← Back to the rankingThe British School in The Netherlands
The Hague, Netherlands · est. 1931 · Private
Illustration · The Hague
The British School in The Netherlands (BSN) is a British international day school for children aged 3 to 18, based in and around Den Haag since 1931. It is one school on four sites: two junior schools for ages 3-11 (Leidschenveen and Vlaskamp in Den Haag) and two senior schools for ages 11-18 (Leidschenveen in Den Haag and Voorschoten). The school follows the English National Curriculum adapted for international students: from the Foundation Stage through primary school to GCSE in Year 11. In the Sixth Form students choose one of four pathways: A Levels, the IB Diploma Programme, the IB Career-related Programme or BTEC; the school says it is the only one in the Netherlands to offer this choice. All lessons are delivered in English, with language support for newcomers. Students of nearly 90 nationalities attend, and the school has 575 staff. The school is not-for-profit, depends on fee income and receives no subsidy from either the Dutch or British governments. By September 2028 both senior schools are to be consolidated on the Voorschoten campus.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $20 166–32 760 a year
17 850–28 998 EUR
Programmes
IB · DP, CP · Cambridge · IGCSE, A-Level
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Italian
Class size
Up to 24 students per class in the junior schools; from 6 to 24 in the senior schools depending on the subject.
Registration fee
≈ $282
250 EUR
About the fees Annual fees 2026-2027: Foundation 1 - 7140 EUR for two days a week, 10710 EUR for three days, 17850 EUR full-time; Foundation 2 - 19500 EUR; Years 1-2 - 20400 EUR; Years 3-6 - 21000 EUR; Years 7-9 - 27498 EUR; Years 10-11 (GCSE) - 28500 EUR; Years 12-13 (A Level and IB) - 28998 EUR. From Year 1 an annual Capital Fee is charged on top: 2200 EUR in the junior school and 2800 EUR in the senior school. The fees include compulsory trips and residentials (up to ten days a year) and GCSE, A Level, BTEC, IB and CNaVT exam entries. Fees are invoiced annually and can be paid in 3 instalments; the school offers no scholarships or discounts.
Admissions The school is non-selective and accepts students of all abilities throughout the year; places are currently available in all year groups, though sometimes only on a particular site. British nationality is not required: the school accepts all nationalities. English is not a prerequisite; newcomers are supported by the English as an Additional Language programme, and for senior applicants living abroad the language level is checked in an online call. Toilet-trained children can join the Early Starters Programme in the term after they turn three; standard entry to Foundation 1 is the September after the third birthday. Years 1-9 can join at any time, Years 10 and 12 must start by the beginning of the Spring Term, and Year 11 entry is not possible because GCSE is a two-year course. Year group is determined by age on 1 September. Steps: enquiry, visit or online call, application with a 250 EUR fee, reference from the current school. Applications for children with additional needs are considered individually; the Admissions Team decides the campus, taking parental preference into account.
Stages and year groups Grades Foundation 1-2, Years 1-13. English National Curriculum adapted for international students: Foundation Stage (Foundation 1 and 2, ages 3-5, EYFS), primary (Key Stages 1-2, Years 1-6), senior school (Key Stages 3-4, Years 7-11) with GCSE exams in Year 11 in 8-10 subjects. In the Sixth Form (Years 12-13, ages 16-18) there are four pathways: A Levels, the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP), the IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) and BTEC. Both senior schools offer the IB; the Leidschenveen campus is authorised for the IB DP and CP. Dutch is compulsory in Years 7-9, with the CNaVT exam; there are classes for speakers of Dutch and other personal languages. GCSE and A Level exams are taken with several awarding bodies, including Pearson and Cambridge International; Year 9 students have sat CIE IGCSE Dutch.
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · DP, CP · authorised programmeCambridge · IGCSE, A-Level · authorised programmeCOBIS · membershipHMC · part of the allianceIAPS · part of the associationThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Diploma and Career-related programmes. The Cambridge register names the school as its centre. Its core is the English National Curriculum with GCSE, IGCSE and A Level; in the Sixth Form students can choose the IB. The school is an accredited member of COBIS. The school is a member of HMC. The junior school is a member of IAPS.
school is in an official registryconfirmed by a school document, by membership or by taking part in a networkclaimed by the school, no confirmation, not counted in the scoreGuide to all organisations → What stands behind each entry
IBInternational Baccalaureate
A Swiss non-profit, working since 1968. Its programmes are among the most widely recognised school programmes in the world. Authorisation is granted stage by stage, so a school with the final stage does not necessarily run the younger ones; which stages this school holds is set out in the line below.
What the badge means for this school. The school is allowed to run this programme and to award its certificate. This is a confirmation of the programme, not a judgement on the school as a whole. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it. At this school: DP (ages 16-19), CP (ages 16-19, with a vocational slant). DP is the final stage, ages 16 to 19: six subjects plus a compulsory core of theory of knowledge, an extended essay and CAS. The diploma is accepted by universities all over the world, and in a number of countries it counts for admission on the same footing as the local leaving certificate. CP is the final stage with a vocational slant, ages 16 to 19: some of the DP subjects plus an applied qualification. It is meant for those heading into a trade or an applied degree rather than an academic one.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →CambridgeCambridge International Education
Part of the University of Cambridge. It allows a school to teach the Cambridge programmes and to enter pupils for the exams. There are four stages and they are authorised separately: primary, lower secondary, IGCSE and A Level. If the stages are known they are named in the line below; if that line is missing, the school does not publish them, and the Cambridge registry does not show stages either - it gives only the name of the centre, the country and whether private candidates are accepted. Cambridge calls what it does registration rather than accreditation, and the network holds about ten thousand schools.
What the badge means for this school. The school is allowed to run this programme and to award its certificate. This is a confirmation of the programme, not a judgement on the school as a whole. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it. At this school: IGCSE (ages 14-16), A-Level (ages 16-18). IGCSE means exams at around Year 10 or 11, the British counterpart of a lower secondary leaving certificate. A-Level is the senior years, and their results are what British and many other universities admit on.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →COBISCouncil of British International Schools
An association of British schools abroad with a quality inspection of its own. It has nine membership categories, and the word "accredited" appears in seven of them, although COBIS does its own inspection in one: in the rest it recognises an accreditation granted by somebody else.
What the badge means for this school. The school belongs to this organisation but has not been through its accreditation. The difference matters: membership is usually paid for and has no external inspection behind it. The entry is confirmed in the organisation's open directory.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →HMCConference of heads of British independent schools
It is a head who becomes a member of this conference, not a school: membership is offered to the head, and in some categories the logo is marked as personal. A badge on a school's website means its head belongs to the conference. For full international membership there is a check - two people, two days - but no live external inspection is required.
What the badge means for this school. The school belongs to this network. That is not a quality inspection: a network is something a school joins, while an accreditation is something a school goes through. The entry is confirmed in the organisation's open directory.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →IAPSAssociation of heads of British prep schools
The association has no quality inspection of its own, and somebody else's is not required: a live BSO inspection is called desirable, and which other inspectorates the committee accepts is not published. The only visit is a one-day consultancy, and the website itself notes that this is not a compliance judgement. As at HMC, the member is the head.
What the badge means for this school. The school belongs to this network. That is not a quality inspection: a network is something a school joins, while an accreditation is something a school goes through. The entry is confirmed in the organisation's open directory.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Average IB score
35.24 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma 2026: average 35.24 points, 22.86% of learners achieved 40 points or more; two learners scored 45 points. IB Career-related Programme and BTEC - 100% pass rate. A Level 2025: 35% of grades A and A*. GCSE: 58% of Voorschoten results graded 9-7; at Leidschenveen 22% of exams graded 9. The school stresses its non-selective admissions.
Where leavers go: Oxford University · Duke University · University of Amsterdam
Graduates study in more than 23 countries. In 2022, 22 learners accepted places at Russell Group universities and 32% at universities ranked in the global top 100; 95% of Sixth Form leavers go to their first or second choice of university, art college, drama or music school.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
·Laboratoriesnot stated on the website
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
·Librarynot stated on the website
✓Catering
✓School transport
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Clubs and activities: Young Enterprise · Debating Society · Media Crew · Eco Committee · STEM Club · Swing Band · The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award · Model United Nations
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
·Teacher qualificationsnot stated
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
The school has 575 staff recruited locally and internationally; teachers are experienced in British and international education. Recruitment includes verification of qualifications, two supervisory references and current and previous police checks, including the Dutch VOG; the school runs its own professional development academy.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
✓Nurse or medical room
✓Counsellor
✓Child protection policy
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
Safeguarding is overseen by a Safeguarding Committee; each campus has a Designated Safeguarding Lead and deputies. All adults with access to children, including contractors and volunteers, have VOG checks. Each campus has school counsellors and a trained Health Officer available throughout the school day for illness or injury.
Reviews
No reviews yet. The community rating counts towards the score once a school has five verified reviews - until then we do not show a zero, so as not to mislead.
Criteria breakdown criterion weight in brackets
Academics and programmes (16%)92 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data80 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data70 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)90 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data65 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data78 "Scored on disclosed data" stands where we count only what the school has written about itself on its own site: exams and destinations, safety and wellbeing, teaching staff, facilities, clubs and activities. A low score here means the school does not write about this, not that the school does not have it: a school with good security and a sparse site will score low. A school can fill in its profile, and the score will be counted again.
The score is counted from 8 of the 9 criteria.Only those with checkable data count: programmes and accreditations from official registers, the fee from a published price list. Where it says "scored on the median", the school has no data and the middle of the list is put in its place, so that a gap gives no advantage. Admissions, teaching staff and reviews come in as their data arrives.
The full methodology → Similar schools in the country