Lighthouse Special Education

Van Heutszstraat 12, 2593 PJ Den Haag, The Netherlands. Lighthouse Special Education and Three Little Ships Preschool are located within the International Department of The Haagsche Schoolvereeniging in The Hague (Van Heutszstraat location). The building is wheelchair-accessible.

Early Intervention group (ages 2.5 to 5) within Three Little Ships preschool; Class 1 (ages 5 to 8); Class 2 (ages 8 to 13).

International special education school.

Cooperation with associated therapists and local Dutch specialists. The school works with psychologists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and other professionals to design individualised learning plans; Lighthouse also benefits from a dedicated assessment team and collaboration with Three Little Ships Preschool.

Daily schedule: Lighthouse classes run from 08:30 to 15:00, with a soft start around 08:20–08:45 for related groups. Lunches are integrated as part of the day; there is outdoor playtime and a focus on social and academic development. The Lighthouse program totals about 30 hours of lessons per week.

Bus service is available for eligible students through local transport schemes; reimbursement of transport costs may be possible. The provider options include Wassenaar, Leidschendam-Voorburg and Den Haag.

An individualized curriculum is followed for each student with a strong emphasis on communication and social skills, and on learning how to cope in a school environment. For 5–13 year olds, the School Curriculum places emphasis on basic skills in communication, reading, spelling, language and maths, and is based on the English National Curriculum and the International Primary Curriculum (UK), cross-referenced with the Dutch Primary Education Curriculum. Students work on their own learning goals using a range of materials, including the Edmark Reading Program and Numicon. Students use iPads with apps tailored to their learning level and progress. An Early Intervention Curriculum (Three Little Ships) is play-based and develops communication, social, fine motor, early literacy and numeracy skills, with a focus on independence; the preschool class has a maximum of 16 children, with 11 typically developing and a high staff-to-student ratio.

Preschool Early Intervention class has a maximum of 16 children, 11 of whom are typically developing, with a high staff-to-student ratio. Lighthouse Primary School class has up to 16 children taught by 1 teacher and 3–4 educational assistants.

The Lighthouse Special Education emphasises development of communication and social skills alongside academics. The school maintains a high staff-to-student ratio (1:4) to foster deep relationships and support social and emotional development. It uses three picture-based communication systems—PECS, PODD, and Proloquo2Go—to support nonverbal or limited-verbal learners. The curriculum prioritizes social skills and learning to participate in groups, with goals for language and social development in individual education plans. The Lighthouse supports integration into the HSV International Department, enabling social inclusion and language practice with age peers. The well-being framework emphasizes relationships, competence, and autonomy as core conditions for motivation and well-being.

The Lighthouse Special Education is the only international special school in The Netherlands, offering individualized education to children aged 3-13 who cannot cope in international mainstream education. The school serves students with very complex needs, including non-verbal autism and multi-disabled profiles, with challenges spanning visual impairment, language development difficulties, cognitive and physical disabilities, and behavioural challenges. There are three classes: Early Intervention (2.5-5) in Three Little Ships preschool, Class 1 (5-8), and Class 2 (8-13). Therapeutic interventions such as speech therapy, physiotherapy, sensory integration, and occupational therapy are available during the school day with medical approval; students have Individual Education Plans. The curriculum is taught exclusively in English, with integration into the International Department where appropriate, and resources are tailored to each student's needs.

The Lighthouse curriculum is taught exclusively in English. Some students have English as a second or third language. Many students have limited verbal skills and communicate using pictograms and augmented communication systems such as PECS, PODD, and Proloquo2Go. Where applicable, Lighthouse supports language development through English-language instruction and integration with the HSV International Department. Therapy services, including speech therapy, support language development as part of the school day.

Well-being is central to the Lighthouse approach, guided by three basic conditions: relationships, competence, and autonomy. The school emphasises social skills development and group belonging, including lunchtime activities as part of the educational program. The high staff-to-student ratio enables staff to build trusting relationships and tailor support to individual needs. Therapeutic interventions such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, sensory integration are available to support mental well-being. Individual Education Plans track progress toward social and learning goals, with regular review and adjustment to support students' well-being.

The health and safety of the children are of highest importance. The school maintains a Child Protection Statement and HSV-wide Child Protection Policy, with an Intimate Care Policy for Lighthouse. All staff, interns and volunteers are required to provide a Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag (Good Conduct) before working. The school provides a Confidential Advisor and an External Confidential Advisor, as well as the National Confidential Advisor for complaints about education. For safeguarding concerns, contact details are available through the Confidential Advisor and External Confidential Advisor.

1. Submit the Application and Required Documentation:
To begin the process, parents need to submit a completed application form alongside a copy of the child’s passport, recent school reports, and proof of eligibility, such as a letter from an employer or a temporary employment contract. It is important to provide detailed information about the child’s learning needs, including copies of any assessments from the past two years conducted by psychologists, physiotherapists, or speech therapists. Parents should ensure that all reports and assessments are fully translated into English prior to submission.

2. Attend an Initial Meeting:
Once the application and documents are received, the Director will reach out to parents to schedule a meeting to discuss the application. Following this meeting and a subsequent discussion with the Pupil Monitoring Co-ordinator, the school will determine if Lighthouse is a viable option for the child. This step allows both the parents and the school staff to clarify the child's specific needs and the school's capacity to support them.

3. Consent to Information Exchange and Further Assessments:
Before making a final admissions decision, Lighthouse staff may need to consult with the child’s current school or therapists to gather more context. Parents will be asked to sign a consent form agreeing to this exchange of information with outside professionals. In some cases, the Lighthouse Assessment Team may require additional assessments to be completed; parents should be aware that these specific assessments incur separate fees.

4. Obtain a Statement of Eligibility:
Because admissions comply with Dutch law for Tailored Education (Passend Onderwijs), every child must receive a formal Statement of Eligibility (Toelatingsverklaring) from the local Dutch Education Board in their residential district. Lighthouse staff will assist parents directly with the application for this statement. It is a mandatory legal requirement before the child can officially start at the school.

The Lighthouse Special Education website does not specify the operation of a formal waitlist or applicant pool system. The policy states that children between the ages of 5 and 12 may be admitted at any point during the school year, strictly subject to the current availability of places. For the separate Three Little Ships Early Intervention program, admissions priority is specifically given to children who turn three years old before October 1st of that academic year.