An interview with the Berg and Bosch

"We always take a positive approach"

The Berg en Bosch School is located in Bilthoven and Houten and specialises in education for pupils with a form of autism. Director Ted Wennekes explains how this special education school creates a calm and safe environment for pupils who have difficulty processing stimuli. 

"I would describe the atmosphere at our school as positive and friendly. We make every effort to create a calm and safe environment where predictability is paramount. After all, it is important for children with autism to know where they stand and what to expect. That is why we build in fixed routines as much as possible. For example, children always walk to the gym via the same route and next to the same classmate."  

Teaching material 

"The teaching material is the same as at the regular primary school, but the way children are taught is adapted. For instance, our groups are smaller and a teaching assistant is always present in addition to the teacher. All our teachers and teaching assistants are also trained internally to deal with children with autism and to adapt their teaching accordingly. Within our school, we use the method Give me the 5 and we always adopt a positive approach. The starting point is that we look at the underlying cause of behaviour. We also talk to children mainly about desired behaviour: behaviour that is allowed instead of not. For example, we say: 'If you are quiet, you can hear my explanation and you will understand what to do with this assignment' instead of 'I don't want you to talk through me'. After grade 8, most children move on to secondary special education at Berg en Bosch College. This can be vmbo, havo or vwo. For the vwo, we offer this up to and including the third year. After that, children are often able to complete the vwo at a regular secondary school."

 Balance sheet 

"In the coming period, we are going to pay even more attention to the balance between cognitive skills (knowledge) and life skills. By the latter, we mean that children develop social, moral and emotional skills. The aim is for children to become self-reliant in society and to feel responsible for their own development." 

Parents 

"We see parents as an important partner in the education of their son or daughter. Together, we need to ensure that their child can develop in a pleasant way and feels 'at home' at school. This is why we regularly test parents' satisfaction with our education. This shows that we are doing well as a school. In particular, the peace and clarity we give children is highly appreciated. We also often get positive feedback, such as 'I have my child back', or 'my child enjoys going to school again'. Especially with children who are with us from a young age, we see that they often experience spectacular development over time."