Waiting lists for schools in Doha
By Doha Dreaming •
My husband and I are moving to Doha very shortly. We are waiting for our visas to be issued and are hoping to come over mid-October. We have 3 children, they will be going into years 5, 4 and 2 in September here in the UK.
A lot of people have suggested putting their names down for schools from now however we are a bit confused as to whether this is possible given that we do not have our visas, residence permits etc as yet. Do the schools accept applications without the kids actually being resident in Doha?
We are very keen on moving as a family, however, although we're not too fussy, from previous experience I am not keen on home-schooling :-)
What do you advise?
Some schools are more flexible on pending RP than others. As long as your husband has his RP, they are willing to accept your applications. My children's particular school asks to give them the RP after 2 weeks of admission. It's expensive to pay for applications on waiting list, especially having three children. It's better that you visit the school in person. Good luck with your children school.
The chances of finding a place for September at a decent school are slim. Also, many of the school offices are closed or have a reduced schedule until the end of Eid.
Home schooling may be your best option for now, but as soon as you can (either while in the UK or as soon as you arrive) put them on as many waiting lists as you can. For the British curriculum DESS is by far an away the best for primary school, but it is also oversubscribed. They do follow a sibling rule, which can work to your advantage, because if a place becomes available for one of your children, the others will automatically move up the waiting lists of their respective year groups. Even so, it may take up to a school year to get all of your kids places, but if you plan on being in Qatar for a while, it is worth it.
Doha College is also worth a look, but it too is oversubscribed. There are other schools that claim a British curriculum, but I would be very wary (they are "for profit", often have inferior facilities, resources and teachers).
Hi DD, I hope my reply helps! I heard last year that getting the kids into school can be very difficult, I therefore applied last January (or thereabouts, I got an offer of a place for my son, we finally fly out on the 24th August, so yes you can apply without a RP. The school which we got our son in has been very helpful. Best of luck.
Regards