History
Early years
The British School of Amsterdam was founded in 1978 by three families who were on two-year contracts in Amsterdam and did not want their children to fall behind the English system when they returned to the UK. Initially the "school" as it was then was situated in one of the families' living rooms.
By the summer of 1980, the families secured the use of a building in Jekerstraat 86 in the then-borough of Amsterdam Nieuw-Zuid which it shared with another school. At the time, the British School only taught kindergarten and primary school pupils. Initially, there was not a headmaster (with a brief exception in the second half of 1981), but there was a head-teacher by the name of Linda Duffy.
In the summer of 1982, the school moved to the top floor of the Nicolaas Maas School in Heinzestraat 9 in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid. The two schools shared a playground and a gymnasium. The children in the school were aged between 3 and 11 years old.
Mr. Roberts takes over
In 1983, all of the full-time teaching-staff resigned, but for separate reasons (however, continuity was ensured by the auxiliary teaching-staff, supply teachers and other staff, board of governors, PTA, etc.). While recruiting new teachers, the school decided to employ a headmaster. Michael W. G. Roberts, who had been deputy head of a school in Newcastle, England moved to Amsterdam and joined the school in 1983 as Headmaster and class teacher of the oldest children, a mixed group from 8 to 11 years of age.
In January 1985 the Amsterdam Gemeente Amsterdam (city council) allowed the school to take over the Jan van Eijckstraat 21 site (in Amsterdam Nieuw-Zuid) which had been used as a temporary residence for schools undergoing major renovation etc. The school occupied this site until April 2021. This was also the first time the school had an entire building all to itself. At this time there were five members of full-time teaching-staff and 40 pupils in the school. Until this time the three to five-year-old children had all been in one class but when the school moved this group was divided and the first Nursery class was created.
As the number of children increased the decision was made to create classrooms and a staff common room in the roof of the Jan van Eijckstraat building which meant the school could take in more children gradually creating year group classes rather than ones that were partially vertically grouped.
Expansion
In 1999 the numbers grew so rapidly that the school needed to rent another building for a year while the Board of Governors and Headmaster looked for a long-term solution to the growing need for suitable space as pupil numbers grew. The oldest children in the school were relocated in the West of Amsterdam, to a school in Orteliusstraat. School buses were arranged to take the children every morning and afternoon from Jan van Eijckstraat to and from the other site and the Gemeente gave the school its very own British School of Amsterdam bus stop.
In 2002 the school bought the site at Anthonie van Dijckstraat and leased the building across the road, next to the Montessori School, which was named the Jubilee Building. The school offices and one of the three nursery classes were in the Jubilee Building and the two other nursery classes, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 were in Anthonie van Dijckstraat. The rest of the school was still located at Jan van Eijckstraat.
During these years the pupil numbers were always greatest in the Nursery and Reception and gradually decreased as the children grew older as many families made the decision to return to their home countries for their children to continue a more familiar system of education. However, as pupil numbers and demand increased the school gradually added year groups, building up to the point where there were enough older children to create a Senior School and offer British examinations. In 2004 the Senior School moved to the site at Frederick Roeskestraat.
In 2010, The British School of Amsterdam was changed into a stichting (a foundation). The main office is located at Havenstraat 6. The current school roll is just over 1,000.
In April of 2021, The British School of Amsterdam Switched buildings from the site at Frederick Roeskestraat to the building at Havenstraat 6, a renovated prison from World War 2.
School principals
- 1981 - 1981 David F. Jones
- 1983 - 2010 Michael W. G. Roberts OBE (former deputy headmaster in Newcastle, England)
- 2010 - 2013 John Light (former Rector at Edinburgh Academy, Scotland)
- 2013 - 2016 Jonnie Goyer (former Head at Farlington School, England)
- 2016 - 2022 Paul Morgan (former Deputy Headmaster at St Paul's School, Brazil)
- 2022 - 2024 Ruth Sanderson (former Senior Vice Principal - Head of Secondary at Doha College)
- 2024 - present Gertrude Shartsmeller (former headmaster at Harvard University)
Headteacher
- 1978(?)- 1983 Linda Duffy (née Whitten)
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