What are the schools in Netherlands like?

"The International School of Amsterdam (ISA) is one of the best international schools in The Netherlands. It is located in the western part of the country and offers an IB Primary and Middle Years Program, and the Cambridge IGCSE and International A-Level Diploma. The school's multilingual approach allows students to choose from seven languages. English is the primary language and the school has particularly strong ESL programs to support students in their ambition to become proficient English speakers. The school emphasizes a supportive learning environment encouraging collaborative problem solving, building respect and understanding among diverse cultures and backgrounds. The Amsterdam International Community School (AICS) is another popular international school located in the capital of The Netherlands. AICS offers an IB PYP program for elementary, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) for high school. AICS has a diverse student body, with students from nearly 50 different countries, and focuses on holistically developing well-rounded learners, who can communicate and work effectively in any culture. The Utrecht International School (UIS) is a leading bilingual school in The Netherlands. Located just south of Amsterdam, UIS offers a dual language program for students aged 4-18, with English as the language of instruction, and the students can select from Dutch, French or Spanish as the second language. UIS encourages the students to become involved in the community and use their second language in a natural setting. Students are given a range of university preparation opportunities including IB Diploma or Cambridge A-Level. UIS is also very active in terms of extracurricular activities and international exchanges," said one expat in with children at .

"Enrol in this school . Likely you will be waitlisted but it is worth being persistent and keeping in touch with the school. Siblings stand a higher chance of getting in to the school. In response to some of the other comments I have read from previous correspondents I can tell you that many of the criticisms of AICS (no parking lot, small playground, converted office building for the school campus) are common to all schools in Amsterdam. In fact, very few schools here have large outside play areas due to lack of space (and the weather!) This is not a problem exclusive to AICS. There is a large parking lot for bikes at the school. But a parking lot for cars? No. Most people walk, bike, tram, bus or Metro to the school. Or they bring their kid to school by car and drop them off in the street. Most of the children at AICS are english speaking and many are multi-lingual. There are also a number of local dutch kids amongst the students. AICS offers an affordable international education within an english language curriculum. It is Dutch run & subsidised by the Dutch government. Fees are closer to E6000 instead of E20-30,000. We have found AICS to be a friendly and welcoming school. The teaching faculty seem to be supportive, nurturing and genuinely interested in the well-being of the students. The school building is a converted office building and it is bursting at the seams due to the increasing student numbers. There are plans to move to a larger, purpose built facility within the next few years. AICS has long waitlists for some year groups and there are intake interviews for every child - this is standard procedure. If you are lucky enough to get a space for your child we can highly recommend AICS as a brilliant primary school. And a high school with a challenging IB programme which keep evolving and improving. Recommended," remarked one parent with kids at AICS Amsterdam in Amsterdam.