British Schools - Dilemma

If you are British and offer to donate some money to their 'new building fund' you will get in regardless of how thick your kid is.

I know teachers there who have confirmed this

If you are British and offer to donate some money to their 'new building fund' you will get in regardless of how thick your kid is.

I know teachers there who have confirmed this

If you are British and offer to donate some money to their 'new building fund' you will get in regardless of how thick your kid is.

I know teachers there who have confirmed this

If you are British and offer to donate some money to their 'new building fund' you will get in regardless of how thick your kid is.

I know teachers there who have confirmed this

If you are British and offer to donate some money to their 'new building fund' you will get in regardless of how thick your kid is.

I know teachers there who have confirmed this

It is not an automatic transfer between DESS and Doha College - you have to pass an open exam - and I know that there will be a lot of kids from other schools ( DBS, PHES, Compass etc trying to transfer ) at secondary school stage - so its no means automatic

I read a report on blacklistedschool.com and on Qatar Living about Sherborne lacking essential facilities etc etc. My children are starting within few days and would like to have a private chat to put my mind at rest. Please email me cindielouisa/-a-t-/hotmail.com

Read more: http://www.qatarliving.com/node/1475005#ixzz1Bf50eOb2

Hi Jakl9

I read a report on blacklistedschool.com and on Qatar Living about Sherborne lacking essential facilities etc etc. My children are starting within few days and would like to have a private chat to put my mind at rest. Please email me [email protected]

Hi there,

Susan has clearly had an unpleasant time. I would like to emphasize that working and living in the Middle East is not the same as in the UK and is not for everyone. I'm sorry for Susan that she had a misreable experience however I think it is unfair to slag off Sherborne. I can't judge Sherborne as an employer. I am employed by a western organisation in Doha and yes, there are some Middle eastern issues and irritations. That comes with it. As a parent I have to say Sherborne is an excellent school and we are very happy. It's not predominantly Arabic at all, a large percentage (40%) is British and the rest is a mix. yes, there are Arabic children, we are in the Middle East after all. There are islamic studies for those who want that, my children have music/PE or French instead. My children are very happy and I have never seen them make as much progress. I would recommend this school to anyone

Read my post on here:

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/61969

Primary is a nightmare here...And don't forget the fees here is a rip off business.

Take Doha College for EG:

Test Fees - 1 off

Registration Fees - 1 off

Fees itself for the term in Adv.

Every year QR3000 for the upkeep of their building at YOUR expense.

Parkhouse school want an extra 1500 for books per child per year and they (the school) keep the books.

All these comments are valid to the people who wrote them - I guess you have to see which schools are available and if they are suited to your child. My children are at Sherborne and it was an excellent decision for us to send them there - they are very happy, the work is mostly spot on (nothing is ever perfect), manners incredibly important, plenty of after school activities, its new but they've achieved a lot in their first year and will hopefully keep going in a positive manner. They may have been just as happy in another Doha school but this is the one we chose. Good Luck!

I pulled my kids from Compass after 1 month. The teachers are lazy, unwilling to help a student with special needs (even though we were told the student would be acommodated), no homework, and parents don't have a clue as to what is going on in the classroom.

There is a reason why Compass is one of the only schools without a waiting list.

At my husband's work, the HR rep said almost all the parents who start at Compass end up switching the following school year.

Just my two cents....

Doha college, but DESS is better for primary, although the thing is if you go to DESS there is no secondary so they automatically send you straight to Doha college.

I was a student at DESS and now Doha college :)

Our youngest started at Doha College in September (Year 7). He has settled in really well and we are very pleased with the support given to him by the staff and his new school friends. Our eldest, who is currently finishing his GCSEs at a UK boarding school will be coming to start his A-levels here next summer and Doha College will be our preferred option.

We have our British children in Sherborne and could not be happier. It's a fantastic school and I would like to add that we let a place at Dess go and chose instead for Sherborne. Teachers are of very high quality and go out of their way to assist both the children and the parents. The openness towards the parents is something I have not experienced in any other school.

My 5yo is at Compass and I'm very happy with it. It is not an inexpensive school, so if the company isn't paying for their schooling then it may or may not be the best option. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Doha College is going downhill. A lot of parents are pulling their children out and sending them to boarding school in the UK.

Try and stick to DESS if you can as there are people leaving. You should be able to get a place as they are currently letting other nationalites in.

Hi Mich1 ...... sent a message to your inbox....

We also moving to doha end dec. and have two girls age 8 and 14. Strangely we cant find a spot for the younger one but can for the older one. I thought it would be the other way round. Any favourable comments about the Montessori school vs Doha college? At the moment we leaning towards Montessori. We were told about Cambridge but after reading the comments here about it that is definately out.

Do not try Sherborne Qatar. Read the reviews about this school using other links on this site.

My wife and I have been looking at schools all week for our eldest who is approaching school age.

DESS was good, as was Sherbourne, but we were HUGELY impressed by Compass International School. After a short tour from the registrar, we put down a deposit on the spot.

Excellent varied curriculum, truly international pupils from many countries,lots of activities, good facilities and they are opening a brand new second school which means right now they have plenty of room.

Could not recommend them highly enough.

Hi pearl of Qatar. What do you think about QIS?

I can reccommend Park House school highly. The junior school is lovely. I agree with the one comment that said if the sibling is in, it helps a lot. Only problem with Park House versus DESS is the travelling right across town.

QIS is worth a look. The new principal there is a British woman and is highly respected in Doha.Great things are happening there- also it's much closer to DESS for travelling purposes.

Hi Cindie,

You should really look at QIS (Qatar International School). Although it has mainly Qatari students, they do have a small mix of other nationalities too, AND they are following the UK National Curriculum, in English of course. I have friends who work there. It is definitely worth a look.

One school to avoid though - GES (Gulf English School). Not a proper international school, just masquerading as one! Again, I have friends who work there. They say there are some amazing students, and some brilliant teachers. But the whole management structure makes life there quite difficult, and even the pupils pick up on how shambolic it can be.

Hope this helps! Good luck! :)

You want your kids in either DESS or Doha college. Those are the best British Schools here. If you get one into DESS take it..and they are very good about making sure the next one gets in. It is worth the wait to get them into a good school.

Other schools are small and not as good.

how about compass? or newton british school?

Yes and I have just had a reply confirming no availability!

Have you considered Montessori?

Thank you genesis. I am on the case with Sherborne. I heard they are good! However, no availability for my younger one... . yet..

Doha College...Forget it

Any other suggestions

try sherborne Qatar