International School Utrecht

Since 2021, Marieke Folkers. Educated in the Netherlands (two degrees from Radboud and Utrecht University), she spent 10 years teaching here before winging her way across the Atlantic to become head of a state secondary in Curacao, in the Dutch

Admission to subsidised schools like this is subject to conditions set out in Dutch legislation. In short, this means that non-Dutch families may only apply if they are temporarily in the Netherlands for work-related reasons. If non-Dutch families

2023: Most students stay in the Netherlands and attend a Dutch university eg University of Amsterdam, Technical University Delft, Technical University Twente, University of Maastricht, Erasmus University Rotterdam.

From grade 9, pupils are

2023 IB results: 94 per cent pass rate, average score 31.5 and 18 students received a bilingual diploma.

ISUtrecht runs the IB programme from PYP through DP. Pupils who can’t meet the high standards of the IB Diploma program are referred to a Dutch school for vocational education, which belongs to the same school board. One new parent who was not at all

Children with special needs are considered on a case-by-case basis. Although the school says it can provide support and expertise to students with a number of diagnosed learning disabilities (including dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, mild autism

English language support (ELA) is offered to non-native speakers. The percentage of ELA pupils is smaller in the higher grades, compared to the earlier years. Whenever possible, the teachers try to pair non-English speakers with a child who speaks

The school has recently started an extensive music programme, in line with the inquiry-based teaching philosophy of the International Baccalaureate. Students up to grade 10 have weekly music lessons, after which they can also choose music as one of

All pupils take PE classes in the school’s sports hall for a minimum of two hours per week. No sports fields at the old campus, although the new campus has. For now, sporty children will not find a hugely competitive athletics programme here. All

The atmosphere is very relaxed. There is no uniform, and discipline is dealt with in the classroom.

A parent who regularly helps at the school thought that the children usually look very happy and involved, and show a lot of respect to teachers.

Some 40 different nationalities are represented, with Indian children the largest group (around 46 per cent), followed by Dutch (12 per cent), mainly returning expats who need to continue their education in English. The next biggest groups are

There is no financial aid or scholarship programme yet, but they hope to set one up in the future.

A rare and – compared to most international schools – affordable opportunity for children to follow the high-standard IB curriculum from age 4 right up to 19, and to which you don't need to apply years in advance.