OIS shines in Floreer Audit

Why are audits done?

The aim of the audit is firstly to determine the extent to which practice at a school corresponds to the goals set out in the School Plan and legal standards for education. Secondly it makes the school’s qualities visible and gains insight into areas for improvement. Finally, the audit is designed to provide accountability to the Executive Board and to the Education Inspectorate.

This audit was conducted in line with Floreer’s quality policy. All schools are audited every two years.

The audits are based on:

1. Floreer’s guiding principles, and
2. the Education Inspectorate’s evaluation framework which are divided into the following areas:
   • Educational processes: provision, monitoring progress and additional support, pedagogical and didactical approaches, teaching time and transition to secondary education
   • Safety and school climate
   • Educational outcomes: results, and social and societal competences
   • Steering, quality management and assurance and school ambition: vision, ambition, implementation and quality culture, evaluation, accountability and dialogue with stakeholders

The audit committee provides the school with an independent, as objective as possible, picture of what they have observed. It is up to the school to reflect on this and work with it. This process is a topic for discussion for the Head of School’s development committee and between the management team and the board.

To this end a ‘snapshot’ was taken of the working methods at the school by the audit team consisting of 4-5 directors and learning leaders of other schools, led by Elvrie Croes who leads audits on a regular basis and is a previous Inspector of Education. During the day  this team did several class visits,  had conversations with teaching staff, management, specialists, the school counselor, parents and students.

The findings of the audit team were shared with the entire team on the audit day itself. The full report has been shared with the Participation Council and board of Floreer. We have pulled out some highlights from this document and we are proud to share them with you as parents. The pictures were taken by the audit team.

Some of the topics (or tips) covered are integral part of OIS’ school plan 2023-2027 and year plan 2023-2024, which will be shared in the last newsletter of the current school year

Pedagogical-didactic skills 

The school’s pedagogical-didactic vision is clearly visible in the teachers’ daily actions. Teachers plan and structure their approach well using information they have about pupils. They make good pedagogical and didactic choices and, in doing so, properly match the level of their teaching to the pupils’ intended final level. The subject matter includes knowledge, skills and attitudes, and is offered in a logical structure.

Teachers properly create a pedagogically and didactically appropriate and stimulating learning climate that makes pupils active and engaged. With appropriate assignments and clear explanations, teachers structure the curriculum in such a way that pupils can master the subject matter well. Teachers have high expectations of pupils and give pupils good feedback on their learning process.

Teachers purposefully gear instructions, guidance, assignments and teaching time to the educational needs of groups and individual pupils, including social and civic competences. Alignment is aimed at both (pedagogical) support and challenge, depending on pupils’ educational needs.

Schoolclimate

The school prepares pupils for life in society. To this end, it creates a training ground that supports pupils in developing social and societal competences. In the school, pupils gain experience in dealing with the basic values of the democratic constitutional state and pluralistic society. School staff are exemplary in their behaviour to pupils; staff members visibly live the basic values. The school gears its approach and range to the school’s pupil population and the living environment of the pupils. The school also identifies and corrects pupils’ expressions that conflict with basic values.

We have also included an area that the team made some recommendations in:

Insight into development and guidance   

Considering the complicated nature of our international community and what education is available in the Haarlemmermeer area we have identified that the school fulfils its duty of care to provide appropriate education. The school has good insight in pupil’s educational needs. When individual pupils or groups of pupils do not seem to be making sufficient progress, the school analyses where development is stagnating and what possible explanations this may have. It then determines what is needed to respond to any delays in pupils’ development. The school then offers the guidance in a structured way. Where necessary, the school involves the partnership Samenwerkingsverband Passend onderwijs Haarlemmermeer, the municipality and care agencies in the guidance of pupils.

The audit team made the following specific recommendation to OIS: The referral of notified Special Educational Needs (SEN) pupils, whom OIS is unable to place in Haarlemmermeer, can be further developed. This refers to developing special education possibilities in this region for English speaking pupils, as a joint effort of Passend onderwijs Haarlemmermeer and possibly other international schools.

They concluded the audit with the following tops and tips and conclusion.

Tops

• At OIS, both teachers and pupils are strongly focused on learning
• Instructions and activities are goal-oriented
• The OIS team has high expectations of all pupils and expresses these expectations implicitly and explicitly

• Inquisitive
• Open-minded
• Team is in growth/learning mode
• Share the story and learning of OIS with the board and other schools of Floreer; let other teams visit

Tips 

• Remain remotely involved in the development of former pupils when they are in secondary education
• If possible, develop further a continuation of education after primary school towards internationalised or international secondary education in Haarlemmermeer

Conclusion

The audit team concludes that OIS has its affairs well in order. They can even go so far as to say that the school has shown outstanding educational quality and innovative practices that go beyond the basic standards of the Inspectorate of education. There is a very rich offer present at the school. This can be seen in the materials used, the learning environment and displays around the building. Focus on development is excellently organised at the school. Pupils are monitored well by the staff, care officers, and management.

The team exudes a focus on learning. This was evident in all class visits, conversations with team members, pupils and parents. All this combined is what makes the school climate and learning climate at OIS special and unique in its own way!