International School Het Rijnlands Lyceum

Het Rijnlands Lyceum Oegstgeest is a bilingual school that offers Dutch and International programmes, both fully accredited by the Dutch Ministry of Education.

The International School offers the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme for ages 11 to 16 and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for ages 16 to 18. We have offered international education since 1983 with the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and we have run this programme with good results ever since. In the late 1980s, International School Het Rijnlands Lyceum was one of the five pilot schools developing an international middle school programme as preparation for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. This has now become the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. Therefore, we were one of the first schools worldwide to offer an international programme, fully independent of any national curriculum.

In 1936 Het Rijnlands Lyceum was founded by professors of Leiden University who were not satisfied by the quality of secondary education in the Leiden area. Dutch law offers the possibility to found privately owned state-funded schools. The initiative proved very successful. Starting as branches of the mother School in Wassenaar, the Foundation developed three Rijnlandse Lycea. Later on The International School of The Hague was adopted as the fourth school. Together the schools offer Quality Education to more than 4000 students.

In the International School Het Rijnlands Lyceum Oegstgeest, we still feel connected to the tradition that justified the existence of the Foundation: offering quality education for parents that want the best for their children. Our Mission Statement tries to convey that feeling: "The International School Het Rijnlands Lyceum Oegstgeest is committed to providing international education in a Dutch setting challenging students and staff to reach their full potential".

In a sense the School is both innovative and traditional. Within the Dutch legal framework and the Quality Standards maintained by the International Baccalaureate Organization we seek to hold our own steady course towards continuous improvement. A special role is given to the parent body, because our local Board of Trustees ('curatorium') consists fully of parents. They are the educational 'conscience' of our school. On top of that the Board of Trustees is a 'court of appeal' for parents and students.

For our students the School is much more than just an educational institute. It is an important part of their lives. Recent surveys show that the School's atmosphere is rated very highly among the members of our School Community.