Taalschool de Vlieger - Onderwijs op Taalschool de Vlieger

Onboarding: A warm start for every student

Pupils enrol with us throughout the school year. Depending on their age and developmental level, they will be placed in one of our specially designed groups. We truly focus on your child and their abilities and challenges. This means that it's possible for a younger child to be placed in an older group, or conversely, for an older pupil to benefit more from placement in a younger group.

Group Yellow

(4 to 6 years)

This is a mixed-ability group, similar to the Red group. It caters for young learners who join throughout the school year. The focus here is on learning through play, social development, and a smooth transition into school life.

Group Red

(4 to 6 years)

This is a combination group, similar to group yellow, with young learners joining throughout the academic year. The focus here is on learning through play, social development, and a gentle introduction to school.

Group Gold

(6 to 8 years)

Children who are a little older but still in the early stages of language development usually start in this group.

Pink Group

8 to 10 years

Young learners who are still working on their basic Dutch language skills are looked after here. As soon as they have developed sufficient language proficiency, they will transition to an advanced group.

Green Group

10 to 13 years

Older pupils who are still working on their basic Dutch skills are accommodated here. As soon as they have developed sufficient language proficiency, they will move on to an advanced group.

Blue Group

8 to 10 years

One of our advanced groups for younger pupils. Here, pupils continue to develop their language, arithmetic, and other subject areas to progress towards reintegration into mainstream education.

Group Purple

10 to 13 years

One of our advanced groups for older students. Here, students continue to work on language, maths and other subject areas to prepare for integration into mainstream education or an international transition class.

Silver Group

10 years and over

For pupils who have reached the Blue or Purple group level, but still need additional provision before progressing to a mainstream secondary school. In Silver, they will receive a full educational offering, similar to that of a mainstream school. This is offered at an accelerated pace, so that they can transition to the desired level as effectively as possible.

Methods and Materials: Learning with Head, Heart and Hands

Purpose and approach

Our goal is clear:
We want to equip every student with the language skills, self-confidence, and knowledge necessary to successfully participate in mainstream education and Dutch society.

Our approach is:
- Trauma-informed: We acknowledge what children have experienced and offer a safe, stable learning environment.
Talent-focused: We don't just look at what children can't do yet, but rather at what they *can* do and where their talents lie.
- Tailored to the individual: Every student receives the education and support suited to their individual situation.

Vocabulary and language comprehension

In our groups, we work daily on expanding the children's vocabulary and language comprehension. We guide them through the methods 'World full of Words', 'Words in Pictures', and 'Bereslim', where they learn new words with the help of pictures, stories, and games. By looking, listening, and doing a lot, the children discover what words mean and how they can use them themselves.

Language skills and reading:

In the classroom, we guide the children step by step into the world of letters, words, and stories. With Veilig Leren Lezen, they learn to read their first words in a playful and structured way. Afterwards, we build upon their language skills with Kampioen in Nederlands and Staal, where they learn to think about spelling, sentence structure, and the meaning of texts. For the older children in group Zilver, we use Atlantis, with which we stimulate both technical and comprehension reading, with extra attention to reading pleasure and motivation.

Arithmetic

We don't just do maths sitting at a table; we also do it through movement and play. With the 'Met Sprongen Vooruit' method, children discover mathematical concepts and strategies in a playful way. We also work with various methods such as Rekenmuurtje, Bareka, Rekenroute, Getal & Ruimte Junior, and Rekentuin, so that every child can continue to grow at their own level and pace. This way, maths is not only educational, but also fun and challenging.

Socio-emotional development

In the junior school, children learn how to get along with each other during the Kanjertraining programme. They talk about feelings, learn how to make friends, and how to work together in the group. Through games and discussions, they discover what it's like to be themselves while also considering others.

Music and expression

In the classroom, there are regular singing, dancing, and music-making activities. With Eigenwijs Next and 123Zing, the children discover various songs, rhythms, and movements in a playful way. They don't just learn to sing but also to listen to music and make music themselves. Sometimes we play with instruments, other times we move to the beat of the music.

World orientation:

In group Silver, we work with Blink on themes where they learn to investigate, ask questions, and search for answers themselves. They don't just learn facts, but above all, how to be curious and look beyond the first answer.

Citizenship and talent development

In all our groups, we actively work on citizenship, self-confidence, and discovering personal talents.

Flow and outflow in our education system

At De Vlieger, each child follows their own learning path. Most pupils start in an intake group, where they are introduced to the Dutch language, the school environment, and their classmates. After that, they move on to an advanced group. For some children, there is an intermediate step in Group Zilver.

We closely monitor the development of every child. In collaboration with parents, internal supervisors and future primary schools, we continuously assess what the child needs to progress well.

When a pupil speaks, understands, and writes Dutch sufficiently, and is socially and emotionally ready to cope in a larger group, they will transfer to mainstream education. This could be to a primary school in the family's neighbourhood, suited to the child's educational level.

Sometimes an intermediate step is necessary, such as placement in a transition class or a language class within mainstream education, where extra language support is provided.

We always ensure a warm handover: there is consultation between teachers, parents and the receiving school. We share important information about learning development, socio-emotional functioning, and any support needs.

Education at Language School the Kite