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Netherlands, Rotterdam
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The Pastoral Programme centers on supporting and exploring the social, emotional and physical well-being of students. The programme starts from the school's core values: relationships, courage, respect and responsibility, with tutors delivering the formal pastoral content and all teachers contributing to its consistent delivery. The International Personal, Social, Emotional and Health Programme of Study from Wayfarer Education is used in tutor classes, focusing on Health and Wellbeing, Identity, Relationships, Health, Society and the Wider World, Risk, Equality, Responsibility, Planning and Preparing for the Future, Change, Power and Future. The tutor mediates the curriculum by building relationships within the class and facilitating discussion, debate and projects. The tutor is the first point of contact for pastoral concerns and is supported by the Head of Section and the counsellor, with horizontal and vertical alignment of the programme across year levels.
Counselling is available to students facing difficulties such as test anxiety, low mood or navigating friendships. Sessions respect privacy, with confidentiality maintained except in cases of abuse, threats to self, or harm to others, which must be reported under Dutch law. Counselling aims to help students set and work toward personal goals, typically within six sessions, and if needed, assistance is provided to access longer-term Dutch mental health care. The process involves referrals via tutors and the Head of Section, with direct contact to the counsellors at cse@wolfert.nl. In emergencies, call 112; the Netherlands' suicide prevention hotline is 113; for suspected abuse or endangerment, contact Veilig House at 0800-2000 or the Rotterdam Crisis Intervention Team at 010 233 00 00.
RISS is committed to child safety and the well-being and protection of students and staff. It is part of the Wolfert van Borselen school group and serves students from over 50 countries, with safeguarding approaches that consider multicultural aspects and include safety awareness training as an integral part of curriculum delivery. A holistic safeguarding framework includes a comprehensive pastoral programme, a dedicated Student Protection Lead & team, ongoing professional development for teachers and staff, and coordination with local and national authorities who specialize in protecting youth. The school engages students, teachers, staff and parents to maintain a safe and approachable learning environment. For a comprehensive view of protocols, the Key Documents page contains policies and procedures governing child protection issues such as abuse, neglect, bullying (including online), safe hiring, emergency management, and the Dutch reporting code.
Rotterdam International Secondary School (RISS) is part of the Wolfert van Borselen School Group and operates two campuses: Junior on Bentincklaan 294 and Senior on Schimmelpenninckstraat 23. For students aged 11–18, the curriculum runs Foundation Years (grades 6–8), Middle Years (9–10) and Senior Years (11–12). RISS offers Cambridge IGCSE, the IB Diploma Programme (DP), the IB Career-related Programme (CP) and a BTEC International Level 3 Diploma in Business. In CP, three IB DP subjects sit with a BTEC core; DP core includes Theory of Knowledge, Creativity, Activity and Service, and the Extended Essay. A Rose Programme characterises Foundation Years as experiential learning, while Middle Years include RISS Reach course. Senior Years provide DP or CP pathways, supported by a library and digital resources, plus a broad extracurricular offering including Debate, Model United Nations and Duke of Edinburgh Award. The school represents more than 70 nationalities and offers language choices.
