Raha International School, Khalifa City Campus FAQs

Raha’s expansion to a second campus

Frequently Asked Questions GENERAL WHY TWO CAMPUSES? Raha’s reputation and outstanding education lead to an incredibly large number of applications for places at our school each year. We want to be there for our community and provide an exceptional IB education for more students in Abu Dhabi. With growth brings more outstanding staff, all of whom contribute to continual self-improvement, and this expansion will see us going from strength to strength whilst maintaining our big school-small family ethos and culture.

HOW MANY CLASSES PER GRADE ARE OPENING – WHAT GRADES ARE OPENING? We will open EY1 to Grade 2 in 2020 with the number of classes being determined by the demand. The plans for 2021 are not yet confirmed but we hope to open a large number of grades across the school.

WILL THE START AND END TIMINGS BE THE SAME ON BOTH CAMPUSES? We have studied the DoT traffic survey and gathered opening time information from surrounding schools and our current thinking is that we should keep both at the same time as the current campus currently operates on, but we will not confirm this until later in the year.

WILL THERE BE THE SAME UNIFORM AT BOTH SCHOOLS? Yes, the uniforms will be the same and will be updated for both campuses in 2020.

WILL THE CAMPUSES HAVE THE SAME FEE LEVELS? The fee levels will remain the same across both campuses.

WILL THE LOGO BE THE SAME? It will be the same but will be brand new for both campuses. This is being rolled out, together with other new messages and marketing materials, during 2019/20 academic year.

HOW MANY GRADES WILL OPEN IN 2021 WHEN THE NEW CAMPUS IS FULLY CONSTRUCTED? This is still under discussion and will depend on demand. We will certainly open all primary grades in 2021 and may also open some secondary grades. We will share this information more fully later next academic year.

WHEN DOES STAFF RECRUITMENT START? It has already started and we have already received hundreds of CV and made some early appointments.

WILL CLASS SIZES BE THE SAME? WILL THEY BE BALANCED OUT IF ONE SCHOOL HAS LESS STUDENTS IN GRADE/CLASS? The maximum class size will be the same in each school. Balancing will be difficult as it would involve forcing parents to move their children between campuses, which we want to avoid.

WILL CIS AND ADEK ACCREDITATION CROSS THE CAMPUSES? CIS and IB accreditation should cover both campuses in the future. We are under discussion with ADEK about how inspections will work, but hope that the campuses will be treated as one school for inspection purposes.

CONSTRUCTION WILL THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE BUILD BE FROM AN ACADEMIC BACKGROUND? There is a large taskforce from across Taaleem and Raha plus specialized consultants for the build and architects from Singapore for the design. The build construction will be managed by specialized construction project managers and the operational project management will be led by the senior staff in school.

HOW WILL WE MANAGE THE SCHOOL’S NEEDS AGAINST THE PROJECT MANAGER’S VISION? The vision has been a shared one right from the outset. There has been considerable input from the school and the resulting design and school will be a collaboration of many groups including school staff.

HAVE WE CONSIDERED THE PARKING LAYOUT? Yes, this is an integral part of the design and drop-offs will be aligned to each building, making it easier for Early Years to be dropped off safely.

WILL THE MAIN CONSTRUCTION BE DONE SO THERE IS NO DUST? This has been part of the consideration during the phasing of the build and the Early Years will be well protected from the rest of the construction of the main building. Some dust and noise will be inevitable, but we aim to protect students from this as much as possible.

WILL ALL THE CLASSROOMS BE FITTED OUT UPON OPENING OR WILL IT BE PHASED? The Early Years will be fully furnished and resourced prior to opening in 2020. The rest of the school will open in 2021 and will be fully furnished and resourced from day one.

ADMISSIONS WILL THERE BE A CENTRAL ADMISSIONS TEAM BASED AT ONE CAMPUS? The core admissions team will be run from the Khalifa City campus once the admin block is complete but there will always be admissions staff on each campus to manage parental enquiries and tours.

WILL CURRENT PARENTS BE ALLOWED TO MOVE CAMPUSES? Current parents will be given the choice to be founding members at the Khalifa City Campus in the first few years. Otherwise we will discourage moving between campuses for stability and as the education experience will be the same across both campuses. Although we recognize we may need to be flexible in the first couple of years to support sibling applications.

WILL WE SPLIT SIBLINGS? The plan is that siblings are always on the same campus but there may be instances in the first or second year of the new campus being open that the only way to put both siblings in the school is on separate campuses. The Admissions Team will communicate this well in advance. If this is the case we would give parents the first opportunity to move a child across so that siblings are on the same campus.

IF THERE ARE SIBLINGS ACROSS BOTH CAMPUSES WILL CALENDARS BE ALIGNED? We will ensure that clashes which affect families are taken into consideration and arranged accordingly.

WHAT WILL THE ADMISSIONS POLICY BE? Applications to Raha International School will be processed centrally with the admissions policy and criteria being the same. Parents will be able to express a campus preference, but final allocation on a campus will depend on a number of factors including availability, siblings and diversity. We intend to maintain our cultural diversity and global outlook, whilst ensuring we are inclusive, and students are happy and can access the curriculum.

WHERE WILL SCHOOL TOURS TAKE PLACE? Until the new campus is completely finished, tours will take place on the Gardens Campus. Plans for 2020 onwards will be developed as required.

WILL RAHA ADVISE IF IT WILL BE BETTER TO GO TO ONE CAMPUS OVER THE OTHER? There should be no distinction between the quality of education in each campus so we will not advise either way, but we will allow parents a preference when they apply, but not guarantee, it as campus allocation will depend on demand.

FACILITIES WILL STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO FACILITIES AT EACH CAMPUS? In the future, we intend to have the DP students use both campuses, depending on subjects being taken for their studies. For all other grades, classes will generally only take place in the campus that the student attends but there may well be opportunities for using the other facilities for activities such as sports and drama productions.

DOES THE NEW SCHOOL HAVE MULTIPLE LIBRARIES? The new campus has three libraries which will be separated in the same way as the Gardens Campus.

WHY ISN’T THERE AN AUDITORIUM IN THE NEW CAMPUS? This is due to size and build design. Even though there won’t be a full auditorium there will be a very large black box theatre with dedicated seating for up to 300 people. The auditorium in Gardens Campus will be used for large shows for students from both campuses, as required.

WILL THE OLD CAMPUS REFLECT ELEMENTS OF THE NEW, INNOVATIVE DESIGNS TO BE FITTED IN THE NEW SCHOOL? The campuses will be quite different in design. Khalifa City campus will be more modern but very innovative, with Gardens Campus maintaining its multi building Arabic styling. The branding and colour schemes, together with our all-important Raha statue will be the same across both campuses.

WILL THERE BE A WHOLE SCHOOL INTERCOM IN NEW CAMPUS AND OLD CAMPUS? There will be one in the new campus and we are considering adding one to the existing campus.

WILL THE SCHOOL EMPLOY KITCHEN STAFF FOR THE CANTEEN AND IN TURN CATER FOR THE CURRENT CAMPUS? Yes, the new campus will have a full kitchen and will cater to both campuses from there.

IS THERE ENOUGH SHADING ON SPORTS FACILITIES? Schools are not allowed to shade above fire assembly points. The fire assembly points in the new campus will be on the main pitches and as a result they cannot be covered. Many other play and sports areas will have shading, however.

WILL THERE BE A SHADING AREA OR AIR-CONTROLLED A/C AREA FOR PARENTS TO WAIT? There will be internal and external shaded areas for parents to wait.

OPERATIONAL WILL YOU PUT/HAVE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES/POLICIES IN PLACE FOR WHEN WE EXPAND TO THE NEW CAMPUS? All policies are currently being reviewed and where appropriate will take into account the new campus.

ARE THERE GOING TO BE ANY DIFFERENCES IN THE LEADERSHIP AND OPERATIONS ACROSS THE TWO CAMPUSES? The school will be run as one by the Executive Principal and many of the operational functions such as HR, finance, admissions etc. will span both campuses. Day to day leadership from Heads of School will be separate due to the nature of the roles but these leaders will collaborate with each other to ensure consistency.

WILL THERE BE HEADS AT EACH SCHOOL? Yes, as the school grows, we will appoint the appropriate number of senior staff.

HOW WILL THE LEADERSHIP OF SUBJECTS WORK ACROSS TWO CAMPUSES? This will depend on the student numbers as the school grows. The necessity for leadership roles will be determined on an annual basis and in line with the needs to have both the capacity to manage the required tasks and also to ensure continuity and consistency.

WILL ESIS AND ADEK SYSTEMS BE THE SAME? This is still under discussion with ADEK.

WILL THERE BE A CENTRAL TELEPHONE SYSTEM AND A SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR? This is still under discussion but may not be possible.

WILL THE EY & PRIMARY DROP OFFS STILL BE DIRECTLY TO THE CLASSES AND OR WILL THERE BE GATES? EY will have its own building and dedicated parking and drop off area. Primary and secondary will have three dedicated drop-off zones directly into the outside communal play areas.

WE NORMALLY LINE UP OUTSIDE AND PLAY THE NATIONAL ANTHEM BUT THIS MAY NOT BE FEASIBLE IN THE NEW SCHOOL – WILL IT BE PLAYED THROUGH A CENTRALISED SPEAKER SYSTEM IN THE NEW SCHOOL? The anthem is likely to be played through a central speaker system, but students will still be expected to listen attentively outside until it is time to enter the school.

WILL THERE BE THE SAME ROLES AT THE NEW CAMPUS? – WILL THERE BE EQUALITY WITHIN THE SAME ROLES? Many admin and operations functions will span both campuses, with specific staff in each campus to manage face to face with staff and parents. The academic staff structure is likely to be the same, but this will evolve as the school grows and will be dependent on student numbers and any specific needs which arise.

WILL THERE BE AN ATTENDANCE ADMINISTRATOR ON BOTH CAMPUSES? The process and staffing for reception, admissions and answering the telephone is under discussion.

IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT THE CURRENT CAMPUS WILL BECOME A PRIMARY/ SECONDARY AND THE NEW ONE WILL BE A PRIMARY/SECONDARY? No, this isn’t the plan. The campuses will be aligned in terms of grade levels from EY1 to Grade 12.

WILL THERE BE ONE SCHOOL ADVISORY BOARD OR TWO? For 19/20 and 20/21 we envisage one advisory board, with its sole purpose for the next two years being to provide support for the new campus opening.

WILL THERE BE ONE PARENT TEAM OR TWO? For 20/21 it will remain as one Parent Team supporting both campuses, but once the whole of the new campus is opened in 2021 there would need to be two Parent Teams.

FIRE EXITS – DO WE HAVE THE CORRECT AMOUNT TO STOP CONGESTION IN CASE OF FIRE? Yes, absolutely. All plans must be signed off by a large number of regulatory bodies, including health, safety and civil defense departments.

WILL THE SECURITY ACCESS BADGES BE THE SAME ACROSS TWO CAMPUSES, ALLOWING PARENTS TO ACCESS BOTH CAMPUSES FREELY? This is still under discussion.

ACADEMIC / SCHOOL LIFE WILL THERE BE MEETINGS AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN STAFF AT SEPARATE CAMPUSES? The school will remain as one educational entity across the two campuses. As such, collaboration and meetings will regularly take place across campuses to ensure consistency and quality assurance in teaching and learning and curriculum.

HOW WILL THE SCHOOL ENSURE CONSISTENCY, CULTURE AND BEST PRACTICE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING? Where appropriate the curriculum and pedagogical leadership will either span both campuses or there will be regular dialogue and collaboration between leaders of the same role. Our goal is for the standards to be the same and the approaches to teaching and learning to be seamless across two campuses.

ARE TEACHERS AT BOTH SCHOOLS GOING TO HAVE TIMES TO COLLABORATE TOGETHER? Where possible. This may not be on a weekly basis, as currently happens in the same campus, but we are one team and there will be times put aside for all teachers to get together.

WILL OSRAH TEAMS KEEP THE SAME COLOURS ON THE OTHER CAMPUS? As we are one school the Osrah system and colours will remain the same across the two campuses.

WILL THERE BE ONE MANAGEBAC OR TWO? This is still under discussion.

WILL THERE BE ONE SEESAW OR TWO? This is still under discussion.

WILL THERE BE SPECIALIST LESSONS IN THE FIRST YEAR? Yes, the provision for specialist Art, PE, music, Arabic and Islamic will be exactly the same as the current campus.

WHAT TYPE OF INCLUSION SUPPORT WILL BE OFFERED AT THE NEW SCHOOL? The provision for inclusion will be exactly the same a Gardens Campus.

WILL THE IB CURRICULUM BE THE ONLY CURRICULUM? Yes, Raha will stick to its core ethos and remain a three phase IB school only. Raha will still be the only school in Abu Dhabi who runs a pure IB curriculum across all phases.

WILL DRAMA PRODUCTIONS TAKE PLACE AT GARDENS CAMPUS AND PRACTICE AT KHALIFA? HOW WILL THAT WORK? This will need to be determined on a case by case basis and will depend on the numbers required and the most suitable venue for each particular production.

WILL THERE BE ENOUGH RESOURCES? IS THERE GOING TO BE A COLLABORATION OF RESOURCES? Resources will be allocated to each campus individually. It would be impractical to share educational resources.

EARLY YEARS & PRIMARY WILL EY1 OR EY2 GO DOWN TO 6 CLASSES PER GRADE ON GARDENS CAMPUS? No, the numbers and make up of grades will not change in Gardens campus. This may be reviewed over the next couple of years.

WHAT WILL EY INTERACTION BE WITH OLDER STUDENTS ON THE NEW CAMPUS? EY will have its own separate building, gym, pool and specialist teaching areas so there may not be as much interaction as on the Gardens Campus. This is where the two campuses will differ slightly.

SECONDARY WILL FINAL EXAMS BE RUN ON ONE OR TWO CAMPUSES? It is too early to determine this, but they are likely to take place in one location only.

ECP WILL AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES TAKE PLACE ON BOTH CAMPUSES? After school activities will take place on both campuses. The number and range will be dependent on student numbers and availability of appropriate locations.

WILL THE ECP PROVIDERS BE THE SAME? We intend to maintain the same external providers unless a provider’s circumstance changes.

TRANSPORT WILL THE STUDENTS BE BUSED FROM CAMPUS TO CAMPUS FOR EVENTS / SPORTS ETC.?

Where required and appropriate a shuttle bus service will be provided.

WILL THE BUS SERVICE THE SAME AREAS AS THE CURRENT GARDENS CAMPUS SERVES? WILL THERE BE SHARED BUSES BETWEEN CAMPUSES? This is still under discussion with the bus company but we are hopeful that the service will cover the same areas.