Wellbeing

Student welfare encompasses the overall well-being of students, and at the International School of Hellerup, we prioritise creating a healthy and safe learning environment. We strive to ensure that children feel secure and are listened to, taken seriously, and responded to appropriately. We want our students to know that there are trusted adults in the school whom they can approach if they are worried or facing difficulties.

All adults working in or on behalf of the school have a fundamental responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of our students. As part of this commitment, it is important for us to remain vigilant and be alert to possible cases of abuse. If any concerns arise, it is crucial to report and record them promptly. We have a dedicated child/student protection team with specific safeguarding responsibilities, which meets every two weeks or as required, to discuss and address any safety concerns that may arise.

School-Home Partnership

The School-Home Partnership is a collaborative effort between parents, students, and teachers to establish effective communication between the school and home. We strongly encourage all parents and students to familiarise themselves with the information provided in the ISH family guide, which can be accessed from this page. It is essential that families adhere to the procedures and policies outlined in the guide.

During the enrollment process, families are requested to submit a school-home partnership agreement for each child, acknowledging their commitment to reading and understanding the information provided in the family guide. This agreement serves as a confirmation of their intention to actively participate in the School-Home Partnership.

Student Support

Student Support Services (SSS) consists of school counseling, learning support, EAL (English as an additional language), occupational therapy, speech & language therapy, and the school health service.

At ISH we realise that in addition to academic achievement, the physical and psychological development of students is crucial to a positive and enriching school experience. The purpose of the Student Support Services is to nurture physical and psychological development and equip the students with skills they need to fully integrate into the school community, access the curriculum, and lead healthy and happy lives.

Specialist Support Referrals

We maintain a list of external specialist support (in English and/or Danish) to refer families and students with specific needs. These include a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist, learning support teachers and a psychologist.

EAL

The English as an Additional Language (EAL) Programme at ISH supports students whose primary or secondary language is not English, enabling them to develop the necessary reading, writing, speaking and listening skills to be successful in school.

Students are referred to the EAL Programme through a placement test, home language survey and by referrals from class teachers. Individual needs and the number of students requiring assistance determines how the programme is delivered. EAL classes take place during school hours as inclusion support or sheltered lessons. The EAL Programme strives to be as integrated into the students’ regular schedule as possible.

You can read more about EAL programme here.

Health Service

The school health service is run by a health visitor (an educated nurse and child specialist) appointed by the local municipality (kommune).

The aim of the health service is to reinforce the childrens’ health and lifestyle. The health visitor offers a combination of talks, sight and hearing tests and measures height and weight. Talks and check-ups are offered to selected class levels and as needs arise for individual children.

The health visitor is not responsible for the first aid or casualties at school, neither does she give vaccinations. Should the need arise for medical treatment, a referral to the child’s own doctor, eye or ear specialist will be given.

The School Health Service at ISH is run by:

Nina Groth Larsen L03E@kk.dk

Nina works at ISH on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Learning Support

ISH can offer support at each grade level to a limited number of students with mild learning difficulties. For these students, assistance is provided by our Learning Support Programme, both in and out of the classroom as appropriate, usually in small groups and occasionally on an individual basis. ISH does not have separate classes for children with learning difficulties.

The Learning Support Programme is not intended to provide an alternative course of study; rather it is intended to help a student be successful within the regular school curriculum. Classroom teachers maintain primary responsibility for the instruction and work in collaboration with the learning support specialists to ensure the students’ learning needs are met.

Through on-going observation, assessment and evaluation, teachers within multi-disciplinary teams, including parents, establish the steps students are advised to follow in order to be successful in their learning.

ISH takes into account the number of students that require learning support in the grade level applied for and the level of resources needed to support the student. You can read more about our learning support programme here.

Speech and Language Therapy

The Student Support Services also works in collaboration with speech and language therapists (SALT), to assess and give speech therapy to students who need it. Students can be referred to SALT via Student Support Services. SALT takes place on school premises but is outsourced and fees are payable by parents. For further information please contact Student Support Services.

In some circumstances, SALT can be provided at the school via Copenhagen municipality (kommune) at no extra cost to families. We also have a certified speech and language therapists in the school, Hannah Mitiku, who can offer evaluation and treatment in the following areas:

Expressive and receptive language delay
Language, learning, and literacy difficulties
Speech sound errors and reduced intelligibility
Fluency
Neurological communication disorders
Alternative or augmentative communication (AAC)
Social communication concerns related to autism spectrum disorders

The therapy can occur in the school premises. The agreements is done directly with the therapists, please contact Hannah for more details: hmitiku@ish.dk.

A little about Hannah: I am an up-to-date, enthusiastic speech language pathologist from the United States. I received my Master of Science in Communication Disorders from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and have developed my career working with children with speech and language challenges. I am experienced in school, hospital, and early intervention settings and my experience working with other professionals such as occupational and physical therapists allows me to take a “whole child” approach to therapy with strong knowledge of child development. I regularly attend workshops to learn current best practices.

ISH’s Philosophy on Child Protection

Children at ISH have the right to thrive and be free from abuse. It is the responsibility of the school community to protect children’s rights and work together to promote healthy growth, through care, awareness, education and dialog. They have the right to be heard and involved when appropriate.

Safeguarding Roles and Responsibilities of School Staff

All adults working in or on behalf of the school have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This includes a responsibility to be alert to possible abuse and to report/record all concerns to the child/student protection team with safeguarding responsibilities. The names of these key members are listed at the end of this section. Staff induction will include state-mandated regulations, our school vision, aspirations and expectations of all staff and what is considered acceptable and what not. They will also receive safeguarding training so they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to keep children safe. ISH will promote the principle that safeguarding is “everyone’s responsibility”.

Responsibilities according to the Danish Law

Anyone who becomes aware of a child that is exposed to neglect or degrading treatment is required by law to notify the municipality. The same applies if the child lives under conditions that may endanger his or her health or development.

The duty of notification is a personal duty that applies to both professionals and ordinary citizens when they become aware of or have reason to assume, that a child or young person needs special support.
Educators have a special duty of notification that precedes confidentiality. Educators who are in close contact with children and young people are particularly obliged to notify the municipality of a possible concern for a child or a young person.

For further information on child protection at ISH, contact a member of the child/student protection team.