should be

collected by parents or guardians.

Please note that the school bus service is

not available for Foundation 1 children and

the service for Foundation 2 children starts

after the half term holiday in October.

Routes The school bus service currently

operates from the following areas: Den

Haag, Voorburg, Leidschendam, Rijswijk,

Wassenaar, Voorschoten, Leiderdorp,

Delft, Zoetermeer, Berkel & Rodenrijs and

Rotterdam. A limited service is available

from Amsterdam.

If your area is currently not covered,

please contact the Transport Department

on 070 315 4083 to investigate the

feasibility of a new bus route.

6 | BSN Essentials

of payment for all public transportation. The

card contains a small chip that can be linked

to a balance in Euros and allows you to

travel everywhere in The Netherlands with a

single fare, return ticket or season ticket.

BSN Essentials | 7

How much does it cost?The fees depend on the type of bus

service available for your child – please

see our website for details. The minimum

registration is one term. Fees are set to

cover running costs only and are charged

annually. A full term’s fee will also be

charged for partial use.

Acceptable behaviour on the buses

Students travelling on the school

bus must be aware of the BSN’s Code

of Conduct. This encourages them to

understand the importance of safety

and the consideration of other people

whilst using the bus service. Students

will be excluded from the school bus for

irresponsible or disruptive behaviour.

The Deputy Heads responsible for buses at

each school site are:

JSV | Christopher Bailey

JSD | Rebecca Findlay

JSL | Karren van Zoest

SSV | Ian Laycock

8 | BSN Essentials

What to wear at the BSN

School uniform is worn by all

students from Foundation 2 until the end

of Year 11. The main School Uniform Shop,

located on our Leidschenveen campus,

stocks all items of uniform excluding

footwear. The smaller shop, located in

Voorschoten, stocks Senior School items only.

Payment at both shops can be made by cash,

PIN or Credit Card.

What if I’m new to the BSN?These sessions are by appointment

only – the times and dates are listed on the

school website and on BSN Gateway. Please

email [email protected] to make an

appointment.

A full list of uniform requirements can be

found in the School Uniform booklet, on the

BSN website and on Gateway.

How do I order uniform?If you do not want to come to the

shop, BSN uniform can be ordered through

our online store. A link to the store can be

found on our website and on Gateway.

All orders are then delivered via your child’s

school office where you or your child can

collect them.

Opening times

Main Uniform Shop

Leidschenveen Campus

Vrouw Avenweg 640

2493 WZ Den Haag

Tuesday | 08:45 – 10:30

Thursday | 08:45 – 10:30

Thursday | 15:00 – 16:00

(first Thursday of the month)

Senior School Uniform Shop Jan van Hooflaan 3

2252 BG Voorschoten

Thursday | 12:30 – 14:30

(priority to students 13:05 - 14:00)

Thursday | 15:30 – 16:30

(second Thursday of the month)

BSN Essentials | 9

After school and holiday care

The BSN is pleased to be working

with Zein International Childcare to provide a

high quality Out of School Care programme

to the international families of the BSN.

Zein International After School Care is

for children aged 4 to 12 years old. Out of

School Care covers both the after school

period and school holiday times. All After

School programmes run from Monday to

Friday throughout the whole school year.

The Out of School Care provision at Junior

School Leidschenveen is provided on the

school campus in dedicated facilities called

‘Robbies Place’. Facilities for students at

Junior School Diamanthorst and Vlaskamp

are situated just a few minutes from the

school sites at ‘The Estate’. During term

time children are collected by the carers

and transported to The Estate in the Double

Decker bus.

The programmes During term time Zein International

Childcare offers a programme of After

School Activities until 18:30.

During the school holidays the ‘Holiday

Camp’ style programme provides a large

range of outings and activities from 08:30

to 18:30. Holiday Camp programmes run

during all BSN school holidays (except bank

holidays).

Children are provided with freshly prepared

healthy snacks on arrival after school –

during the Holiday Camps children enjoy a

wide range of healthy food cooked freshly

on the premises.

Both programmes offer children a safe,

fun, stimulating, educational and caring

environment that includes a wide variety of

supervised activities.

For more information and prices contact:

070 326 8263 or visit www.zeinchildcare.nl

10 | BSN Essentials

BSN GatewayBSN Gateway is the BSN’s password

protected website that has been developed

for BSN parents, staff and students. It

provides direct, personalised access to

Notes Home, the school calendar, the

family database, school news, curriculum

information and much more.

How do I get connected to BSN Gateway?

You do this by logging in with a user

name and password. Every parent (mother

and father) will receive their own log in

during their child’s first week at school.

We appreciate that immediate internet

access can sometimes be difficult for new

families arriving in The Netherlands, but

we do ask parents to do their best to

prioritise this where possible. Accessing the

BSN Gateway from work is often the best

option in the first few days, as is using a 4G

connection on a tablet or mobile device.

Of course, you are always welcome to

contact the School Office or teaching staff

personally, but the vast majority of written

day to day communication from the school

will come to you via BSN Gateway. If you are

having any problems with accessing BSN

Gateway you should contact your school

office so that we can assist you. You can

also email [email protected]

What is a Note Home?A Note Home is a message that

can be sent directly via the Gateway - it

is similar to an email and can relate to

things going on with events, special lessons,

activities, trips etc.

BSN Essentials | 11

The Weekly BulletinEvery Friday afternoon at 18:00 a Weekly

e-bulletin is sent out to all parents from

each school site. If you have children in

both Junior and Senior then you will receive

two bulletins.

This bulletin provides you with a summary

of the latest news, notes home, upcoming

events, calendar items and much more.

We do our best to keep most

communication to this weekly touch point,

but if a member of staff needs to contact

you at other times during the week, they

can send out a ‘Priority Note Home’. which

will be delivered to your email address

immediately. Please ensure that you read

these messages quickly - if a member of

staff felt the information was too important

to wait for the Weekly Bulletin then the

chances are they require some kind of

action or acknowledgement on your part.

You can also log into BSN Gateway directly

to see your Notes and Messages and other

information at any time. Take a look at a few

BSN Gateway tips that may make your life

just that little bit easier…

Check your Notes Home and Personal Messages

You can see how many new, unread

Notes home or Messages are waiting for

you from the Home Page. Click to go further

and see the full list on your ‘Noticeboard’.

You can tag Notes for follow up, delete

them or refer back to them at any time. You

can also see which Notes have an online

form to be completed – these have a small

paper clip symbol next to the envelope icon.

12 | BSN Essentials

Check your replies to online forms

The replies to general online

forms can be accessed by clicking on the

link underneath your Notes & Messages

overview page (called the ‘Noticeboard’).

Click on the name of the relevant form to

see your responses.

Replies to forms about school trips can be

found under the CO-CURRICULAR tab in

the ‘TRIPS & VISITS’ section.

Practical informationIf you are looking for general

practical information on the school check

out the ‘ESSENTIALS’ tab.

View the school calendar A summary of today’s events can be

seen on the home page. For more detailed

information click on ‘View all Events’ - this

will take you to the full calendar view. If

you wish, you can then filter to see only the

information relevant to you or your child’s

school.

Check out the co-curricular activities

For an overview of the after school

activities on offer at each school go to the

‘CO-CURRICULAR’ tab. The system will

recognise you and your children and show

you what is available for your child.

iPad Shop All students in Years 6 to 13 require

an iPad - this is now integral to the way BSN

students work across every subject.

You can order the subsidised iPads as

soon as you have received your temporary

log-in details for Gateway - these are in the

Contract Acknowledgement E-newsletter

you recieve from Admissions.

To order your iPad look under the

‘SERVICES’ tab and select ‘iPad Shop’.

BSN Essentials | 13

Order school uniform onlineBSN uniform can be ordered

through our online store. All orders are

then delivered via your child’s school office

where you or your child can collect them.

The link to the online shop is on the School

Uniform page under the tab ‘SERVICES’ tab.

Find details for other BSN families

Use the Quick Family Search facility

on the Home Page to find contact details

of other BSN families. The BSN Family

Database is updated overnight from the

school’s main database.

Print out a class list From the Family Search facility you

will also be able to access a list of contact

details of the families in your child’s class.

Select the class you want, hit search and

then click on the ‘Print Class List’ option at

the top of the list.

Find a babysitter and have a night out

You can search for a babysitter

from a list of BSN Senior School students

who have put their names forward for this

service. Click on the ‘find a babysitter’ link

on the Gateway homepage. or look under

the ‘COMMUNITY’ tab.

14 | BSN Essentials

How do I get involved at school?

There are many ways for parents –

both mums and dads – to get involved with

school life. Showing your child(ren) that

you have an active interest in their school

and getting to know the staff and parents

that surround them is an invaluable way

of demonstrating how much you value

the importance of school life and the BSN

Community of which we are all a part.

Parents help with, amongst other things:

art, computers, cooking, gardening, group

reading, stories, special days and trips.

If you have a particular skill or area of

expertise to share we’d be delighted to

hear about it. Whether you are interested in

volunteering on an ad hoc basis or are keen

to join one of the more regular committees,

we are happy to welcome you into our

school community.

How can I volunteer in my child’s school?

Each individual school campus

provides opportunities throughout the

year for you to assist with special activities

within the classroom; accompany school

trips; help organise special events; support

school productions and so on.

The degree to which you get involved is

completely up to you. Some requests will

come to you via BSN Gateway, but in the

Junior Schools many of the activities are

coordinated by the Class Representative.

BSN Essentials | 15

What is a Class Representative?

Each class – in the Junior Schools –

nominates a Class Representative (also

known as the ‘Class Mum/Dad’) who helps

to organise volunteer rotas and liaise with

the teacher. They also help the teacher to

welcome new children and families to the

class. This contact can be extremely helpful,

particularly on arrival in the Netherlands.

In the Junior Schools, your child’s

class teacher will inform you who your

Class Mum/Dad is, if they have not already

contacted you.

In the Senior School there is a regular weekly

parent’s coffee morning which provides an

opportunity for parents to come together

and share experiences, but there is not the

same level of involvement in day to day

school activities as in the Junior Schools.

16 | BSN Essentials16 | BSN Essentials

The BSN Family Association

The BSN is a family of schools –

each campus has its own range of special

days, activities, celebrations, performances

and so on and it is natural for parents to

want to be connected to the school site

which their child attends. We also believe

that there is much to be gained from

being part of the whole BSN community.

We have a range of various groups and

committees who organise social and

informational events and activities for the

BSN community.

How can I get involved with the BSN Family Association?

The BSN Family Association is

the organisation that oversees the work

and activities of the volunteer teams at

the BSN. It is not linked to one individual

school site, but aims to bring families from

all the sites together. It is made up of both

staff and parents of the school and works

to provide support and advice to the

Teams. The Chair in particular will network

within the schools to raise the profile of

the Family Association and the Teams –

boosting recruitment and troubleshooting

any problems if required.

The Family Association Committee

also organises a ‘Thank You’ event at the

end of each school year for members of

the various teams.

BSN Essentials | 17

Welcome Team

The Welcome Team supports

new BSN families in advance of, and

after enrolment into the school. Their

main purpose is to ease integration into

the school community and they have a

member based on each school campus.

The Welcome Team for each school

organises coffee mornings on each campus

throughout the school year. It’s a great

way to stay in touch with other parents and

become more involved in school life.

Social Team

The Social Team are a group of

enthusiastic, fun loving people who work

together arranging social events for the

BSN community. The details of the team

leader can be found on BSN Gateway – if

you have ideas for more events please feel

free to contact them.

International Team

The International Team is an

established group of parent volunteers

who work hard to promote and support

the internationalism of the school and to

support families from their own cultural

backgrounds. Representatives from

different countries get involved in all sorts

of activities and events that involve both

parents and students of the BSN.

Winter & Summer Fair Teams

There is a different team for each

of the major school fairs – the Winter Fair

and the Summer Fair. These are key social

events of the school year and enjoyed by

over a thousand parents and children – the

secret to these teams is that many hands

make light work! This is a team that is run

‘by parents for parents’ and they are always

looking for more volunteers to help out.

Bring & Buy Team

This team organises sales on each

site throughout the year, allowing families to

get rid of unwanted goods - and others to

pick up a bargain!

Second Hand Uniform Team

This busy team gathers in unwanted

BSN uniform - we all know how quickly

children grow! - and sells it on to the BSN

community. Perfect for that extra pair of

trousers after another hole in your son’s

knee appears - or for simply making sure

you have some spares in the cupboard.

Sessions Team

This valued team organises

a programme of various talks and

presentations throughout the school year

and across the campuses. Visiting experts

are used and topics vary greatly but all are

focussed on areas of specific interest to

expats and parents of internationally living

children.

18 | BSN Essentials

Learning Dutch or English

The BSN has a dedicated Language

Centre to help and support our international

community by providing quality language

courses for both adults and children.

The BSN Language Centre is part of the

Leidschenveen Campus and features a first-

class environment for modern language

learning. A dedicated large lounge area

(with free Wifi) serves as an excellent

meeting point for socialising with friends,

both old and new! You can practise newly

acquired language skills over a cup of

coffee or a snack.

With over 1,500 part time students every

year, the BSN Language Centre provides a

vital and welcome environment for families

in our community. Lessons are taught by

qualified native-speaker teachers and all

students receive a certificate of attendance.

The BSN Language Centre can be reached

easily by car and there is ample free parking

right outside the door. For those travelling

by public transport, there is a free shuttle

bus service from the Leidschenveen

Randstad Rail station that operates for

all evening courses. Full details of public

transport routes are available on the

Language Centre website:

www.bsnlanguagecentre.nl

In addition Dutch courses are also offered in

The Hague at The Estate in Benoordenhout,

our Vlaskamp campus in Mariahoeve

and sometimes at the Senior School

Voorschoten.

Courses for adultsA variety of English and Dutch

courses for adults are run throughout the

year. A wide range of levels and attendance

options makes it easy to find something

to suit your needs. Part-time morning,

afternoon or evening courses are available

alongside more intensive options.

For details of how to register or to assess the

most suitable level, visit our website at


BSN Essentials | 19

Dutch

• General Courses from Beginner

to Advanced• Intensive Courses• Dutch NT2 Exam Preparation Classes• In-Company Dutch Language Training • Private Tuition• Online Courses

English

• General Courses from Beginner

to Advanced• Intensive Courses• English Exam Preparation Classes

for Cambridge FCE, CAE or CPE• Business English Courses• In-Company English Language Training • Private Tuition• Online Courses

CELTA Teacher Training

In addition to the language courses above,

the centre also offers the Cambridge CELTA

(Certificate in English Language Teaching

to Adults) programme which provides

adults with new opportunities and career

possibilities.

Summer School for Children

In July, The BSN Language Centre

organises an English Language Summer

School for non-native English speaking

children aged from 5 to 16 years old.

The Summer School is located within BSN

school premises and all language classes

and activities are taught in English by

experienced and qualified teachers.

It is a great opportunity to learn English

together with other international students.

Further details about the Summer School

and registration can be found on the

BSN Language Centre website at


20 | BSN Essentials

Working at the BSN

As one of Europe’s premier British

International Schools with over 400 full and

part-time employees, the BSN is a well-

established, diverse, and vibrant academic

environment in which to work. We offer

challenging and rewarding careers, where

professional development is encouraged

and we pride ourselves on looking after

our staff as well as our students. We aim

to ensure that employment at the BSN is

rewarding, challenging and fun.

BSN Essentials | 21

There are many positions and ways for

you to join our team and all employment

opportunities are posted on our website.

We recruit for a wide range of positions

from student supervisors through to

teaching related and managerial positions.

To keep informed of opportunities that you

may be interested in, visit our website and

complete the ‘Job Alert’ option. You will

then be informed via email when a vacancy

is posted in one of your chosen categories.

The alert system is totally confidential.

We also operate a Flexible Working Register

(or ‘Supply List’), which consists of a

group of qualified and experienced people,

who we can call upon on an as and when

required basis. We may contact you at short

notice and therefore being flexible in the

hours you are available is a necessity. This

register provides support to our staff across

all roles and all school sites including the

business units and is a great way of dipping

your toe into the water of employment at

the BSN.

22 | BSN Essentials

Help and advice for expats

Whether you are a well-travelled

expat, or a first timer on an international

assignment it is likely that you will find

moving to a new country an exciting, but at

times challenging experience. Fortunately you

have moved to somewhere that has a strong

volunteer support network which can help

and advise you through the initial maze of

questions that you may have when you arrive.

Help and advice

The most established and wide

ranging support network is ACCESS. Their

international team of experienced volunteers

can provide practical information, advice and

support to assist with all aspects of moving

to, or living in the Netherlands.

So, if you find banking, utilities, TV,

playgroups, schools, dentists, transport,

health insurance and much more in the

Netherlands all too confusing – they can

help! ACCESS has a database full of records

and their volunteers are constantly updating

and adding new information. All the

volunteers at ACCESS are going – or have

been – through similar experiences and are

happy to share what they have learnt.

VolunteeringACCESS relies on its English-

speaking international and Dutch volunteers

who enjoy helping others adjust to life in

the Netherlands. They have approximately

120 volunteers in The Hague who contribute

their time, talents, effort and skills in order

to help others. Volunteering for ACCESS is

a rewarding way of using your existing skills

and adding to your experience during your

stay in the Netherlands.

Access volunteer work is flexible. They

ask for a minimum commitment of six

hours per week for a minimum of three

months. Unfortunately candidates currently

conducting a job search cannot be

considered for volunteer positions. You must

hold a current Dutch or EU residence permit

to volunteer with Access.

If you are interested in volunteering, check

our their website for dates of the next

Volunteer Information Morning – or email a

motivational letter and CV to the volunteer

resources department.

Visit www.access-nl.com for more information.

www.check-nl.com

A GREAT EXPAT SERVICE A new online service for Expat

has just been launched, aimed at helping

internationals with practical day to day

needs such as finding a suitable doctor who

speaks your language, or choosing the right

Day Care centre for your child.

www.check-nl.com is a way of spending

less time searching and more time finding

providers that meet your expectations.

Check-NL has three main features: 1. Info,

2. Search, 3. Peer reviews

1: Information

Check-NL provides information on how the

Dutch system works with regards to the

topics mentioned. Their aim is to introduce

you to things you need to know - especially

those unique to the Netherlands.

BSN Essentials | 23

Every effort has been made to ensure that the

information in this booklet is up to date and

accurate as possible. If you spot any errors or that

information has now changed please do let us

know. We will update our online information and

ensure that the new details are included in the

next issue.

Please contact us on [email protected]

Publication date | Aug 2015

Expat information desksIf Access can’t help there are a

number of Expat information desks run

by local authorities. These desks can also

help you with a number of formalities

that you will need to deal with when you

move to The Netherlands.

The Hague International Centre

Telephone: +31 (0)70 353 50 43

www.thehagueinternationalcentre.nl

Leiden Expat Centre and Information

Telephone: +31 (0)71 516 6005

www.expatcentreleiden.nl

ExpatDesk Rotterdam

Telephone: +31 (0)10 205 37 49

www.rotterdam.nl/expatdesk

Expatcentre Amsterdam

www.iamsterdam.com

2: Search

The database on Check-NL only includes

providers who are willing and able to

service international customers. They are

interested in the international customer

group and have invested in meeting the

specific requirements of this group in terms

of language, availability, customer service

concepts and more.

3: Peer reviews

Check-NL aims at making (building a) life in

the Netherlands easier and better for you.

You can contribute improving the quality

of life by providing your personal feedback

on the services you made use of. With your

feedback, you will help the business develop

and meet more of your expectations.

Check-NL shares the experiences of other

internationals that have gone through what

new internationals will need to go through.

You will find reviews about language,

availability and customer service.

BSN Essentials | 23

Every effort has been made to ensure that the

information in this booklet is up to date and

accurate as possible. If you spot any errors or that

information has now changed please do let us

know. We will update our online information and

ensure that the new details are included in the

next issue.

Please contact us on [email protected]

Publication date | Aug 2015

www.bsngateway.nlwww.facebook.com/BSNofficial www.twitter.com/BSN_Netherlands

BSN Admissions DepartmentLeidschenveen Campus

Vrouw Avenweg 6402493 WZ, Den Haag

Telephone: +31 (0)70 315 4077Fax: +31 (0)70 315 4078


www.britishschool.nl

Documents

BSN Essentials 2015-16