Al Hamra
The Al Hamra Campus, we embrace our small size as our greatest asset, fostering a nurturing environment where personalised approaches unlock the potential of every student. We believe in providing equal opportunities for all and are committed to creating an inclusive community that celebrates diversity, ensuring that each learner receives the attention they deserve, right down to the smallest detail.
Our commitment to outstanding behaviour and a culture of excellence allows our students to thrive, paving the way for remarkable growth in both academic and personal spheres. We are dedicated to embedding proven teaching methods that promote rich understanding and deep learning, equipping our students with the skills and knowledge to navigate an ever-changing world.
As a constantly evolving institution, we aim to retain our status as the leading international school in the Kingdom and one of the leading schools globally, by staying ahead of educational trends and adapting our programmes to provide the most relevant and impactful learning experiences for every student.
The campus will be renovated in stages allowing for a more cautious growth plan. Starting with two-form entry in each year group from F1-Year 7 in 2024-25, the school will ensure that the sense of community is maintained through organic growth in the coming years.
All of our primary classes have well-qualified, native English-speaking teachers. Classes also have support from outstanding teaching assistants (TAs). TA provision is scaled to be more intense in the younger classes for example two TAs in each FS 1 class, and less frequent in the older age groups.
Specialist staff in the Primary School provide lessons for all students in Arabic, Performing Arts and Physical Education. Children in Years 5 and 6 also enjoy a carousel of World Languages (currently French and Spanish, as well as Arabic). In Year 6 students decide which language they will pursue in Secondary School.
Our youngest learners in FS 1 and 2 follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Staff provide rich learning experiences and warm caring relationships to ensure every child’s unique characteristics and interests are recognised and built upon to develop resilient, resourceful, capable and confident learners. Rich opportunities help develop children across seven, inter-connected areas of learning. These include the three prime areas of Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development; as well as the four specific areas of Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the world and Expressive Arts and Design. The Foundation Stage is an exciting time for our children, their families and our staff, as the children lay down the foundations for their future success.
Within Key Stage 1 (Year 1 and 2) children build on the learning from the Foundation Stage, with a rich variety of personalised learning experiences in their classrooms, the outdoor classroom and shared spaces. The children are encouraged to continue exploring, developing curiosity and working independently and in pairs, small groups and whole class settings. Physical development, Social and emotional development remain key focuses, alongside learning in literacy, mathematics, science, history, geography, design technology and arts along with computing skills. The levels of self-regulation, independence and intrinsic motivation are key features of learning at this stage.
In Key Stage 2: Years 3-6 students enjoy a rich programme of English, mathematics, and follow 4-6 units of work each year that facilitate the learning of important knowledge, skills and conceptual understanding, These units integrate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) as well as the humanities (interculturalism, history and geography). The units are rich, engaging and relevant in developing competencies such as curiosity, critical thinking, evaluation, reflection, teamwork and collaboration. All units are underpinned by the English National Curriculum Standards. Students in the Secondary School (Years 7-13) move through Key Stages 3, 4 and 5.
In Key Stage 3 more subject specialists are introduced to ensure the depth of subject knowledge is developed to support them in their future endeavours. With learning across a broad range of subject areas, often through an integrated unit of study, they learn key knowledge and skills in the areas of English, Maths, Science, Humanities, Visual and performing arts, computing, technology and world languages. Physical education remains a key component of the curriculum. The wellbeing of our students is critical to their success, both in terms of their study as well as in their day-to-day lives. As such Wellbeing lessons are conducted weekly by well-trained staff who are committed to giving our students the tools they need to support themselves and those around them.
At Al Hamra our Key Stage 4 (Year 10-11) students will have the opportunity to pursue a range of qualifications including General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), Business and Technology Education Council (BTECs) or a combination of the two awards. Similarly in Key Stage 5 (Year 12-13) students may follow a traditional Advanced Level (A-Level) route, or BTECs and again it will be possible for students to take a combination of the two. With the close proximity of the Al Waha campus students may undertake studies on a combination of the two campuses.
For the 2024-5 Academic year starting in September 2024 our first cohort of students in Year 12 will have two BTEC options: Sport and Business, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
In subsequent years further BTEC options will be available to offer an unprecedented range of study for our students. A Levels, BTECs and a combination of the two qualifications provide pathways to prestigious universities around the world, apprenticeships or directly into employment.