Dhahran British Grammar School

Dhahran British Grammar School is a member of Association of British Schools in the Middle East, the Association of Near East / South Asia Schools, and the European Council of International Schools.

The aim of the school is to provide a high quality education in Primary and Secondary phases based upon the requirements of the English National Curriculum. In addition to 17 classes at Foundation, Key Stage 1 and 2 there are 19 full time specialist teachers in Key Stages 3 and 4 delivering a broad range of subjects to (I)GCSE level: English, Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), Mathematics, Arabic, Art, Design Technology, French, Business Studies, Economics, Geography, History, Information Communication Technology, Music, Physical Education and PHSE.

The school is a registered examination centre for both Cambridge and Edexcel. 15 Teaching Assistants support the class teachers and Science /ICT staff. There is one full time Nurse employed on campus with a full support staff.

Inspection and Accreditation

During the 1997/1998 school year, the school was inspected under the OFSTED Framework. Qualified inspectors visited the school and the inspection was administered by CfBT, an external contracting agency who satisfied OFSTED’S criteria in carrying out inspections.

The outcome was extremely positive and provided a springboard for school development for the next few years.

The school has recently been accredited by The Council of International Schools (November 2009) and in doing so has joined a growing network of other schools worldwide which are dedicated to providing a high quality education in an international context. The Council of International Schools provides an extensive self study of all aspects of a school’s performance. This again allows the identification of priorities for continued school improvement over the next five years.

The school undertakes all UK style statutory and non statutory pupil and teacher assessments. School results are consistently at a very high level and match high performing schools both in the UK and overseas. Along with these assessments, standardised testing is taken annually. Written Reports are sent to parents in terms 1 and 3 and two parents / teacher conferences take place annually.

Facilities

All classrooms are equipped with PC Multimedia computers and projectors. In addition there are four computer labs in constant use with over 120 computers in school to ensure that IT remains an integral part of the school curriculum. The labs are upgraded regularly as part of a rolling programme. The two specialist Music rooms are designed to comfortably accommodate at the appropriate time, class music lessons, recorder groups and the music ensemble. Other specialist facilities include purpose built Sports Halls, Football Pitch, Climbing Wall, Art and DT rooms.

The Auditorium can seat seven hundred and hosts a range of Music , Drama performances. Children are encouraged to participate in a wide range of after school or lunch activities. The activities change from term to term, they vary according to the season, the age and the interests of the children /teachers’ expertise.

Professional Development of staff is encouraged. Teachers have the opportunity to attend one of the annual conferences of a number of professional organisations during the course of the school year. A programme of Professional Development is organised within the school in association with local schools.