Frequently asked Questions

What is your school mission? 

At BISR our vision and mission underpin all that we do, shaping the way that we approach the development of learning experiences, creation of our enrichment programmes and how we support student wellbeing. To be an outstanding British international school, providing world class learning experiences, in a nurturing environment, where students excel, flourish and develop as positive global citizens. See our full Mission and Vision here

How is the school accredited?

BISR is accredited by a number of different organizations including the Council of International Schools (CIS) and as a British School Overseas (BSO), having to meet rigorous standards as part of the accreditation processes. All of our accreditations and affiliations can be found here. 

How is the school governed? 

BISR is a non-profit school administered by a Board of Governors.  All revenue from school fees is devoted to student learning, including the hiring of teachers and support staff, purchase of educational resources, and the development of campus facilities/learning spaces.  See more about our board of governors here.
 

What are the school hours?

Al Hamra hours can be found here

Al Waha hours can be found here

DQ Hours can be found here

BAE Schools - 7.30- 2.45pm

What are your class sizes? 

The number of children in classes  is typically limited to 24 (20 in FS). This is unless there are exceptional circumstances.  Only the DOS, in consultation with the Board of Governors, may decide what constitutes exceptional circumstances.

Do students wear uniform?

Students are expected to wear the school uniform. please see the uniform guide here.
This can be ordered via Zaks. Zaks offer a comprehensive range of school uniforms, ensuring you can find almost everything you need in one place. There is a conveniently located store at Atyaf Mall where you can purchase uniforms in person. Zaks also provides an online platform where you can browse and purchase uniforms from the comfort of your home for delivery anywhere in KSA. These can be purchased in-store or online.
 

How do parents stay informed about what their child is doing at school? 

We report to parents termly and actively involve parents in their children’s learning. Parent Teacher Conferences/ Student Led Conferences are also held throughout the year and parents have access to a google family account to which all communication is sent. 

Each campus has its own Family Portal, which includes useful documents and information. 

Can parents volunteer? 

Yes! Volunteering is one of the many ways parents can support the school and students' learning. Others include work experience, careers fairs, specialist speakers and community events. 

Do you offer after school activities? 

At BISR we support learning in a wide-range of ways, through Service Learning, Leadership opportunities, Journeys and Activities. These forms of enrichment enhance classroom based learning and provide a holistic education for our students.

Do you offer after school child care? 

Al Hamra, Al Waha and DQ offer an after school care facility for Primary students. Parents can register for this upon enrolment. Campuses also have a full range of Activities as part of our Enrichment programme, which you can read more about here - there are 2 sessions each school day. 

Do you offer bus transportation? 

All school buses are organized and run by the compounds across the city. Families are advised to register for school transportation at their Compound management office. We would advise families to ensure their chosen compound has school transport facilities when choosing their place of residence, if this is an important factor for them.

Can you transfer between campuses? 

Transferring between campuses is possible, however the student will only be eligible to transfer after completion of 3 full terms in the original campus.

Does the school have a canteen where my child can buy lunch, or are children expected to bring their own lunch?

At Al Hamra, Al Waha and BAE Schools, primary students will need to bring their own lunch.

In Senior at Al Waha/Al Hamra there are two places students can purchase lunch. One being Paul’s (open to KS3, 4 and Sixth Form) and a pop up canteen that Year 9 upwards are able to use. Other than that, we have space for students to sit and eat their own healthy lunch. 

At DQ students can bring their own lunch or sign up to a preordered catering option. Lunch is primarily eaten in the classes or outdoors. There is no onsite cafeteria.

What is your curriculum? 

BISR allows your child to follow the pathway that suits them by offering different curriculums at different campuses. See full details on our learning pages here 

Do you offer an EAL programme? 

BISR has limited support for students for whom English is an additional language and who are at an early stage of acquiring English. Students wishing to enroll  must have an age appropriate fluency in English.

Do you offer learning support? 

We are careful to ensure that we can provide appropriate support for all our students. We take the time to consider whether our team can offer support for new students whilst maintaining support for our existing students. As such, we have limited places in the Student Services programme at each year level.

We are able to support students with a range of additional needs including dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD and autism. However, we are only able to support students with mild to moderate needs. Further information about learning support can be found on our website. 

What devices do students use? 

Students are required to bring to school their own personal device, every day fully charged. In Primary (Years 3 up to 6) this will be a BYOD iPad. In Senior  (Years 7 to 13) this will be a BYOD laptop and charger.

Where are the staff from? 

Our staff community is a diverse mix of professionals from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, representative of over 40 nationalities. We have approximately 500 staff members across all 7 campuses,  50% are teachers.

The majority of our teaching staff are either UK trained or have UK recognised teaching qualifications with strong experience in British and International Schools, and more recently International Baccalaureate curriculum experience, since the introduction of IB learning at the Diplomatic Quarter Campus.

The school rigorously applies its Safer Recruitment and Vetting Policy to ensure that all staff have the necessary safeguarding checks, skills, qualifications, and attributes to enable them to deliver on the school's vision and mission. A qualification comparison is undertaken for teachers who have qualified to teach in other countries through The UK National Agency for International Qualifications and Skills (UK NARIC: https://www.enic.org.uk/).  

Where do students go to university? 

Students at BISR are fully supported by their Head of Sixth Form, the Careers and Higher Education Advisor, their tutor, teachers and throughout the Futures programme in their application to university. The majority of our students go on to attend top universities in the UK and USA although we have also supported applications to Canada, Australia, The Netherlands, UAE, Lebanon, Qatar, Bahrain, Ireland and South Africa.