English support when moving to an international school in the Netherlands

01

Ask what your particular school provides

The phrase international school does not describe one identical admissions or support system. Use the Dutch International Schools directory to identify schools and then check each institution's current admissions and language information. Do not assume that a nearby school has a place or that its support arrangements match another campus.

Ask who assesses your child's English, which skills are considered and when the assessment happens. Find out whether support takes place in the classroom, in a separate group or through a combination. Ask how decisions are reviewed and who communicates with parents. A child who chats comfortably may still need help reading subject texts or writing explanations.

Share a concise language history: languages used at home, previous language of instruction, literacy experience and any existing learning support. Include strengths and interests, not only concerns. A teacher planning an introduction through football, drawing or science needs to know what gives the child a reason to participate.

02

Understand support labels without treating them as rankings

The International School of Amsterdam's language programme describes English Acquisition support for students joining with limited English and recognises the importance of home-language development. The published AICS language policy, revised in 2023 and presented as its 2024 policy, describes classroom and additional language-acquisition support. Confirm the current implementation with the school; a published policy is not a promise of an identical timetable for every child.

Terms such as EAL, EA and ELA may refer to related but differently organised provision. Ask what the child actually does in a week and how that connects to ordinary lessons. Separate language learning from any other assessed learning need. Limited English alone does not explain every difficulty, and a general tutor should not diagnose a child from one short conversation.

03

Prioritise participation in the first days

A newcomer needs language for asking for help, joining an activity and explaining an immediate problem. Practise a few short phrases in meaningful situations: “Could you show me?”, “Can I join you?” and “I don't understand the last instruction.” Add the child's own important needs, such as finding a classroom or asking where to put a bag.

Use a simple role-play at home. One adult gives a deliberately incomplete instruction for making a paper model. The child asks a clarification question, and the adult answers with a gesture or demonstration. The success measure is completing the shared task, not producing a flawless sentence. Switch roles so the child also experiences being the person who knows the answer.

Ask the school about a buddy or other settling-in arrangement rather than promising one exists. Map practical routines: arrival, lunch, collection and changes of classroom. Predictability can leave more attention available for language learning. Keep the first after-school conversations short; a child may be tired from understanding a new environment all day.

04

Separate everyday conversation from subject language

A child might discuss games easily but struggle to explain why a character changed their mind or how a science result supports an idea. Ask teachers for an example of the language needed in the next unit. Useful targets include describing a sequence, comparing two things, giving a reason and referring to evidence.

Create an original practice activity with two invented plants. One received water regularly; the other received less. Ask the child to describe what is visible, suggest an explanation and say what else they would need to know. Sentence starters such as “I noticed…”, “One possible reason is…” and “We would need to check…” support reasoning without supplying the answer.

Read a short suitable text together and ask for a sketch or oral explanation before demanding a long written response. This helps reveal whether the challenge is understanding the idea, finding English words or organising writing. Share observations with the teacher. The tutor's task should then match the actual difficulty rather than add unrelated grammar pages.

05

Keep the home language in the transition plan

Families sometimes feel they should switch every conversation to English after moving. Instead, discuss with the school how to maintain rich reading and conversation in the language or languages the child uses confidently. ISA and AICS both recognise home or best-language development in their published approaches. Their policies provide a reason to ask about support, not a requirement for families to adopt one household language rule.

Use familiar language to discuss a demanding idea, then identify a few useful English terms for class. For example, the child can explain a story's motives in the home language and later practise a short English summary. This preserves the complexity of the discussion while building a bridge to school participation.

Avoid making every enjoyable activity a language test. Keep friendships, play and family routines in the plan. If the child becomes persistently distressed or school participation deteriorates, speak to the school rather than simply adding more tuition hours. Language support works best when it responds to the child's wider transition.

06

Choose extra lessons only after defining the gap

Ask a prospective tutor how they would coordinate with the school's goals and what age groups they teach. Request a sample activity, a feedback example and a review date. A tutor for a nine-year-old newcomer needs different materials from a tutor preparing an older teenager for an examination.

Consider three routes: school-provided support, external child-focused teaching and parent-supported practice using teacher-selected material. These are complementary possibilities, not automatic steps on a ladder. If school support already addresses the need and the child is exhausted, more lessons may add little value. If a specific gap persists, a short focused block can be easier to evaluate than an open-ended commitment.

In the Netherlands, the journey between home, school and an external lesson matters. Compare the actual route and finish time, especially if the school is outside your residential neighbourhood. Online tuition removes travel but still requires a quiet space and an age-appropriate session. Ask about missed lessons and parent communication before booking.

07

Review the first month using concrete observations

In week one, establish routines and record a few participation goals with the school. In week two, practise help-seeking language and one classroom task. Week three can focus on explaining a familiar idea or joining a peer activity. In week four, ask what the child now does independently and what still requires support.

Use examples rather than a promise of rapid fluency: follows a two-part instruction, asks for clarification, contributes a reason in discussion or reads a short passage with less help. These observations can guide the next month. They are not a substitute for the school's own assessment or a diagnosis.

Flalingo publishes this guide and has a commercial interest in online English learning. Its children's route can be explored as an external option, with the same questions about suitability and coordination. A general product assessment does not determine admission to an international school. Confirm all school-specific decisions with the receiving institution.