Multilingual Learning at ISH Primary

15/07/2026

☀️ And just like that, another incredible school year comes to a close! ☀️
It’s that time of year when we say a warm goodbye (and a temporary farewell) to our amazing students and dedicated colleagues as we all head off for a much-needed summer break.
But as the classrooms quiet down, a different kind of learning begins. How will we spend our time?
Reconnecting: For many in our international school community, this break is a journey back to our roots—reconnecting with home countries, hugging family, and catching up with lifelong friends.
Communicating: For our multilingual students, summer is a vibrant, living classroom. It’s a golden opportunity to flex all of their languages, whether they are speaking with relatives or making new friends in unfamiliar places.
Growing: Every cross-border trip, multilingual conversation, and shared cultural experience is actively building our Cultural Intelligence (CQ).
In our rapidly changing world, CQ isn't just a nice-to-have skill—it is an essential intelligence that bridges gaps and fosters genuine global empathy.
To all colleagues in education and to all students- may your summer be restorative, adventurous, and filled with meaningful connections.
Safe travels, and enjoy the break! From The ISH Primary EAL Department ✈️🌍

10/07/2026

We are incredibly proud of our Year 1 children! They wrapped up their Unit of Inquiry, Life Around Us, by hosting a brilliant exhibition for their parents. Each child became an expert on a plant or animal of their choice—explaining its habitat, life cycle, and survival needs. It was wonderful to see their pride—and hear children share their knowledge in their home languages!

10/07/2026

It doesn't matter where we come from or where we're going…we all share the same human need: to feel that we belong.

As another school year comes to an end, we say goodbye to wonderful students and colleagues at ISH. While their journeys continue elsewhere, their impact on our community remains.

For years, the EAL Department has invited leavers to leave their fingerprint on our canvas. It's a simple tradition, but a meaningful one. Each fingerprint represents a story, a connection, and a reminder that every person leaves a mark on our lives.

These moments often lead to heartfelt conversations about emotions, memories, and new beginnings. Because leaving is never just about moving on…it's also about knowing that you mattered and that you belonged.

Every fingerprint tells a story. Every person leaves a mark.

02/07/2026

Year 6 is nearing an end with just about two weeks to go! Time to spotlight closing projects that reveal a culmination of our students' knowledge, skills and understanding. Enjoy our Civil Rights leader posters which highlight our strong research and note taking skills, as well as our understanding of the impact these amazing people made!

19/06/2026

Games: fun to play, helpful for learning, and challenging to create! 🎮✨
To complete our Unit of Inquiry on The Body Systems, our Year 4 EAL students took on the challenge to put their knowledge and language skills to the test by creating their own interactive educational game.

This wasn't just about having fun—students had to apply their knowledge of academic vocabulary to body systems, functions, and healthy habits to create statements and questiosn. To make their games successful, they had to think critically about game design, rules, and user experience. 🧠💡
By combining their inquiry skills and scientific knowledge, they created a truly incredible end result! Check out their hard work in action. 👇

language # translanguaging

11/06/2026

We would like to shine a spotlight on our wonderful after school tutors at . These dedicated educators play a vital role in helping our students maintain, develop, and celebrate their home and . Through their passion and expertise, they not only support growth but also foster cultural connections, confidence, and a strong sense of .

Today, our after school programme supports 14 different languages: Arabic, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Dutch, Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Hebrew, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Portuguese. In addition, we have two highly skilled tutors that provide targeted after school English lessons to help students further develop their academic and conversational fluency. We are also excited to welcome Japanese to the programme next school year!

Over the years, we have watched a vibrant flourish at ISH Primary and it is a beautiful sight. Each language represents a unique story, a rich , and a thriving , enriching the learning experience for everyone at ISH Primary.

A heartfelt thank you to our amazing tutors for inspiring our students, uplifting each other, and strengthening our entire community.

05/06/2026

The Primary EAL Team, together with members of our Dutch Team, facilitated a Language Learning Market for our colleagues at ISH.

The goal of this interactive professional learning session was to give staff first-hand experience with a range of linguistic scaffolds that can support multilingual learners at different stages of language development. This work aligns closely with our whole-school commitment to developing inclusive learning practices and ensuring all students can access, engage with, and succeed in learning.

Participants rotated through three of seven stations, each showcasing practical strategies that can be immediately applied in the classroom.

What made the session particularly powerful was the opportunity for colleagues to experience these strategies as learners themselves, reflecting on how intentional scaffolding can increase participation, understanding, and confidence for multilingual students.

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the planning and facilitation of the market.

02/06/2026

Learn more about merged CBI-EAL practices in the upcoming free masterclass from the Heddle EAL Platform, featuring examples from our school: the International School of the Hague Primary! 👏👏👏 Register below:

🆓 Free Masterclass: Where concept-based learning meets multilingual learners, and everything clicks. Wednesday 10th June | 4:00 – 5:00 PM BST — don't miss out! Join Juliëtte Van Eerdewijk and Mindy McCracken for a masterclass exploring how a concept-based curriculum, designed with multilingu...

29/05/2026

From one of our inspiring Year 6 classroom teachers: Amanda Meijering

After watching Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream... speech" we as a Year 6 class talked about how his words inspired a community to rise up against injustice and prejudice to come together. The children then thought of a community that they were a part of, be it the school community, cultural or religious community, or even a sport or club community and they expressed their own hopes and dreams for what the world might look like for that community one day. They were encouraged to create a wish for their communities in the language or languages of their choice.

21/05/2026

Introducing fractions to Year 3 English beginner students through a combination of language scaffolding and visual models. Students used translanguaging to map out concepts like whole, half, equal and parts in their home languages before playing interactive word-to-picture matching games. Bridging language and content allowed learners to understand and engage with abstract math concepts such as fractions.