Pupils and parents at the International School in Almere have ended their occupation of the school building now that talks are to be held between the school board and the education ministry about its closure.

Some 80 people slept in the school overnight on Friday after being told the school is being shut down because of problems with its licence.

The board is now to hold talks with Almere city council and government officials to try to find a solution. Parents and pupils were told on Thursday evening, the day before the start of the summer holidays, that the school is to close.

Mayor

Almere’s mayor Annemarie Jorritsma and education alderman René Peeters have given full support to the school, the Volkskrant says. It has been seen as an important draw in Almere’s efforts to attract more international companies to the region.

The school has some 200 pupils aged 12 to 19, a large number of whom are Dutch nationals who want to follow a bilingual teaching programme. Pupils study for the International Baccalaureate school leaving qualification.

The school is run by Hilversum’s International School Alberdink Thijm and Almere school Het Baken.

Finances

The exact reason for the planned closure remains hard to determine. Parents say the the school does not have financial problems and there is no shortage of pupils, Nos television reports.

But according to the Volkskrant, there are organisational and other difficulties surrounding the school, leading the education ministry not to renew its licence.

The school inspectorate is also concerned that not enough children at the school are foreign which may make the special subsidy the school receives invalid, the paper says.