Welcome Pack | Sheborne Qatar Prep Al Rayyan | 2023-2024

CONTENTS HEADTEACHER’S

HEADTEACHER’S WELCOME

INTRODUCING OUR TEAM

KEY INFORMATION

ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE REPORTING

BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE (BYOD YEARS 3-6 ONLY)

CANTEEN COMMUNICATION

DROP OFF & COLLECTION

RECREATION AND ENRICHMENT

MEDICAL FORMS

RAMADAN

SCHOOL FEES

TERM DATES

THE PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA)

THE SCHOOL DAY

TRANSPORT

UNIFORM

WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR CHILD’S FIRST DAY LOCATION

WELCOME

Dear Parents,

May I offer you a very warm welcome to Sherborne Qatar Preparatory School Al Rayyan, part of the Sherborne Qatar family of schools; one which believes in preparing well-educated, well-rounded children, who achieve their potential in happy and nurturing schools.

The start of the new school year can be a daunting prospect for even the most confident of children, especially if they are joining a new school and potentially in a new country. We completely understand and that is why our priority will be to make sure your child is happy and settles as quickly as possible into their new surroundings.

from British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspection report April 2022

Qatar Prep school”

We are very fortunate to have a blend of both families and staff who have been with us for several years, and those who are new themselves. It is this mix which helps us to understand the thoughts and feelings of anyone new to our community and it is this mix that will help them to feel happy and safe and make new friends very, very easily.

What we then have is a wonderful network of staff, led initially by your child’s Form Teacher, who will support your child and you with their journey through the rest of the year and beyond. It is this relationship, which is so important, because it is this relationship that will help your child to grow, develop and achieve – in the broadest sense of the words, encouraging them to challenge themselves in a whole range of areas, secure in the knowledge that they are being supported and looked after every step of the way.

We look forward to this journey starting with us soon. However, if in the meantime, there is anything you need or questions you have, please do get in touch - we are here to help you and your child from this moment on as they embark on The Sherborne Way.

With my very best wishes,

HEIDI BERRY Headteacher

“Pupils thrive and make exceptionally good progress”

INTRODUCING OUR TEAM

With our outstanding pastoral care, built on our moral values of: Respect, Kindness, Honesty, Teamwork, Responsibility & Perseverance we know that for our children to thrive and find their brilliance they need to feel secure and happy in their environment, which is why all we do is based upon their needs as individuals. With a whole-school approach to well-being, underpinned by our wonderful House system, we pride ourselves on feeling part of ‘a family, within a family’.

Through the structure of our school, with Mrs Eva Taggar and Mr Charles Staincliffe leading the Pre Prep (Pre School to Year 2) and Key Stage 2 (Years 3 – 6) respectively, and supported by Heads of Year, we ensure that children throughout our school are cared for.

As part of our all-round approach to education, children are encouraged to share and discuss their thoughts and feelings, whether in class through our carefully crafted Well-being & PSHE (Personal, Social, Health & Economic) programme, or in smaller groups with our School Counsellor or Learning Support department.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

School Counsellor rjannath@sherborneqatar.org

PASTORAL LEADS

Director of Learning Support (Primary) abray@sherborneqatar.org

Mental Health/Well-being Lead rpeerzada@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Pre-School lwilkin@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Reception ajessop@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Year 1 jdeane@sherborneqatar.org

Headteacher hberry@sherborneqatar.org

Deputy Head / Head of Key Stage 2 cstaincliffe@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Year 2 lmcfaul@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Year 3 jnewsome@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Year 4 zmohammed@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Year 5 kgittins@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Year 6 zdada@sherborneqatar.org

LINDSEY WILKIN

CHARLES STAINCLIFFE

LUCY MCFAUL JESSICA NEWSOME

KATIE GITTINS

ZAHRA MOHAMMED

ZARA DADA

ABIGAIL JESSOP JESSICA DEANE

EVA TAGGART

HEIDI BERRY Deputy Head / Head of Pre Prep etaggart@sherborneqatar.org

JANNATH RAHMAN ROXANA PEERZADA AMY BRAY

OF HOUSE

KEY INFORMATION

ACADEMIC

With the foundations of our Learning Dispositions: Communication, Creativity, Risk-taking, Independence, Resilience and Curiosity we have developed a curriculum, The Sherborne WAY, that is Wholeness, Aspirational and personalised - all about You (our pupils). The Sherborne WAY curriculum has the National Curriculum for England (2014) as its underlying structure but tailors all parts of the learning to the Sherborne Qatar pupils to ensure our content is enriching and purposeful – with our moral values and learning dispositions at its core.

Throughout the school, The White Rose Maths scheme of work is followed and the Talk for Writing structure, which ensures we do not lose the British nature of our education. The British nature of the school is also very evident in the themes and topics which are taught for our Foundation Subjects. In our Early Years, Foundation Stage (EYFS) department (Pre-School & Reception), we follow the 2021 framework.

ASSESSMENT

We believe in a formative approach to assessment, carried out in partnership with home and school. This involves children identifying their ‘next steps,’ which are then communicated regularly through written reports (February & end of year) and online / in person parent meetings across the year, beginning in the first term with ‘settling in’ and academic meetings.

AMNA

KHALIFA POWYS SHEPPARD

IRONS JASSIM

HEADS

Gail Williams gwilliams@sherborneqatar.org

Matt Frost mfrost@sherborneqatar.org

Steven Chong schong@sherborneqatar.org

Nicole Chambers nchambers@sherborneqatar.org

Sally Nixon snixon@sherborneqatar.org

Louise McCormack lmccormack@sherborneqatar.org

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE REPORTING

HEADS OF DEPARTMENT - CORE SUBJECTS

Head of English ldoyle@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Maths dcolton@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Science sferguson@sherborneqatar.org

Please note that our target attendance is 90% and this matches the Ministry of Education’s requirements for pupils attending Qatari Independent schools. Attendance is something which Form Teachers and the Senior Leadership Team monitor closely. Allowing for periodic illness and any authorised absence, Form Teachers will send a warning letter to the parents of any pupil whose attendance is significantly below the target figure. This letter will state the current attendance % and say that the school is looking for a significant improvement. We would hope that this will be sufficient but, for those pupils whose attendance does not improve, there will be further periodic letters, which will escalate in seriousness and which will also be logged with the Ministry of Education & Higher Education .

Parents are reminded that whenever a child is absent an email should be sent to the Form Teacher with an explanation so that the correct entry can be made in the Register. Please note that all applications for leave of absence should be made, in writing and in advance, to the Deputy Heads, Mrs Taggart (Pre Prep: Pre School – Year 2) at etaggart@sherborneqatar.org or Mr Staincliffe (Key Stage 2: Years 3 – 6) at cstaincliffe@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Innovation / Learning Technology sduncan@sherborneqatar.org

Head of Arabic / Islamic Studies ssaada@sherborneqatar.org

SPECIALIST HEADS OF DEPARTMENT

Applications are judged on a case-by-case basis and parents will be notified of the decision. Making an application does not guarantee that any absence will be an authorised absence and leave will normally only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

CESAR ROZMUS THOMAS LOGAN

Head of MFL crozmus@sherborneqatar.org

Head of PE tlogan@sherborneqatar.org

Excerpts

“Teaching engenders an infectious enthusiasm and enjoyment for learning”

LAURA DOYLE DAITHI COLTON

STACEY DUNCAN

SINEAD FERGUSON SUZAN SAADA

BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE (BYOD

YEARS 3 - 6 ONLY)

As new technologies continue to change the world in which we live, they also provide many new and positive educational benefits for learning. In 2021, Sherborne Prep launched Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in UKS2 (Years 5 and 6), an initiative where every pupil brings their own technology device to school to engage in learning in innovative and 21st century ways.

With the success of BYOD in UKS2 (Years 5 and 6) we then introduced the same initiative in LKS2 (Years 3 and 4) in 2022-2023. An important part of BYOD is that pupils in KS2 use laptops with a Windows operating system. This is for them to participate effectively in classroom learning and develop their skills in presenting media, safely exploring the digital world and computer science.

It is essential that these laptops have the following specifications;

• Windows operating system 10 or above

• Touch screen

• Window ink

• Keyboard

• Mouse

• Stylus

• Webcam

Why not an iPad or Apple Mac?

For the purpose of learning, we are encouraging the use of laptops because although Apple devices provide learning facilities, we have noticed that they do not support the use of Microsoft software as easily as laptops with a windows operating system. Additionally, the use of iPads has affected our curriculum provision because not all software we use in the classroom is available for both iOS and Windows.

To suit the specification we recommend that the most suitable option is a Microsoft Surface Pro. Surface Pro 8 or 9.

Some other suitable suggestions for devices are:

• Microsoft Surface Go 2: Introducing the Surface Go 3

• Microsoft surface Go 2 LTE Advanced

• Microsoft Surface Laptop 4: New Surface Laptop 4

• Microsoft Surface Pro 8

• Microsoft Surface Pro X

Local Suppliers:

There are a number of ways to purchase these Micorsoft devices. We suggest:

• Jarir Bookstore - Qatar Shopping Guide (jarir.com)

• Virgin Megastore - MICROSOFT Online Store | MICROSOFT 2021 Products| Virgin Megastore Qatar

Additionally, Amazon can deliver to Qatar relatively quickly but with a delivery charge.

“The expectations for outstanding quality of education & performance is the norm”

CANTEEN

Our provider offers a wide variety of healthy snacks, drinks and meals from our spacious Cafeteria before, during and after school. The canteen is currently available as an alternative to packed lunch for pupils in Years 2 to 6 only.

We operate a cashless system with pupils using cards to purchase food and drink. Credit can be added to the cards by parents online, and by pupils before and after school.

Your child will receive a card from the tutor at the beginning of the year, or new or replacement cards can be received from the cafeteria staff directly.

In terms of packed lunches, please note in line with our health-promoting school ethos, sweets and chocolate are discouraged and fizzy / energy drinks are not allowed.

Finally, due to the allergies of others, seeds and nuts are forbidden in school. Thank you for your understanding.

COMMUNICATION

Now that you are part of the Sherborne family it is vital that we have open lines of communication between us, yourselves and your child/ren. Form Teachers and Heads of Year will remain your key points of contacts throughout your time with the school.

We greatly value face-to-face meetings and there are numerous formal and informal opportunities for this to happen. As a parent you will be given access to the Parent Portal where you can find all the key policies, and this is where your child’s school reports are published.

All parents will receive an activation email when their child joins the school and this will include guidance on how to access reports. If you do not receive the email kindly contact our Data Officer Sameer Aziz on saziz@sherborneqatar.org

The school uses the Class Dojo Application to share messages and information with parents through ‘Class / School Story.’ The school also uses email to share important letters or key details when necessary. As well as our social media platforms, we also have Parent Notices which are shared weekly, providing brief overviews from the week just gone, important reminders of what’s coming up, as well as other useful pieces of information.

We consider ourselves to be an open and friendly school, so if you have anything on your mind, please pick up the phone, send an email or come into school, we are always here to help.

“Standards achieved by pupils

are significantly higher than & sustained progress.” Excerpts from British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspection report April 2022

the UK average. Prep School Al Rayyan Welcome Pack 2023-2024 Prep School Al Rayyan Welcome Pack 2023-2024 14 15

DROP OFF & COLLECTION IN SCHOOL PROGRAMME FOR INSPIRATION RECREATION AND ENRICHMENT

For the safety of the whole community, we ask you to please take a note of the information listed below, so that at the busy times of the day, we are all working together.

Complementing our exciting curriculum, our INSPIRE programme comes in many forms and at many different times throughout the school day – seeking to provide our pupils with further challenge, inspiration and motivation. With over 40 activities provided each week by school staff and specialist outside providers. Every Shirburnian has the opportunity to broaden their experiences and further develop their skills, whether on-campus or through a range of locations around Doha, with more specialist facilities.

GATE 1: (Main Entrance) - Year 1 & 2 drop off / collection Parking spaces

GATE 2: Drop-off / collection for Years 3 & 4

GATE 3: Drop-off / collection for Years 5 & 6

GATE 4: Drop-off / collection for Pre-School & Reception

Do not park here

KEY POLICIES

Note: The red and green highlights are intended as a guide. The laws of the road take priority. Cars should never stop next to a black and white curb or in front of a private driveway.

● U-turns cause holdups and also pose a danger to children crossing the road. Please drive around the perimeter of the school instead.

● There is plenty of parking within a 2-minute walk to the school gate and we politely request that you find a space and walk a short distance to school rather than parking immediately outside the gate. Doing this improves the safety of children and road users.

At Sherborne Qatar we have a comprehensive range of policies that cover all facets of school life. Many of these are readily available on our website or on the parent portal. Other useful information, including up-to-date inspection reports can be found on the website too.

Parents will be asked to complete and submit an online Home School Agreement and relevant ICT Child & Parent User Agreement before their children start school. Our Admissions Department will send you the link separately. You can read the documents here

1. HOME SCHOOL AGREEMENT

2. EYFS and KS1 ICT CHILD & PARENT USER AGREEMENT

3. KS2 ICT CHILD & PARENT USER AGREEMENT (Years 3 - 6)

TERM DATES MEDICAL FORMS

The health and well-being of our pupils is so important. To ensure we are giving your child the appropriate care and advice, it is essential that our medical records are up to date. As such, all new parents are asked to complete and submit an online medical form before their children start school. It is your responsibility as parents to keep us informed of any changes to the medical needs of your child or medication.Failure to keep us informed may result in your child not being able to enter school.

If you have any queries relating to the medical care provided at our schools, kindly email our Lead Nurse Mrs Baron at rbaron@sherborneqatar.org.

SCHOOL FEES

All parents are asked to read and sign the Fees Policy when they register their child. The Fees Policies in both English and Arabic can be found on our website. Sherborne Qatar Prep School has 3 terms per year.

Tuition fees for each term are payable on or before the first day of term. Invoices will be emailed to parents by no later than one month prior to the payment due date.

The Finance Offices in all our schools are open Sunday to Thursday 7.00am to 3.00pm. Holiday opening hours differ. For any queries relating to the payment of fees and the Qatari education voucher scheme, kindly email Mrs Amilasan on aamilasan@sherborneqatar.org

TERM DATES 2023-2024

Autumn Term 2023

Sunday 27th August Term begins for all pupils at 10:00

Sunday 22nd to Thursday 26th October Half Term

Sunday 17th & Monday 18th December Qatar National Day – SCHOOL CLOSED

Thursday 21st December Term ends at normal time for pupils

Spring Term 2024

Monday 8th January Term starts for all pupils at 10:00

Sunday 11th to Thursday 15th February Half Term

Sunday 31st March Easter Sunday – SCHOOL CLOSED

Thursday 4th April Term ends at normal time for pupils

Summer Term 2024

Sunday 21st April Term starts for all pupils at 10:00

Sunday 16th to Thursday 20th June Eid Al Adha – SCHOOL CLOSED

Thursday 27th June Term ends at 12 noon

Pre-School and Reception pupils have a staggered start / shorter day initially. Parents will be notified of their child’s schedule.

Parents of pupils in the examination years (Years 11, 12 & 13) must note that some external examinations will be held on Fridays, during Ramadan & national holidays and may continue up to 28 th June 2024. You should avoid committing to travel arrangements during these times.

Sherborne Qatar reserves the right to make amendments to dates as and wh en necessary and will endeavour to give as much notice as possible.

Mrs Rebecca Baron Lead Nurse

School Al Rayyan Welcome Pack 2023-2024

THE PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) RAMADAN

Ramadan is the Holy Month in the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast (also known as sawm) from sunrise to sunset for approximately 30 days (sometimes 29 days) and is one of the five pillars of Islam. The dates change annually as they’re determined by the sighting of a new moon – for many Muslims, from Saudi Arabia. The start and end of Ramadan will be declared the day before. Look out for announcements from school and Instagram pages such as ILoveQatar.net regarding the start of Ramadan.

Muslims will not eat or drink from dawn to sunset. It is also about practising generosity, goodwill and self-control. Generally, fasting is not recommended to people who suffer from medical conditions or women who are pregnant. Non-Muslims, menstruating women and young children are also exempt from fasting during Ramadan. Drinking and eating in public is considered very offensive and can even attract a fine or a reprimand from the police in Qatar, even if you are exempt from fasting. Everyone is expected to be respectful by not eating or drinking in public places or to use designated screened off areas within public places.

Here are a few things to be mindful of in Ramadan:

Restaurants are closed during the day and most shops according to industries have different opening times. It’s important to double check times before heading out to avoid disappointment. Also try and get government, ministry or any official work done before Ramadan, as things slow down during this period.

With a large proportion of the community fasting, it is also important to consider refraining from wearing anything revealing or tight, avoid public display of affection or swearing and refrain from playing loud music. Although these are emphasised throughout the year in Qatar, the importance is heightened during Ramadan.

Finally, be careful when driving during Iftar time (sunset) as this becomes rush hour.

Please note, during the month of Ramadan, the school day is shorter. Timings are approved by the Ministry of Education, and these are usually confirmed a few days before the start of the Holy Month. In recent years, Ramadan hours for the Prep School Al Rayyan have been 8:45am - 1:15pm but are always subject to approval.

Dear Parents,

A warm welcome to Sherborne Qatar Schools! On behalf of the Sherborne Qatar Parent Teacher Association (PTA), I am delighted to introduce you to the PTA. We are a group of parents and teachers, whose priority is the well-being of our children and supporting the school community.

Throughout the year we have various fundraisers and events designed to provide funds to enrich our children’s educational experience, over and above what the school would be expected to provide from fees.

We are excited to build community across all of the schools within the Sherborne Qatar family. We are proud to bring those schools together and create connections across the schools and foster community amongst our parents and children.

In March 2023, we were thrilled to welcome over 2,000 people from the Sherborne Qatar community to the Spring Fair, hosted at the Senior School. It was the first time since 2019 we have been able to host such an event and it was a huge success. This is just one of the events we have planned for the year to come.

Your involvement and support are highly valued and greatly appreciated. If you would like to know more then please contact us on SherborneqatarPTA@gmail.com. Please keep an eye on regular notices from the PTA.

Kind Regards

Lucy Fowlie Chair Sherborne Qatar PTA

THE SCHOOL DAY TRANSPORT

Tri Logistics provide bus transportation for our pupils from home to school. Here is the Enrolment Pack and we encourage you to read it carefully. You can also find some of the company’s Standard Operating Procedures here on our website. The headlines are as follows:

• QAR 9,500 per year per child, payable in instalments

• Male bus driver - drivers are well trained and with certification in Defensive Driving, Pediatric First Aid and Basic Fire Fighting Training

• Female monitor onboard all buses - monitors all have certification in Pediatric First Aid and Basic Fire Fighting Training

• Buses are GPS tracked

Year 1 - 6

PLEASE NOTE:

The times have been designed for curricular needs and to help with traffic flow.

Pupils must be in their classrooms in time for Registration.

Pupils who arrive late for Registration must ensure they register with their Form Teacher. This is to ensure that we have an accurate record of who is in school.

If you would like to sign up for the service, kindly complete the application form and return it to Tri Logistics at info@trilogistic.com as soon as possible. The services can only run with sufficient interest from parents so please return the completed application form at your earliest opportunity. Submitting an application does not guarantee a seat is available or there is service to your area. Once your application is received, it will be processed and you will be notified as to whether or not Tri Logistics can provide the service.

The key personnel at Tri Logistics are:

Admin Support – Ms Ruth Murillon Head of Business Operations - Mr Jalil Parkar

Direct Dial: 4402 0205

Mobile: 6616 5097

Email: info@trilogistic.com

Direct Line: 4402 0184

Mobile: 6672 8034

Email: j.parkar@trilogistic.com

We trust this information is clear, but if you have any questions whatsoever, please refer to Ruth or Jalil directly.

Whilst we are happy to recommend the service, parents must be aware that the contractual relationship is between the parent and the supplier and Sherborne Qatar shall not be held accountable in the case of any incident.

UNIFORM

Sitting alongside our high expectations of attendance are our standards of school uniform. We are very proud of our school and the high expectations we set ourselves. A visible sign of these high standards is our school uniform. We believe that wearing the Sherborne uniform:

• Promotes pride in ‘The Penny’,

• Engenders a sense of community and belonging towards the school and each other,

• Identifies the children with our school, with the Penny, which in turn, symbolises all our values and learning dispositions that we stand for.

EYFS 1 & EYFS 2 GIRLS’ DAYWEAR YEAR 1 TO YEAR 2 GIRLS’ DAYWEAR

Pre School / Reception

YEAR 3 TO YEAR 6 GIRLS’ DAYWEAR

EYFS TO YEAR 6

Parents have a duty to send their children to school correctly dressed and ready for their daily schoolwork. One of the responsibilities of parents is to ensure that their child has the correct uniform, and that it is clean and in good repair. Thank you for your support.

All items on our uniform list are available to purchase from Noble House at www.noblehouse. qa and our unique school code is SG0805

Here is the uniform list and Noble House’s items can be viewed here.

EYFS 1 & EYFS 2 BOYS’ DAYWEAR YEAR 1 TO YEAR 2 BOYS’ DAYWEAR

Pre School / Reception

EYFS TO YEAR 6 HOUSE SHIRT

YEAR 3 TO YEAR 6 BOYS’ DAYWEAR*

*Blazers are only compulsory for pupils in Year 5 & 6

WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR CHILD’S FIRST DAY?

On your child’s first day, we ask that you meet us in the Main Reception (access via Gate 1), where our School Receptionist and member of the School’s Senior Leadership Team will be there to welcome you and take you up to class, so you can see the environment and briefly meet your child’s Form Teacher – helping to put your mind at ease! We will then talk with you about morning and afternoon routines and answer any questions you may have. At the end of the day, like every day, your child’s Form Teacher will be on hand to meet with you to let you know how well the first day went.

“Pupils achievement and quality of education are one which feeds directly into exceptional pastoral care and well being.”

of an excellent standard