Welcome by the Principal

In 1936, professors at the University of Leiden founded the school for their own children. They wanted a new school, a child orientated school and a school that really motivates students to learn! They built a school that encourages the natural curiosity in children, that teaches knowledge though exploration and shows cohesiveness between subjects. This school became the Rijnlands Lyceum in Wassenaar. The founding parents of the school were ahead of their time. They wanted to bring the outside world into the school, expressing their vision physically in the design of the new building (in 1939) which is open, transparent and child friendly with large windows and daylight throughout the whole building. Today the building is listed as a monument.

We cherish this legacy. We are a school with high ambitions. We want to deliver the best possible education to our students. Whatever decision the school takes, the leading question is always, “Do the students benefit?” We focus on the combination of quality and innovation. Quality in the day to day organisation, in the professional skills of our teachers and in the guidance of our students. We believe in innovation because good education responds to the changes and demands of society. As such, the Rijnlands Lyceum was the initiator of important renewals in Dutch education, especially in internationalisation. Twenty-five years ago the school was one of the first pioneers to offer bilingual Dutch-English education and it was the Rijnlands Lyceum Wassenaar which initiated the founding of the International School of The Hague.

The school firmly believes in strong values. We teach students what it means to have the responsibility of being a world citizen and we practise our values of mutual respect, equality and friendship every day in school. Our school feels like a safe haven where students, teachers and parents work together in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect.

In September 2019 the International School Wassenaar – Rijnlands Lyceum opened on the premises of the Rijnlands Lyceum Wassenaar. We are thrilled to provide the international community in this region with the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) and Diploma Programme (IB DP). It is a great opportunity to build a solid bridge between the Dutch and the international curriculum and, more importantly, between international and Dutch students.

I welcome the international students and their parents/guardians wholeheartedly to the International School Wassenaar – Rijnlands Lyceum and wish them much happiness and success in their new school.

Wendy Groen

Principal