Every student is valued, every student belongs
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice
At ISB, every student is valued, and every student belongs. Welcoming students with diverse learning profiles and catering to a wide range of learning support needs and developmental disabilities demonstrates our unwavering commitment to a truly inclusive school. We believe that an inclusive education enriches and strengthens our student body as a whole, whilst benefiting the broader ISB community at the same time.
Serving Inclusion and Diversity
Our mission of inclusion means that we are committed to embrace learning diversity - acknowledging that students have different perspectives, diverse learning needs, and experiences. At ISB, we don’t just meet the needs of all of our learners, but we serve the entire family, which means collaboration is key. Our collaborative approach accommodates the complexities of providing support for our student body with diverse learning needs and cognitive abilities. We rely on participation from students, parents, and professionals from our multidisciplinary team to meet individual learning journeys. Not only does ISB attract top teaching staff, we also employ in-house expertise ranging from Pedagogical Specialists in cognitive disabilities, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Counseling. For learners with more intensive needs, we also work in close collaboration with specialists in the field to offer diverse targeted interventions through a number of different therapies, and consider these services fundamental within a student’s balanced educational programme. Our specialised services along with the strong partnerships with our families are critical to ensuring learning success within our student population.
What does it mean to be an inclusive school?
Our mission of everyone Included, Challenged and Successful is one that we take to heart. Alongside our extensive support for students with exceptionalities, we recognise that embracing a truly inclusive learning environment means offering high level programs for students who thrive on being challenged beyond their grade level. These programs respond to differing needs, interests and learning goals, thereby creating personalised learning experiences that are both positive and meaningful.
Our teachers understand that to purposefully build a diverse and inclusive community of learners at ISB we need to know how to differentiate the process and experience for each child, providing them with appropriate opportunities that support and challenge them both inside and outside the classroom.
The Importance of a Diverse Teaching Body Force
The International School of Brussels prides itself as an inclusive and diverse educational institution. ISB respects the rights of individuals to be who they are. We value our people, cultures and traditions. As a teaching body, we are committed to recruiting and retaining the highest quality educators from around the world, in order to reflect our diverse student community. This offers a variety of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences for our students to learn from.
Celebrations of differences
Traditionally, ISB has celebrated its diversity through programs such as the International Festival, Home Language Program, Pride, Special Olympics and Service Learning. However, as times change, so do the purpose and depth of programs available to our community. ISB is seeking to move past celebrations, recognition and acknowledgement into a space of true integration and understanding of diversity through implementing professional development for all members of the community. By integrating Social Justice standards into our curriculum, updating our character standards and modelling the Upstander Protocols, we hope that we will be able to build connections, engage in conversations and foster relationships that will last a lifetime.
A diverse student body
ISB is located in the heart of Europe and has many nationalities and cultures represented. This richness is not limited to nationalities, but it includes various races, identities, social classes, abilities, and all the components that make each of our students unique.
Commitment to Equity
We are committed to engaging in challenging conversations regarding race, gender, social class, ability, LGBTQIA+ and other marginalised groups. Recently, ISB has taken steps towards being a leader in DEIJ work within the international school community. We have partnered with organisations like The Global Equality Collective and The Council of International Schools which will enable us to move our institution forward and keep us accountable for our commitments towards DEIJ.