Netherlands - Heroes of our Lives

KPO basisschool De Stappen is a primary school (4-12 yrs old) in the south of the Netherlands. The school is part of KPO Roosendaal, a group of 21 schools and 4600 students. The school has approximately 270 students and 20 staff. The school is in the process of developing into an integral child center for education and day care for children from 0-12 yrs old, at which point the number of students and staff will increase considerably. The school provides general education for its students. By Dutch law this includes (European) citizenship and the English language. The teachers of the school have expressed their intentions to improve their English teaching skills. Being able to use English in a meaningful way in te course of the project will give both students and teachers opportunity to grow. The contact person has broad knowledge (theoretical en practical) of teaching English as a foreign language to young children, and has previously co-written a successful (Comenius) project. Teaching English in the Netherlands (as in most Western-European countries) aims largely at communicative skills (especially speaking/listening). In our experience an exchange with teachers and students from central Europe can be very beneficial for all participants. KPO Roosendaal has made teaching digital literacy an important part of its policy. KPO basisschool De Stappen has taken large steps towards tablet based education, making the students quite skilled in the use of some digital tools, and open-minded to learning new skills. The use of touchscreens for instruction is fully implemented. The key project persons are the headteacher and R.Dam - experienced project English teacher. If they leave their positions, the project team will be ready to take over their roles.