Educational support
Support:
At the Johan de Witt School Group, every student receives education and support tailored to their individuality. Most students attend classes without additional support. Sometimes, more is needed, for example, in cases of learning difficulties, social-emotional challenges, or temporary absences.
The school works according to the three core elements of inclusive education:
- every student is welcome and belongs,
- there is appropriate support for every student, parents and students are
- all students learn and participate in a meaningful way
Support is gradually built up: from good basic classroom care to additional or intensive guidance as needed. The school collaborates with specialized staff within the school and, if necessary, with external partners such as youth services or the partnership.
Working together to make learning a success.
At the Johan de Witt School Group, we believe it's self-evident that every student can develop. This starts with good education for everyone, in a safe and transparent learning environment. Sometimes a student needs extra support. We carefully organize this support, together with the student and their parents.
Appropriate and inclusive education.
We work according to the principles of appropriate and inclusive education. This means that every student is welcome and that we consider what each student needs to learn well and feel comfortable at school. We think in terms of possibilities and find solutions as close as possible to the student, within their own school and classroom.
What does support look like in practice?
Most support takes place directly in the classroom. Teachers closely monitor how students are doing and adjust their teaching as needed. For example, students learn how to learn, plan, and collaborate effectively. Mentors play a key role in this.
If additional support is needed, we will build it up step by step. Consider:
- additional explanation or guidance in small groups,
- support with language or arithmetic,
- guidance on motivation, well-being or absenteeism,
- customization of tests or learning programs.
When the support needs are greater, we develop a development perspective plan (OPP) together with parents and the student. This plan outlines our goals, the support we will provide, and how we will monitor progress.
Together with parents and partners
. Parents are important partners to us. We always involve them in decisions about support. Sometimes we collaborate with external specialists, such as school social workers, youth services, or the South Holland West partnership. We only do this when necessary and always in consultation.
Limits to support:
We do everything we can to provide students within our school with appropriate education. However, in some situations, the need for support is so great that a different educational setting is more appropriate. In these situations, we also work with parents and partners to find the best next step.
Every school must ensure that a student receives a suitable place at a school. This is called the duty of care.
The duty of care begins when parents register their child in writing and the registration meets the school's* requirements. The law states that registration in writing . Subsequently, the school assesses whether the pupil requires extra help. This is done for every pupil registration.
If the student does not need extra help, the student will be enrolled and placed at the school.
Does a student need extra help? The school then investigates whether it can provide this help based on the school's support offerings as listed in the school guide. If the school can provide this, the student can be enrolled and placed at the school.
If the school cannot provide the right support, the school will look for another school together with the parents that better suits the student's needs. Parents may also enroll their child at another school themselves.
The school where the student is registered and the school where the student is enrolled cooperate to find a suitable place. The duty of care of the school where the student is enrolled ceases when the student is enrolled and placed at another school.
A student can be admitted if:
- There is a place at the school;
- Parents respect the ideas and rules of the school;
- The student meets the rules for the educational level*;
- The student meets any additional conditions, for example in talent education;
- a valid eligibility statement (TLV) is present for secondary special education (VSO) or practical education (this does not always mean that the school enrolls and places the student);
- The pupil does not fall under special education for blind/visually impaired or deaf/hard-of-hearing pupils (cluster 1 or 2);
- The school can provide the support the student needs.
The school may only refuse the student if the educational level is not offered at the school. If extra help is also required, the school does have a duty of care.
Somtoday for parents:
As a parent, you want to stay informed about your child's progress. Our student administration system, Somtoday, allows you to check grades, whether homework is being completed, and whether your child is bringing the agreed-upon materials, such as books, to school.
How do I log in to Somtoday?
Your Somtoday username is your email address. If you haven't received the email with your login information, you can access Somtoday for parents via this link
How does logging in work?
- Log in with your username (your own email address).
- Then click on 'forgot password'.
- You will receive an email with a link for a temporary password.
- After logging in with this temporary password, you can change it to a password of your choice.
If your email address is incorrect in Somtoday, please send the correct email address to:
Somtoday for students:
With the Somtoday app, you always know exactly what you need to do. You have all the important school matters at your fingertips. For example:
- Handy timeline display of your schedule
- Homework and study guide
- Teaching materials
- Numbers
- Custom settings, such as dark mode or dyslexia font
- Messages to your teachers
Where can you find the mobile app?
You can download the app on your smartphone from the App Store or the Play Store. There it is called 'Somtoday Leerling en Ouder'.
If you click the Somtoday button on the website and select 'staff/students', you can easily log in. You can also this link.
Your username is your student number and your password is the same as your network password.
The most important tool for understanding student progress at the Johan de Witt School Group is the RTTI system. RTTI provides a clear language for discussing learning and performance with students and parents. At the Johan de Witt School Group, we deepen discussions about academic progress by uncovering the story behind grades and linking this to concrete and appropriate improvement actions. Besides increasing insight into student development and our own educational process, it also helps students develop several skills they will need later in life: metacognition (thinking about your thinking), general self-reflection, and learning to learn.
Levels of cognition
The RTTI system provides a clear and transparent overview of the four distinct cognitive levels of learning. RTTI provides insight into students' cognitive development and serves as a driving force for educational development within the school.
The letters R, T, T and I represent four different levels of cognition:
- Reproduction
- Application in a known situation
- Application in new situation
- Insight
Behavioral indicators
In addition to the different cognitive levels, behavioral indicators are also linked to student performance, called OMZA. The letters O, M, Z, and A represent four indicators related to the four cognitive levels:
- Organization
- Participate
- Self-confidence
- Autonomy
Learning effectively is a skill that can be developed. That is why our students learn not only what they need to learn, but also how to approach it effectively. We work with proven learning and study strategies, such as spaced practice and active recall. These help students to understand the material better, retain it longer, and learn with more confidence.
Overview and planning play a key role in this. Each student receives their own planner from the school and doesn't need to purchase a school diary. In mentor lessons, students learn to properly plan their homework, tests, and after-school activities. This provides peace of mind, prevents procrastination, and helps them learn more effectively. For the lower and upper grades, we use different planners, tailored to each student's developmental stage.