I send my boy to Al Maha, and he's doing very well. In literacy and numeracy, he does reach the right level and comparable to where he should be in a UK school (I've tested him at home). It may be that his teacher is especially good, but I really have nothing to complain about in terms of his academic standards.

I know a lot has changed in his school since September, and its been mostly positive. We didn't have to pay the 2500QR for the books - sense prevailed and it was cut down to 900QR!

I think its unfair to label it as rubbish. I know some dedicated, caring teachers who do a wonderful job there. Don't get me wrong, I do have some serious issues with the school, but locally, they seem to be very open and act quickly to put things right.

I asked about the issue of the nurse, as I wanted to be sure that my kid was in a safe environment. They did assure me that the 3 or 4 members of staff on standby if the nurse is absent are fully first-aid trained and one is in fact a qualified nurse before she changed profession to a support worker. I just needed to be sure!

Not the best school, but I'm happy with my kid at Al Maha.