Rights and responsibilities

Communicating Concerns

Occasionally parents may wish to register a concern about some aspect of the school. We hope to deal with such concerns in a professional and positive manner, and to arrive at an outcome which is in the best interests of both the student and of the rest of the school.

However, we do ask parents to observe the correct procedures. When a parent has a concern related to a specific subject, we advise them to contact the school office secondary@isecampus.nl, who will direct your concern to the appropriate person accordingly. If it is a concern about your child’s general progress, or a behaviour issue, please make an appointment with the Year Tutor.

We ask parents to discuss matters privately with a teacher or Year Tutor. All appointments must be made via the school office.

Parents’ Committee

Elected by the parents, the objectives of the Parents committee are as follows:

to promote the general well-being of the school community,
to create an atmosphere of cooperation between parents, teachers and students,
to represent the interests of the parents.

The Parents Committee tries to achieve its objectives by:

regularly holding committee meetings,
organising social events,
consulting regularly with the school management and other groups within the school,
holding at least one annual general meeting (AGM),
offering advice and information to the parents,
supporting extra-curricular activities,
raising and administering the funds necessary to further the above objectives,

Positions of the Parents Committee

Chairperson
Secretary
Volunteer Parent Coordinator
Treasurer
Member
Member
Member

Student Council

The ISE Secondary School Student Council consists of elected class representatives from each class. The aims of the Student Council are:

to represent the interests of the students within the school,
to support the development of the school,
to promote communication between all members of the school community,
to give advice to the MR,
to support extracurricular activities within the school.
The Student Council meets regularly. Any student can bring matters to the attention of the Student Council usually by means of the class representative.

Medezeggenschapsraad (MR)

The Medezeggenschapsraad (MR) is a consultative and representative school council through which teaching staff, support staff, students and parents advise the school board and school leadership on issues regarding the educational, financial and administrative policy of the school. Many proposals related to these issues require official consent of this council before they can be implemented.

The members of the MR are elected from personnel and the parent/student body. The ISE representatives in the council of the secondary departemnt are:

Mr G. van Gelderen, MR-representative on behalf of the support staff of the ISE Secondary School.
Mr S. Hendrikx, MR-representative on behalf of the teaching staff of the ISE Secondary School.
Ms A. Keen, MR-representative on behalf of the students.
Mr E. Spaans, MR-representative on behalf of the parents.

Student Agency & Expectations

Our High-Quality Learning at the ISE aims to nurture responsible, reflective, and active lifelong learners who take ownership of their learning and skills development, demonstrating a mindset of lifelong learning. (See our full HQL statement here.)

We develop student ownership over the learning process by supporting students in articulating what they are learning, how they learn best, and where they need to go in their learning in our Learning Showcase and Student-Led Conferences starting in the first year of the Middle Year Programme all the way up until the Diploma Programme. Students are coached in how and expected to lead conversations with their parents and teachers in the showcase and conferences so that they can develop the kind of self-knowledge and confidence necessary to advocate for themselves as learners.

Additionally, as part of our teaching and learning, students are often given choice in activities, and sometimes even in the content of units and how they show their learning on summative assessment tasks. This supports their later development in MYP years 4 and 5 and in the Diploma Programme when students make choices in their subject packages to help them tailor their learning to their interests.

It is extremely important that students see their agency in the learning process, so that they can take responsibility for their actions, both as learners of the curriculum and as members of our community, in line with our code of conduct.

The Student:

Signs into Toddle every day and follows instructions as indicated by the subject teacher.
Completes the tasks set by the given deadline.

Code of Conduct

The ISE Secondary Department operates on the understanding that all students have a right to learn. The school community believes all students should work towards creating a climate that is positive and productive. No student has the right to choose behaviour or rhetoric that infringes upon the rights or well-being of others. We work to provide a climate that caters to the socio-emotional needs of our students and acknowledges their multiple and intersecting identities.

School-Wide Expectations

The whole school community is expected to:

show consideration, courtesy, and respect to others and their property. This includes the need to participate in keeping the school both clean and tidy, and being careful to protect its property from damage,
attend class regularly and on time,
abide by rules established by the school which will help to maintain a positive learning environment,
demonstrate active concern for one’s own safety and for the safety of others,
be a positive representative of the school.

Classroom Expectations

Each teacher has a code of behaviour which will contribute to a positive learning environment in his or her class. This code of behaviour will be communicated to and/or discussed with the students in the first weeks of school.

Encouragements and consequences

Staff at the ISE Secondary Department will continue to ensure that positive behaviour is given recognition. The staff is committed to good communication between teachers and students, and between school and home. This may come in the form of Year Tutors making encouraging phone calls or sending positive notes home. Our goal is to help students take agency for their behaviour, their decisions and their choices by developing self-awareness and the skill to self-reflect.

A teacher may send a Point of Information card to keep parents informed about their child, particularly when the student may not have met expectations in terms of behaviour and academic performance within the course. The Point of Information card in itself is not a consequence but a notice to parents about an issue that has happened at school and how it has been addressed. The Year Tutor will also receive a copy of the correspondence, and where a pattern occurs, the teacher or the year tutor may request a meeting with the parents.

Cancelled lessons/replacing teachers

Lessons which are changed for any reason are announced on Toddle and updated in the students’ timetable in SOMToday; students must check it regularly.
If a teacher is not present at the start of a lesson, the class should wait quietly while the class representative goes to the school office to enquire. If the class representative or assistant class representative is not there, one of the other students should go to enquire.
If a cover teacher is needed for the lesson or the lesson has had to change rooms, students will be told on Toddle or on their timetable in SOMToday to whom and to where they should report.
Students are not allowed to leave school when lessons are covered, unless the instructions on Toddle permit this. In rare cases, older students may be allowed to complete their work at home if communicated on Toddle.
Students in MP1-5 do not have free periods. DP students have study periods in their timetable to support them in completing the additional rigour of the programme in these year groups. Study periods must be used sensibly and usefully for school purposes. During these times students are expected to be working in the library or DP study area.

Suspensions and Detentions

In some cases, a student may be assigned to a lunch time, or after-school detention, particularly where lateness or failure to complete work, is concerned. In-school or in more severe cases, outside-school suspensions may also be assigned to a student in cases where a student is unable to change a behaviour despite earlier efforts made by the school. They may also be applied when there is a major break in the school’s rules or its code of conduct, such as disrespectful behaviour. The ISE has a policy in regards to late arrivals to lessons. Should a student have incurred more than three late arrivals per term, they will be issued with a morning detention.

General Rules of Conduct

In an effort to keep the school environment clean, and to protect particular school property from damage (e.g. computers, books), the consumption of food and beverages is restricted to the auditorium and the playground. Gum chewing is not allowed. Everyone is also expected to dispose of rubbish in the bins provided, and to clean up any spills/mess that may occur. As a member of the school community, we also expect students to help clean up even when they may not be directly responsible for the mess.
Where teachers give permission, a bottle of water may be taken into the classroom.
Smoking and vaping are not allowed on or around the campus. ‘Around the campus’ includes the surrounding woodland, all streets, sidewalks or paths that immediately surround the school, or any location that is visible from the school property. Smoking in public buildings is prohibited by law.
A student may leave the classroom only after receiving teacher permission.
For reasons of safety and confidentiality, students may not be in the classrooms without supervision, or without the express permission of their teacher. It is the teacher’s responsibility to direct the arrangement/environment of the classroom. Students, therefore, should not open or close windows, blinds, curtains, or radiators, unless instructed to do so by the teacher. Exceptions may be made, particularly with respect to Diploma students.
However, where classrooms are shared by teachers, a common understanding for student access must be reached by all teachers involved.
During school hours students may only be in the bicycle park to either park or pick up their bicycles or mopeds. No bikes should be left in the bike park.
The possession or consumption of alcohol by students, either on school property or during a school event or activities off campus, is forbidden. It is also unacceptable to arrive at any school function under the influence of alcohol. Failure to comply with this rule, will result in the student being sent home. It will also lead to an automatic suspension, the length of which will be determined by the Student Team in consultation with the staff involved.
The possession or use of drugs or other illegal substances is forbidden in school or during activities organized by the school or associated with the school. Students suspected of being under the influence of drugs will be sent home, and will face suspension, the length of which will be determined by the Leadership Team in consultation with the staff involved. Students who bring drugs or dangerous substances into the school will normally be expelled from school and reported to the police. For many ISE students, this is likely to mean that a suitable alternative school in the area is not possible, and that it will be, therefore, challenging to find a suitable school.
For reasons of supervision, at the end of the school day, students must leave the campus promptly unless involved in an agreed and supervised activity, including study or research in the library, or after school activity.
Electronic devices may be used only during break times or if the supervising teacher gives permission, and provided the volume and headphones are such that no one can hear. Headphones are not to be worn outside of times used above and electronic devices should be stored away. A typical response would be to remind the student of the rule and have them put the item away. Where a student repetitively needs to be told, or where the use of the electronic device is truly interruptive the teacher may confiscate the item and leave it with the Head or member of the Student Team for safe keeping.
Mobile phones may only be used at break times or if the supervising teacher gives permission. A typical response would be to remind the student of the rule and have they put the item away. Where a student repetitively needs to be told, or where the use of the electronic device is truly interruptive the teacher may confiscate the item and leave it with the Head or member of the Student for safe keeping.
During school overnight trips students will only be permitted to use their mobile phones during set times.
Out of respect for privacy and AVG rules, recording, photographing, of anyone, without obtaining advanced permission, is not permitted. This also includes the posting/publishing of any material on the internet, without the consent of those involved.
Students should not wear clothing that may be offensive or disrespectful to others. All clothing must conform to reasonable standards of modesty and good taste.
The wearing of hats or caps (including headscarves and bandanas) inside the school is not allowed. Students who can show that they wear a head covering for religious reasons may be exempted from this restriction.
Skateboarding is not allowed at any time in or around the school campus.
DP students are encouraged to remain on campus during breaks, cancelled lessons and study periods. If DP students leave the school campus during school hours, they must sign-in and/or sign-out at reception.
Students may spend the break in the Auditorium, the Library or in the designated outside areas on the Campus. Students may not be inside the buildings, with the exception of the Owl
Students must bring appropriate sports clothes to each lesson, such as shorts, T-shirt, jogging pants and jacket. Students must have both indoor and outdoor sports shoes.Building (cafeteria) or the Rabbit area. Students may not leave the premises. At the end of the break students wait quietly for their teacher at the classroom door.
Mopeds and bicycles must be locked and left in the bicycle area and must not be ridden beyond the bike park. Mopeds and bicycles must not be placed in a position that hinders free entrance to and exit from the bicycle park. The school is not responsible for theft of or damage to mopeds or bicycles.

Note about PHE expectations

All MYP students are expected to attend PHE lessons. If a student is medically or otherwise unable to follow a PHE class, they must give the PHE teacher a written note from the parents or the doctor stating the reason. Any prolonged illness or injury should be reported to the Head of Secondary. Valuable items should not be left in the changing rooms during PHE lessons. The PHE teacher and the school cannot be held responsible for items, which are lost or stolen.