THE PREP QATAR SHIRBURNIAN 2021 - 2022

THE PREP QATAR SHIRBURNIAN

HIS HIGHNESS

SHERBORNE SCHOOL is an independent boys’ boarding school refounded in 1550 under a royal charter granted by King Edward VI. It has grown into a modern school of nearly 600 pupils and about 100 teaching staff. Surrounded by the bustling market town, the school attracts pupils from across the world.

Sherborne Preparatory School is an independent co-educational school for children aged 3-13 years. The school has a long and distinguished history and an enviable academic reputation as a feeder to many of England’s leading independent schools. As of April 2021 Sherborne Preparatory School has been part of Sherborne School.

Sherborne Qatar was founded in 2009 and is a joint venture between Sherborne School and Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Thani. Members of the Qatari royal family such as the Emir, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, have attended Sherborne and Sheikh Abdullah and his wife Sheikha Amal have sent some of their sons there too.

Shirburnians follow a diverse range of careers at the highest levels and include

diplomats, bishops, politicians, journalists, actors, poets and musicians. Sheikh Abdulla was keen that Sherborne should join him in a partnership to bring to Qatar education opportunities and values that he had seen and liked at Sherborne. He says: “Ahmed our oldest son was transformed by Sherborne. The school’s approach helped him to discover different talents in himself and he was greatly nourished by the experience. We are extremely grateful for what a Sherborne education has given him. Sherborne has history, culture, discipline and a willingness to transform a child. That is what it did for our child and that is what we want to give to Qatar. We need to bring a more structured educational experience to our country. Qatar needs Sherborne’s culture, experience and tradition.”

Sherborne Qatar is a founding member of Qatar’s Ministry of Education & Further Education Outstanding Schools Initiative and is overseen by the Ministry’s Private Schools Office. Sherborne Qatar is a self-financed, not-for-profit school with its own Board of Governors, of which Sherborne School has half of the appointed membership. Our ethos, brand and educational standards are overseen by and aligned to Sherborne School.

PRINCIPAL

The publication of this year’s Prep Qatar Shirburnian coincides with an easing of the Covid-19 restrictions and a return to more normal schooling.

The previous three academic years have all been affected by the Global Pandemic and this article gives me an opportunity to thank members of the Sherborne Community for their continued support of our schools.

Firstly, I would like to thank the teachers for their dedication and commitment to the pupils’ learning, and especially for their hard work, determination, and enthusiasm to continue moving education forward over the last two very challenging and troubling years. Secondly to the parents for their continued support of the school and finally the pupils for your resilience and aspiration for an outstanding education, which has meant that the Prep School continued to be a vibrant place.

It is worth noting that the current Year 6 pupils were in Year 2 when we last had a normal school year and so many of our pupils and staff will be seeing key aspects of the school, such as Enrichment, Interhouse and productions, for the first time. We look forward to a school year rich in the variety of events which are so important to us for developing a rounded young person.

In June we were able to hold a near normal Commemoration, or Commem as it is affectionately known, which is an opportunity to celebrate our pupils’ successes. During the celebrations I was delighted to present The Principal’s Award, given each year to pupils at any of the Sherborne Family of Schools for something exceptional, inspirational, or motivational.

This year’s recipient, Mollie Williams, displays all the Sherborne values, makes a significant all-round contribution to school life and is an excellent role model for other pupils, all of which she achieves with a diligent but unassuming manner. Congratulations to Mollie.

I commend the pages which follow to you and hope that you will enjoy reading about everything which has continued to happen despite the challenges of the pandemic. I challenge every pupil to excel in all areas of school life, and perhaps next year you will be the recipient of The Principal’s Award.

Nick Prowse Principal

REFLECTIONS ON THE YEAR

I read an article recently which really resonated with me and made me consider this recent period we have navigated through in school. It was written by Dr Pippa Grange, who, amongst other high-profile roles, was Head of People and Team Development at the Football Association, working closely with the England football team ahead of and during the World Cup in 2018. The article was called: Win Deep, Not Shallow, and is summarised below:

“Winning shallow comes when we’re winning to avoid not being good enough. Winning to beat the other guy. Winning to be seen as good enough. It’s winning born of comparison and self-doubt—and it’s not tied to our worth.

Winning deep, on the other hand, is where you actually can feel the richness of your journey. You are attached to the joy and the struggle. You are attached to the mess, and it is generally done for reasons of genuine fulfilment. It is done more from somewhere deep within ourselves — it’s done because we can and because there’s a wild desire in it.”

Dr Pippa Grange

It’s hard isn’t it, as ‘winning’ (whatever that means) is presented to us as the ‘alpha’ and ‘omega’ of life, from early childhood. I’m sure that for many of us, our experience of school as a child is based on marks and comparison. We are taught competition from when we are maybe six or seven years old. Shallow winning is, alas, the most advertised type of victory.

So, when I reflect on a school year and, as you will see for yourselves in the pages which follow, I like to think about the achievements and successes, not only the academic but, equally importantly, the social and emotional ones too. Here at Sherborne Qatar, we pride ourselves on our six Moral Values and six Learning Dispositions and how we aim for these to support the children in their learning – to ‘win deep’.

Through the introduction of The Sherborne WAY this year, we are trialling the formative assessment of these intangibles (through an e-portfolio of ‘evidence’) – our Learning Dispositions: Curiosity, Creativity, Communication, Risk-taking, Resilience and Independence; and our Moral Values: Honesty, Perseverance, Teamwork, Resilience, Respect & Kindness, because we believe so much in their importance. This will run throughout the children’s last 3 years of school (Years 4, 5 & 6), culminating in children being awarded certificates, in Year 6, at the end of the 3 years. Expectations will increase each year for the children, starting in Year 4: Laying the Foundations, through Year 5: Developing Awareness, and finishing in Year 6: Consolidating and Leading the WAY.

A study published in the American Journal of Public Health (2015), found that social and emotional skills are the biggest predictors of future success. We know that we live in a fast-changing world where ever increasing demands on time and energy have created an environment which can be overwhelming, as we find ourselves pulled in many different directions. These pressures will only increase for our children. With the power of the internet and social media, they are already exposed to and have to deal with far more social pressures than when we were at school and the fast pace of life, created by technology, will only further increase when they enter the workplace.

We also know that the road to success and happiness is paved with bumps along the way. It is the same for everyone but it is those who have the self-confidence, developed through these dispositions and values, who are able to reframe adversity into something positive, who are able to bounce back and move forward, leading to progress and mental calm who will be successful.

It is our job, as educators, to help the children develop these attributes in order to give them the best support for what lies ahead. The best way to do this is to expose them to as many different experiences as possible, both in and out of the classroom: experiences which will challenge them, experiences at which they may fail at first, but experiences through which we can support them to grow mentally. This is what has formed the foundations of our curriculum and it will continue to be developed.

Our year was disrupted again when we were thrown into Blended and Online Learning at various times. I would formally like to thank you, the parents, for the fantastic support you gave your children whilst juggling your own lives, our children for your hard work and endless enthusiasm and the staff who really went above and very much beyond, both with home learning and the many variations of what this looked like. Thank you all for making a tough time as productive as you did.

All this has been with the backdrop of ‘bubbles’ in school, which required both the children and staff to meet the adversity of a strange, segregated world. They did this admirably, developing their inner strength more and more each day.

As we reach the end of the academic year there are staff leaving who have helped to create these wonderful experiences for the children, who have helped us to navigate through these toughest of times and, as a school, come out the other side stronger, reinforced with two incredibly successful school inspections this year. I and Sherborne Qatar, will be forever grateful.

I am also grateful to: Louise, Chris, John, Andy, Colin and Antonia – who leave the Sherborne Qatar family for new adventures. Truly: Thank You. You have left your footprint in the fabric of our wonderful school.

Also, thank you to Mrs Sarah Bennett, who is transferring to Sherborne Qatar Junior School as Deputy Head. We look forward to creating more wonderful learning opportunities as our family grows.

So, please remember at Sherborne Qatar our aim is always to ‘win deep.’

Nick Fawcett Headmaster

THE SHERBORNE WAY

– Wholeness, Aspirational, You

With our children at the centre of our thoughts, as a school we have carefully considered what we do and why we do it. Taking the National Curriculum as our starting point we enhanced it, so that it blends the very best current practice from the UK with transferable skills in an international setting, right across our school day and including trips, fixtures, and residential visits. We call this The Sherborne WAY.

With a genuine desire to expose our children to a well-rounded education we have carefully crafted a model whereby, in conjunction with their teachers, pupils assess themselves against a curriculum woven around the thread of our moral Values: Re spect, Responsibility, Teamwork, Honesty, Kindness and Perseverance, and our Learn ing Dispositions: Communication, Creativity, Curiosity, Independence, Resilience and Risk-taking. Pupils build an electronic portfolio of evidence over the last three years of their time in school, culminating in achieving The Sherborne WAY Diploma at the end of Year 6.

So, as well as achieving in the classroom across their academic studies, pupils also get the opportunity to develop their wider, more transferable skills, becoming children who are well-educated The Sherborne WAY.

THE CUBE

‘The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew’.

- Abraham Lincoln

Digital learning has become a highlight of the learning week for many pupils. Our sole focus this year has been to motivate both pupils and teachers’ enjoyment of using technology. To do this we revamped our computing long term plans and created an engag ing, purposeful curriculum, in which pupils acquire essential skills which would feedback into their topics and day to day classroom learning.

‘’I love answering questions on the laptops and doing fun quizzes, because they make my brain smarter’’. Alina, Year 1

Our Sherborne Prep ICT curriculum is bult around the 3 pillars of – information technology, digital literacy and computer science. It is a curriculum created to develop digitally literate and innovative pupils: pupils who have the ability to introduce new ideas and who are original and creative in their thinking, helping them to navigate their evolving world.

‘’In my old school we didn’t do too much with technology, but when I joined Sherborne we used technology everyday which made my learning more fun’’. Alana, Year 6

This year, for example, KS1 have learnt how to create infographics for recipes, express their artistic flare using pixel art, create work ing eBooks and use a digital camera to take photos and videos. LKS2 pupils have explored media, text and image using Microsoft software, created working robots from LEGO, programmed dancing sprites, designed thematic posters, stop motion animations and 3D models.

‘’Every term I learn something new, I love building with the LEGO and getting to bring my own laptop to class has helped me a lot with my learning’’. Mads, Year 3

‘’I get excited for my computing lesson because there are loads of new things to learn. I enjoyed making posters with the music on canva’’. Mohammad, Year 2

UKS2 have been busy making podcasts, video documentaries, learning how to present their understanding using ThingLink, Sway and Flipgrid, engineering and programming Bluetooth future transport, 3D modelling sports stadiums and buildings on TinkerCad and spending time on the Virtual Reality headsets to fully immersive themselves into their topics to gain greater insight.

Create Unlock Broaden Explore

‘’I feel like computing this year has been like stepping into a different world and I feel I am ready to go to senior school with all the new skills I have’’. Naba, Year 6.

Additionally, in UKS2, Years 5 and 6 have had technology fully integrated into their learning through the Bring Your Own Device initiative (BYOD). This is where pupils bring personally owned mobile devices (laptops and tablets) to school to access information and appropriate applications that support their learning. This has really enhanced a range of skills, such as independence and curiosity as children can now freely explore their own interests and explore their learning more deeply.

‘’The use of technology has enhanced the children’s learning in so many ways. As a teacher, it has allowed me to explore new ways of teaching, as well as allowing me to broaden the children’s experiences. It has been fantastic to watch them flourish in new ways and it has added even more excitement and creativity to our curriculum!’’ Miss Gittins, Year 5 teacher.

‘’Digital learning lessons are so much fun; they are interesting and teach me new skills. BYOD in class makes my learning more interesting and I can share my learning at home with my family.’’ Malak, Year 5

To complement our digital learning, we also introduced The CUBE – a set of learning environments to give the pupils the opportunity to Create, Unlock, Broaden, Explore ideas and explore their passions and interests. Pupils develop skills such as: risk-taking, communication, collaboration, problem solving and resilience, through experiential learning experiences. The space ranges from our Virtual Reality Room, where pupils are immersed in experiences that support writing and topic understanding, to the MakerSpace, a multi-functional room which focuses on developing art and engineering skills, to our ICT Hub, in which children learn how to become digitally literate, using information technology and computer science to enhance their knowledge, to our Musical Production Studios and Science Lab, where children investigate and experiment with a range of hypotheses.

To summarise this year, “It has been a very fun year in school’’ Nasser, Year 3.

Follow our learning @thecube_sherborneprepqatar Instagram page.

Callas

Head of Digital Innovation and Learning Technologies

Andy

As another wonderful year draws to a close at Sherborne Qatar Prep, I feel an even greater appreciation for the school community that I am privileged to be part of. Over the last two years in our world of education we have experienced changes and adapted to new rules and routines so very different to anything that even the most experienced member of staff had encountered before. The way in which our teams pulled together, adapted and innovated the curriculum was inspiring and I will forever consider myself fortunate for working at Sherborne during those challenging and uncertain times. The energy and passion that filled the school corridors ensured that the children were provided with stand out education, whether the provision was delivered online, blended or full time in school.

I struggle to identify the one moment which qualifies as my year’s favourite. There is a very special day though that in my view encapsulates the heart of Sherborne and moreover what it means to be a teacher, parent or child who is fortunate enough to be part of our school community. It is the day we opened up our gates to welcome everyone back full time. As children were reunited with friends they had not seen for months, I felt that a sense of ‘normality’ had immediately been restored. Classrooms were once again full of busy learning and that familiar buzz of conversation and interaction had resumed.

Throughout the school, we have reaped the benefits of our new and revived curriculum – The Sherborne WAY was launched and proved to be an instant success. Creative and stimulating enquiries sparked the imagination of our learners and teachers relished the fresh and dynamic approach. Drawing on our essential Learning Dispositions, The Sherborne WAY creates opportunities for all children to develop the characteristics of effective learning that will serve and support them throughout life well beyond their formal education.

Before you move to the pages in which our Heads of Year share with you their stand out moments and provide an overview of each year group, I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their fantastic leadership and for providing continuous support to their teams and to me.

I would also like to thank our fantastic parents for working with us so well this year. Our effective partnership is essential in creating optimal opportunities for children to progress and I am hugely appreciative for our collaborative effort.

Last but absolutely not least, a massive thank you children! You children of Pre-Prep have become such an integral part of my daily life that it is hard to imagine not being present next year to see you continue on your learning journey. I know that you will flourish as you spread your wings and fly onward and upward! Thank you for being little rays of sunshine, brightening up our world each and every day. Your enthusiasm and willingness to embrace your education in whichever form it is provided and bring positivity regardless of the situation have led the way for the rest of us. I am so very proud of you all and thank you for all that you have taught me.

Please enjoy looking over some of the special memories from this academic year. It has been a pleasure and an honour to be part of another unique and fun filled year!

Antonia Confalone Head of Pre-Prep

I just want to start by saying Wow! It is amazing to stand back and look at how far the children in Pre-School have come on this year. Many children had never been to a nursery setting or in any environment with other children. Starting school meant learning to negotiate sharing toys, playing with others, as well as how to sit on the carpet for learning. It wasn’t long before friends were made, routines were learnt and now you would never know that the smiling, confident children who are learning sounds and mixing paint colours were ever shy and unsure of how to make friends.

We started off the year learning about nursery rhymes, with one of our firm favourites still, Twinkle Twinkle chocolate bar. The children have loved to perform these ‘on stage’ in class each Thursday, like the stars they are!

After our Winter break the children were faced with a new challenge of home learning. Although many of their siblings may have been experts at this, our youngest learners had to master a new skill of learning online. They really did amaze us with their energy and enthusiasm in all our lessons. We could not have achieved this without the continued support of parents and caregivers at home.

One of my favourite enquiries this year has to be, Who helps and inspires us? With Covid restrictions relaxing we were able to have real visitors into class and learn all about how Doctors help us. We also learnt about how our cleaning and maintenance team help us in school. After making thank you cards, we went on a tour of the school to thank everyone for their hard work and sang a thank you song, bringing a tear to Mrs Confalone’s eye!

I love the Summer Term in Pre-School where all the learning throughout the year suddenly clicks into place and their eagerness to learn is apparent. We learnt all about Goldilocks and the Three Bears, exploring different types of houses people can live in. It was so exciting to be allowed to finish off this wonderful year with an amazing trip to Kidzania.

Throughout the year we have celebrated a number of special days including having a party for Freddie 4s Fourth Birthday, Garangoa and Green Day where we learnt about recycling and looking after the planet. We became a part of the school’s house system and took part in house days such as Friendship’ Day.

Pre-School is such a wonderful experience, watching the children learning and growing through play both indoors and out. As the year draws to a close I want to say a huge thank you for the continued support of our parents and to tell each child how proud we all are of their achievements this year. I know that you will continue to shine and have fun as you move forward into next year.

Lindsey Wilkin Head of Pre School

What a wonderful year we have had in Reception! At the beginning of the year, the children were extremely brave coming back to school in small groups. At such a young age they have had to learn and adapt to the rules of sanitising and washing their hands even more than before, keeping a social distance from their friends and wearing face masks. Very quickly, the children mastered these rules and we even learnt alternatives such as a new rhyme to help with sanitising called, 1, 2, 3 Sanitise Me! as well as giving our friends air hugs and air high fives. Suddenly, our capacity doubled to 100% and the children were plunged into unknown territory, where they had to make friends and build new relationships. We are very proud as they preserved and worked hard to adjust to their new classes.

After settling, the children fully immersed themselves into all our wonderful enquiries. Firstly, propelling into our, Why am I super? enquiry, they developed and applied all the Learning Dispositions needed to be a Superhero. Since then, they have continued to be Superhero Explorers throughout our, Who are our everyday heroes? enquiry. They showed curiosity through exploring, investigating and roleplaying all about, Everyday heroes who help us. The children were aspiring vets, dentists, doctors, nurses, firefighters and police officers. They even had a video call from a doctor, a nurse and Libby the Vet, who gave them a great insight into how they help people and animals.

At the beginning of the Spring Term we once again returned to Remote Learning through virtual online platforms, away from our friends and the adventures of our classroom. However, the children bounced back superbly and with the help from their parents, they made an amazing effort to stay engaged with their learning, accessing the daily challenges and attending our online Zoom sessions. They were excited to see their friends, as well as eager to continue learning new skills. The quality of the learning produced at home was fantastic. They jetted off around the world, using stories their wonderful experiences and imagination. We visited different countries and explored the similarities and differences of many cultures. As well as this their Maths and Literacy skills continued to improve through the daily Zoom sessions.

During our Summer Term Enquiry, we discovered, What can you find in space?. The children thoroughly enjoyed exploring stories and learning new Maths and English skills, using the theme of space and with continuous provision. Throughout the year, we also had amazing opportunities to celebrate many important events: the Arab Cup, Qatar National Day, World Autism Day, Earth Day, Garangao and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, to name a few.

The Reception teachers are incredibly proud of the children and their excellent efforts, both in school and during online learning. They are now, Fantastic Focus Heroes, Have a go Heroes, Super Explorer Heroes and Keep it up Captains. We are certain they will continue to develop these qualities as they progress to Year One and beyond.

Ciara Trainor Head of Reception

curriculum, our revamped teaching and learning and the children finally being back in school every day (for the most part!). I know I speak for all the Year 1 staff when I say it has been an extremely successful, fun and fabulous year!

The introduction of our enhanced provision has provided daily opportunities for the Year 1 children to grow, not only academically, but also socially and emo tionally. We are certain that the children we have taught this year have developed their confidence, ambition, independence and resilience, but most impor tantly they have enjoyed every minute! Each Year 1 classroom is constantly filled with laughter, smiles and a positive energy that just cannot be put into words

Our learning journey has included a trip down the yellow brick road to visit Dorothy, a look into animal rescue with a visit from some furry friends from PAWs, our Little Chef’s series of healthy recipes, lots of fun dress-up days, whole school celebrations, house days, helping the environment and last, but by no means least, our hugely successful production of Pirates VS Mermaids! We worked together as a team to create a virtual production packed with catchy songs, dazzling dancing and amazing acting. All the proceeds will be given to United World Schools to continue to support our partner school in Cambodia which the children are so enthusiastic about – they cannot wait to help give other children an education just like theirs.

Thank you to the Year 1 teachers and teaching assistants who always go the extra mile to provide such a wonderful education for the children we teach and to the parents for your ongoing support, words of gratitude and excellent feedback.

Jessica Deane

Head of Year 1

What an amazing year we’ve had in Year 2, filled with lots of learning and exciting experiences! After starting the year with Blended Learning, it is delightful to be ending the year with all children in school each day! Throughout the course of the year, the Year 2 children have amazed us with their responsible atti tude and perseverance. They have shown a true eagerness to learn and their love of school has shone through in everything that they have done. The Year 2 team are immensely proud of the children, not only for their academic achievements but also their social and emotional progress after what have been three

Our Enquiries this year have been nothing short of captivating and fun and have enhanced the learning dispositions of all children, including Risk Taking, Com munication, Creativity, Leadership, Independence, Resilience and Curiosity. Some highlights have been taking our very own space flight, designing and making waterproof boats, planting seeds for an enchanted garden, making healthy pizzas and creating our own World Cup stadiums. Our Enquiry units this year have been carefully intertwined with our English model texts which has led to some amazing creative writing. In Maths, we have proved to be curious problem solvers who welcome new challenges with open arms. Other highlights of the year have included different dress up days, a penalty shoot-out tournament and using

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Year 2 teachers, teaching assistants, parents and children for an absolutely fantastic year. I wish all children the very best for Year 3 and their academic journey ahead.

Lucy McFaul Head of Year 2

Lower Key Stage 2

It has, once again, been a privilege to lead a wonderful cohort of pupils and a team of incredible teachers and teaching assistants through another academic year. Lower Key Stage 2 consists of Year 3 and 4 and during the four years I have been in this position, I have seen more than 400 amazing individuals embrace the Sherborne curriculum and develop into confident learners ready to take on the demands of the last two years of Prep School. As we have slowly transitioned out of the tight Covid-19 restrictions, it has been humbling to see Sherborne Qatar Prep School return to near-normality. You will see, below, some of the high lights of the 2021 – 2022 Academic Year split into the two year groups. Well done to each and every pupil for achieving great things in another memorable academic year.

Andy Bray Head of Lower Key Stage 2

Year 3 pupils really enjoyed their first year in the Hodder-Williams building and it was a delight to see them mature so rapidly throughout the year. Many pupils worked very hard on improving their presentation and handwriting and the results were wonderful to see. Towards the end of the Spring Term, Mrs Newsome setup an incredibly excit ing Book Factor competition which saw hundreds and hundreds of books being read in the year group and several prizes being presented by Mr Bray on the final day of the term. Well done to everyone involved.

Travelling back to the Autumn Term, Year 3 started with a focus on Africa. Everyone was able to immerse themselves into the African culture by experiencing different musical instruments and food from the fascinating continent. The pupils got creative by making their own tie-dye and traditional African masks.

Ancient Egypt was the second theme of the year and a definite highlight was the crea tion of Canopic Jars made from clay. Pupils used the Makerspace for this art activity as they sculpted the clay using a range of tools and added the necessary details before

making the lid and then painting their masterpieces.

A Force of Nature was the final theme of the year for Year 3 and definitely a popular addition to The Sherborne WAY curriculum. Using Papier-mâché and a range of other materials, pupils were able to create their own volcanoes, demonstrating their knowledge of how the Earth’s crust has pushed together over thousands of years to form these incredible, natural, explosive mountains around the world. Khalifa Shahim in 3M can be seen in the photograph with his final masterpiece and here is a short interview he gave to Mr Bray to reflect on his time in Year 3:

Q. Firstly, your volcano looks amazing! How did you create it?

A. To begin, I put a bottle on a cardboard platform and we surrounded it with pieces of scrunched up paper. Then, after a while, we put some tape around and put Papier-mâché around it all and let it dry for a day. After that, we painted it and I painted mine with two shades of brown and some black. Finally, at the top, I put stripes of red paint coming down to show that lava was coming down the volcano.

Q. What have you enjoyed the most this year in Year 3?

A. Out of everything, the best thing was the Tie-dye which was part of our Africa topic.

Q. What do you feel you have most improved this year?

A. I feel like mostly my grammar, but Mrs Mills says I am working at a higher level in Maths and I have also focused on my reading particularly with the Book Factor competition recently.

Khalifa Shahim, 3M interview with Mr Bray:

Year 4

It has been a fabulous year for the Year 4 pupils as they became our trialists for the assessment element of The Sherborne WAY. Our Learning Dispositions of Creativity, Independence, Curiosity, Resilience, Communication and Risk-Taking really have become everyday language for the Year 4 pupils and as a result, the teachers have seen them develop into confident, life-long learners who will leave Sherborne – at whatever stage – with genuine life skills that will support them in any environment. As part of The Sherborne WAY assessment, pupils had to demonstrate their understanding and commitment to each disposition to receive a sticker: pupils had to show that they could genuinely use the disposition on a day-to-day basis. Once they demonstrated their commitment to half of the dispositions, they then received a special certificate and after completing them all, pupils received The Sherborne WAY Bronze Award.

Lola Robey was the first pupil in Year 4 – and indeed, in the history of Sherborne Qatar Prep School – to receive her Bronze Award and so Mr Bray chose Lola to answer some questions looking back at her year in Year 4:

Lola Robey, 4S interview with Mr Bray:

Q: Congratulations on achieving your Bronze award for The Sherborne WAY. What did you have to do to earn it?

A: I had to finish all the learning dispositions and show that I could use them. I improved my curiosity, risk-taking and leadership skills mostly.

Q: Year 4 are the first year group to fully use the learning dispositions and measure progress against them. How has it been for you?

A: Exciting! Really fun to learn more about the dispositions and it helped me to improve.

Q: What has been the stand-out moment for you in Year 4?

A: Writing stories about the BFG in English!

Into the Deep was the first theme that the Year 4 team covered as they dived deep into the forests of the world and learned about the environmental impact of deforestation and plastic pollution. They had a very special guest – Mr Jose – from Doha Environmental Actions Project (the man who organises lots of the beach clean-ups around Qatar). Mr Jose spoke to Year 4 via Zoom about the impact of plastic pollution and what everyone can do to support the future of planet Earth.

During Black History Month, the Year 4 pupils thoroughly enjoyed making a large collage, using teamwork, of Rosa Parks (a very prominent historical figure).

Moving into the Spring Term, Year 4 started a topic called I am a Warrior and a highlight of the topic was the visit from resident Viking himself, Mr Oakes. Dressed as a Viking, he delivered a passionate speech to all of Year 4 encouraging them to join him in battle to protect the village. Cries of support erupted from the pupils and they then went on to learn about the impact and features of a good quality speech before writing their own.

Bright Spark was the title of the final theme for the year during the Summer Term. The Year 4 classes went across to the Science Lab in the Sherborne Qatar CUBE to experiment with making a successful circuit. The learning dispositions really came to life during this unit as, quite simply, the pupils could not be successful without displaying curiosity, communication, independence and resilience. By the end, all pupils were able to successfully make the light bulb work by creating a successful circuit.

Upper Key Stage 2

This year, the children have celebrated being back to school full time for most of the year. Their resilience and determination is truly humbling and it has been a pleasure to welcome everyone to a degree of ‘normality’ this year.

Throughout the pandemic and lockdown, the way children had to learn changed considerably as we moved to a more hybrid approach to learning. There is no doubt that as a community, this was very challenging, but as a result, our learners have made considerable progress in their use of and understanding of technology to support their learning. As new technologies continue to change the world in which we live, they also provide many new and positive educa tional benefits. This year, we launched Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in UKS2, an initiative where every pupil brings their own technological device to school to enhance their education in innovative and 21st century ways. The concept has been a phenomenal success and will grow next year with the introduction of hybrid learning from Year 3.

This new style of learning afforded us the opportunity to re-write our curriculum this year and we introduced several new themes across the phase.

As children returned to the classroom, BSME competitions also resumed. Three hopefuls were selected for this year’s BSME Art competition and they used a variety of media to portray the Doha skyline.

Sarah Bennett

Year 5 began the year going back in time to explore what life was like in the Ancient World. The children discovered what it was like to live as a child in Ancient Greece and learned about many famous battles in the region. They conducted their own research into some famous philosophers and produced some fabulous reports and presentations. Throughout the term, the children loved listening to their teachers read them the hilarious fantasy story Who let the Gods Out. In addition, they also read many Greek myths, turning some into playscripts which they orally rehearsed and acted. Greek day was a highlight of the year for many as they produced some beautiful Grecian vases and artwork and learned how to make a Greek salad. Finally, PE lessons became a battle of the city states as they reinacted the Ancient Olympic Games.

In the Spring Term, we explored the Lost World as we discovered how global warming and pollution are affecting the polar regions, coastlines and our oceans. The children enjoyed learning about the artist David McEown and using his style to paint their own water colours of Antarctica. In addition, every child worked collaboratively to produce an ocean scene created from plastic bottle tops. In Guided Reading, we learned about the explorer Ernest Shakleton and in Science, how animals and plants adapt to suit their environment in different ways. Journalist Nick Clarke had the children captivated with his images from the Arctic, as he answered their questions on Zoom about the melting ice caps. In computing lessons, the children continued to develop their skills using a range of new software including

Flipgrid and produced some wonderful podcasts as they reported on the effect of plastic pollution on the marine life in our oceans.

The Summer Term saw the children enter the Future World and embark on learning about the future of space travel to Mars. The term begun with a thrilling visit from the Stem Explorers company who conducted lessons in explaining forces and gravity as well as taking the children on a 3D experience of life on the International Space Station in the Space Dome! In English, we introduced a Sci-Fi writing unit which saw the children produce some wonderful imaginative stories. Our focus artist this term was Jackson Pollock and the children loved dripping and splashing paint in his unique style. Throughout the year, Year 5 have loved using the Science Lab to conduct experiments and investigations as well as the VR room to fully experience a range of scenarios and experiences to support their knowledge and understanding.

‘I have really, really enjoyed learning about Space this year; it is so fascinating and cool!’ Archie Mills,

‘I loved the Art Day where we learned about David McEown. It was fun to do his style of painting and I learnt lots of interesting facts’ Sarah Ramadan,

‘I have enjoyed learning about Space because we looked at lots of interesting things and in English we were able to include powerful words and cool weapons, such as laser swords, to describe a planet’ Maya Kadhim,

‘I loved learning about Ancient Greece because I learnt lots of new things about their lifestyle. Our Greek Day was really fun and I liked how we did different activities’ Shaikha Al Sowaidi

In Year 6, we started the year learning about Wars from Around the World. In History, the children created interactive timelines and learned how history has had an impact on decisions made today, as well as looking at the reliability of sources of information. We were very grateful to Chief Petty Officer Glyn Kneebone, Assistant Defence Attaché at the British Embassy, who laid the wreath during the Remembrance Assembly which saw the children recite poems and sing beautifully. The children used water colours to portray a soft image of a poppy blowing in the wind which reflects the mood of the poem they learned, In Flanders Fields. One of the highlights of the Autumn Term was World War 2 Evacuation Day during which the pupils learnt what life was like for children during the Blitz.

In the Spring Term, we set the scene with the mystery of who had graffitied the school building? Is Graffiti art or vandalism and who had done it? The debate started and not only was the illusive Banksy studied but many other phenomena, including the Bermuda Triangle and Big Foot, as we researched Unsolved Mysteries. The children produced some amazing documentaries and case studies after conducting their own research into an area of their choice. The children began to show their true talent as imaginative, cohesive writers. Furthermore, the children excelled in their ability to write a suspense story.

In the Summer Term, the new theme of Sport Around the World excited the children immensely as the count down to the World Cup in Qatar continues. Throughout the term, we read many biographies of famous sporting legends which followed with the children conducting their own research and writing their own biographies, which followed a visit to the Sport and Olympic Museum in Doha,

where the children learned about many sportsmen and women, including the Jamaican bobsled team at the 1988 Winter Olympics. The scene was set to help the children write an emotive speech as team manager before a major sporting event. In Science, the children were fascinated learning about the heart and enjoyed making blood in the Science Lab! The final unit of work was the children’s Enterprise project which saw them learn how to be entrepreneurs, set up a business, advertise their product and sell it to raise money for our school charity – United World Schools.

Throughout the Summer Term, the boys and girls were introduced to some of the staff and children at the Senior School to help prepare them for their transition in August. They thoroughly enjoyed visiting the school, having some children show them around to experience a typical day, learning from some of the teachers who teamed up with the Prep School Form Teachers in the final weeks and embarking on a PSHE unit of work to prepare them for the changes emotionally.

We wish them the very best on the next stage of their learning journey in Year 7!

I loved seeing the new Senior School, it looked phenomenal and I really enjoyed the Transition Day. Although I loved everything on the day, my favourite was looking at all the classrooms - I am very excited to learn various new things in them. I’m looking forward to meeting all the new teachers because they all seemed very kind and the environment looks very friendly and I can’t wait to move there! - Sai Yajamanyam

I thought the Transition Day was a helpful experience to learn about the new school and everything about it. My favourite part was seeing the football pitch due to the fact that I am very excited to play on it and do sports on it. I am looking forward to seeing what subjects I will be learning. - Saleh Ali

I thought the day would the best and it was! On Transition Day the thing that impressed me the most was the auditorium, th swimming pool and the sports pitch. I am looking forward to going to Year 7. Amlan Dakua

ARABIC AND ISLAMIC STUDIES

The 2021 – 2022 academic year has been a wonderful year, mixed with a lot of learning, excitement and happiness for all pupils and staff. Most Covid-19 re strictions were lifted which allowed us to see our pupils face-to-face and interact in a wide array of unique activities!

The pupils were exposed to many challenges and experiences that nurtured their learning. Throughout the year the Arabic and Islamic Department worked on various events and programmes to encourage education in different styles!

Some of this year’s highlights included:

Qatar Identity Week: pupils learned and spread their knowledge regarding Qatar, celebrating the culture with a special visit from Sheikh Abdulla and Sheikha Amal. Throughout this day, pupils practiced their public-speaking skills in front of the class and highlighted the love they have for Qatar.

Technological Integrations: the pupils utilized and boosted their learning using many fun computer programs! Our pupils were exposed to the use of VR and interactive sites to approach learning in a unique manner.

Ramadan Suitcase: during the holy month of Ramadan we run an annual charity drive. The charity aims to support the local community whilst highlighting the Sherborne Qatar values and implementing them in our pupils. This year both pupils and parents were able to donate and their generosity went a long way as we had the largest quantity of donations ever.

Garangao Night: pupils loved coming in with their traditional clothes, interacting with one another and reflecting on the importance of sharing our culture and being proud of the Qatari heritage.

Research Competition: a competition has been set with the purpose of developing pupils’ research skills – in which pupils across year groups compete with one another at answering trivia questions, using resources such as books, websites, and articles. Such skills are extremely important to develop and nurture in our pupils to make sure that they can seek knowledge independently.

Dr. Fadel Al Mansoori’s Visit: the pupils enjoyed a visit from Dr Fadel regarding the weapons used during the Islamic age. He discussed the importance of research, development, and education with Year 6 pupils. Dr Fadel presented a copy of his award-winning book to the school library!

Spelling Bee: the Spelling Bee Competition for Years 1 and 2 increased the competitiveness of pupils through education. It motivated everyone to improve their spelling skills and read and write more often.

Al-Hadith Competition: our Islamic pupils participated in the Al-Hadith competition with the Ministry of Education. They proudly highlighted our school values in an exceptional manner, whilst exhibiting and learning about Islam.

International Scientists Research: during the school year we prioritized integrating Arabic culture with the west. Years 5 and 6 pupils explored, learned, and researched scientists such as Thomas Edison, Ibn Seena, Abbas Bin Farnas. Pupils were exposed to international novels, integrating them with contemporary culture and linking inventions from the past with modern technological advancements.

All in all, 2021 – 2022 academic year has been truly exceptional. Pupils in the Arabic and Islamic Department have made us proud of their continued success and achievements. Our pupils strive to highlight the Sherborne School Values in all aspects of their lives whilst breaking barriers, taking risks, and building a foundation of knowledge that they will build on next year.

Miss Suzan Head of Arabic and Islamic Studies

ENGLISH

Teaching, using the Talk for Writing process, has been our main focus within English this year. We have really tried to encourage our children to become immersed in the model stories and texts they have learned, looking at vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to try to really understand the genre of writing they are studying. We have also been using our Words of the Week and to enhance our vocabulary focus. This has allowed children to engage in the rich language associated with the topics that they are studying across the curriculum. We have continued to raise the profile of reading this year with the children getting to read hard-copy books from school and use Reading Planet online to explore more genres at home. Each class has also been equipped with their very own library with some fantastic new stories have been added throughout the year.

Our writing themes this year have been linked to our enquiry topics, which has really helped to enhance the children’s engagement with their topics. In the Autumn Term Year One based their writing on Our Wonderful World, followed in the Spring Term by celebrating fairy tales and learning about stories that begin with ‘Once upon a time…’. Year 2s created some excellent pieces of written work on The Enchanted Garden and some non-fiction writing on Food! Year 3 explored our world this year when they created awesome writing about Africa and Ancient Egypt. Year 4 looked Into the Deep in the Autumn Term and followed this up by looking at Becoming a Warrior throughout their writing in the Spring Term. Year 5 also investigated the past and created some terrific non-chronological reports on famous people from the ancient world. Year 6 did something similar, except they focused on Unsolved Mysteries, incorporating some multi-media features with their writing. The writing our children have produced this year across the school has been of an exceptional standard and we are so proud of them for all their hard work!

Our KS1 and EYFS children, whilst also developing through continuous provision, have worked amazingly hard this year to develop their phonics, using Read Write Inc. This gives them the platform to help blend sounds together and helps develop their ability to read and write fluently. The children have worked really well to break down words using their newfound knowledge of different sounds.

On Thursday 3rd March we celebrated Books at the Oscars as part of our celebrations for World Book Week. We loved seeing the children come into school dressed as if they were invited to the Oscars. They walked down the red carpet when they entered school, with some paparazzi waiting for their entrance. Following this the children were given the opportunity to watch the film version of the book they had been learning about that week! Our Pre-School children came dressed up in their beach outfits to celebrate A Day at the Beach.

Our Book Week stories and books were:

Pre-School: Snail and the Whale Reception: The Gruffalo

Year 1: Aladdin

Year 2: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Year 3: The Lorax

Year 4: How to Train Your Dragon

Year 5: The Lorax

Year 6: The Borrowers

It has been a truly spectacular year for English here in Sherborne Qatar Prep School and we really look forward to even better writing being produced next year!

Christopher McSteen Head of English

FRENCH

2021 – 2022 was a great but challenging year for teachers and pupils alike! Every one has adapted well to the changing ways in which we teach and in which the pupils learn.

In the autumn we managed to have pupils from Reception to Year 6 back in school and enjoyed the environment and the atmosphere of school life. Being in their own classes was an exciting and pleasant time doing their classwork, learning various French activities and chatting with their friends.

Reception pupils enjoyed French classes. They have been learning numbers, col ours, French authentic food and listening to songs and rhymes.

Years 1 to 4 have been learning various interesting topics and enjoying class ac tivities. Years 5 and 6 have been working on French grammar and enjoyed the weekly spelling test.

We began the Spring Term with the pupils back at home and with online for teaching and learning. However, the pupils enjoyed working on Zoom calls and Microsoft Teams which made them more focused on the subject and helped them become independent, risk- taking learners.

I enjoyed teaching my pupils on line, seeing them looking forwards to Zoom ses sion and doing their tasks. However, we were soon back in the classroom and, as a teacher, I enjoyed and preferred having my pupils in class and seeing them looking forward to French lessons and engaging in French activities.

Nadia Sulaiman Head of French

MATHS

It has been a thrilling year at Sherborne Qatar Prep, which we started on Blended Learning. Then normality came and we were able to be whole again. Maths has had an adventurous year, in which we have been able to teach with the usual practical resources we would normally use in the classroom whilst ensuring we still sanitized all the equipment.

Each year group has focused on keeping Maths engaging and used cross curricular links within our innovative curriculum. I have been impressed with how our staff have worked collectively to help our children to catch up and support them back into normal routines again.

Year 1 have implemented continuous provision this year, to support the children with the transition from EYFS. The children have worked in a range of activity stations to consolidate their learning and develop their independence and problem-solving skills.

Linking into their Enquiry unit ‘Road to 2022’, Year 2 have completed a wonderful unit on statistics in which they have been completing pictograms and block diagrams to represent data. They used the theme of the World Cup to keep the curriculum creative.

Years 3 and 4 have used their measuring skills and the environment to help them measure in centimetres and metres. Year 4 have had a big push on times tables this year, to complete a multiplication test in May. They all worked hard to learn them by using the soundcheck on Times Table Rockstars (TTRS) to practice their speed. Well done Year 4!

Years 5 and 6 they have been using devices to keep Maths engaging and fun and they have also explored different ways to incorporate their devices into their learning.

As a school we focus on ensuring children are given a range of ways to engage in lessons and with other schools. We have had two TTRS competitions with other Doha schools and we came out 3rd place in the most recent competition. Hopefully, next year we will be able to develop our links further. Finally, I was able to do a Parent Workshop, with the school parent representatives, to show case how we teach Maths at Sherborne. This was a success and it was clear to see how we use White Rose Maths within our school.

Looking ahead to the new Academic year, I cannot wait to see how we can use the World Cup build up, bring it into the classroom and incorporate it into our Maths curriculum. Next year, we hope to see more showcasing in Maths and complete whole school activities again.

Zahra Mohammed Head of Maths

Our pupils in Sherborne have had some amazing things to say:

‘I have really enjoyed learning about fractions because they help us with decimals’ Tobi, Year 4

‘I have enjoyed focusing and learning our times tables because it has helped me with my Maths’ Ayla Ahmad

‘It has been fun to use place value to understand decimals and helps us with our understanding in fractions’ Yousuf, Year 4

‘I loved Maths this year because I got to learn new things about fractions’ - Tameem Al Thani, Year 5

‘In Maths I enjoyed learning about centimetres and metres because it was interesting and fun to learn about’ - Malek El Sayed, Year 5

‘ I have liked Maths because I love to calculate the answers using different methods. We have done lots of Maths investigations and It is nice to learn new ways of getting to an answer’ - Noor Husain, Year 5

MUSIC

We began our journey this year by introducing The Sherborne Way and exploring the piano. Understanding the time values, the shapes and the importance of the treble and bass clef were highlighted with our pupils. Many pupils were excited to learn that music is a language and this was reinforced by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Grade 1 theory workbook.

EYFS were greeted with nursery rhymes within the music lessons and explored many high and low sounds. They were also excited about playing many different instruments. We learned about the keyboard and what the shape of our hands should be. Further excitement grew when we drew the treble and bass clef. The Year 1 production was another virtual event and pupils were introduced to the green screen. We understood the importance of looking into the camera and projecting our voices. Year 2 enjoyed playing the melody of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on the keyboard and were introduced to Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. The Grand Staff was also an important part of the music lessons.

The children in Year 3 and 4 have spent a great deal of their year extending their knowledge and understanding of music notation and putting this into practice through learning to play the recorder. The children have learnt the correct hand and finger positions and are developing their ability to control the sound of the instrument. Many children have chosen to accelerate their progress by participating in our Recorder Karate scheme in their free time. Both year groups used the online learning period to study the various families of instruments and 3M were lucky enough to be able to look at and listen to an oud when one of the pupils brought her instrument in to show us.

Years 5 and 6 were also introduced to ‘share your skills’ as part of The Sherborne Way and had the chance to share their artistic skills. They enjoyed the process of using the microphone and led their own presentations. Pupils also had an opportunity to record their peers using our professional camera. Many of our pupils continued to learn an instrument through our one-to-one music programme and achieved great results with the ABRSM and Rock School examinations. They took part in virtual music recitals and also performed for their peers.

This year also brought many new affiliations and we are proud to have had the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and Sherborne Qatar joining together to tell the story of Peter and the Wolf. Pupils had the honour of playing with the orchestra and sharing the story. Nawaal Latif said, ‘It was an amazing experience and I enjoyed playing with the Orchestra’. Henry O’Keefe also commented on how amazing it was to play Peter in the story and said, ‘I loved wearing Mr Sarwar’s, Yorkshire hat’.

The very first Ramadan Nasheed was also sung by the pupils and a lovely comment from one of the parents was, ‘Thanks for connecting our children to the Master of all creation through the medium of music and the most celebrated poem of our tradition!’

A World Cup Song for the FIFA 2022 competition was composed to commemorate this event and recorded in one of the amazing stadiums in Qatar. The pupils sang the chorus and collaborated with artists from the UK.

“Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.”

To inspire our pupils further, we have also created new and innovative learning environments. These include:

• A recording studio where pupils can record songs, narrate stories, produce their own music and understand the science behind sound;

• A Green Room designed for pupils to understand the visual elements and how to use a professional recording camera;

• A Video Editing Suite in which pupils can edit their creations;

• A Drama / Dance studio to develop dance and ballet.

Pupils at Sherborne Qatar Prep will now have the opportunity to excel further in performing arts and understand the importance of technology. In addition, our music classrooms have been reinvented to stimulate more creativity.

The Music Department would like to thank all the staff, parents, pupils and the extended Sherborne community for continuing to support the department. We look forward to inspiring the next generation of musicians.

Razwan Sarwar Head of music

SCIENCE

It has been such an exciting year at Sherborne Qatar Prep, made all the better with the addition of our very own Science Lab! Staff and pupils feel so lucky to have a dedicated space to unlock their inner scientists and explore thought provoking scientific investigations. When asked about our new learning environment, Year 5 had some wonderful things to say:

‘I really like the layout and chairs in the Science Room. I love the atmosphere of being in a different room’ - Yaseen Khan

‘I really enjoyed doing all of the experiments in the Science Lab. I had so much fun’ - Tameem Al Mana

‘I have enjoyed the Science Lab a lot because it has lots of amazing materials and it is very exciting to be in’ - Yousif Jabbar

To make the lab our own, Years 1 to 6 worked in collaboration to add some informative displays with the aim of celebrating noteworthy scientists who were, or still are, specialists in their field. To do this, pupils conducted research to find out more about the following scientists:

Albert Einstein (relativity)

David Attenborough (animals)

Marie Curie (radiation)

Alexander Graham Bell (sound / telephone)

Helen Sharmen (space)

Maria Telkes (solar energy)

In the Summer Term, we enjoyed our very first STEM week where each class participated in a variety of science, technology, engineering and maths activities with the expert help of Mr Calas and Mrs Mohammed. Teachers at Sherborne Prep had a fun time trialling our whole school biscuit dunking experiment before sharing the learning experience with their class. The investigation varied in complexity from EYFS to Key Stage 2 and encouraged our pupils to think about the range of factors that affect a biscuit’s ’dunkability’, such as: the type of liquid used for dunking (tea / water), the temperature of the liquid, the brand of biscuit, the thickness of the biscuit and the amount of sugar in the ingredients.

Looking ahead to the next academic year, we are eager to persist in expanding our understanding of the world through our dedicated science curriculum, whilst continuing to showcase our fantastic learning to the wider community via our CUBE social media channels. Who knows, maybe someday pupils will be decorating their science lab with information about a famous scientist who studied at Sherborne Qatar Prep!

Stacey Duncan Head of Science

PE AND GAMES

We have had a fantastic year in PE and Games. So much progress has been made, from the pupils phys ical abilities, to the opportunities we have started to bring back to the curriculum.

Games Approach

We have successfully introduced a new games approach to the department, which has allowed the chil dren to work in gender split groups for the traditional games. We look to develop this further by starting to work in teams within these lessons. With sport opening up again within Qatar we are looking to get children of all abilities involved in competitive sport.

This year we have covered the following sports:

In Games Lessons In PE Lessons Football Athletics Rugby Cross Country Netball Cricket Basketball Gymnastics Volleyball Dodgeball

Children in Years 1 and 2 have made a lot of progress in PE! This is the first time these children have been able to play invasion games in school. They have learnt the fundamental skills such as throwing, catching and moving, used in many sports, and started to understand the rules for basic games and having to work as a part of a team. Recently the children have been playing competitive games of Benchball and Basketball. This has been great to see.

EYFS PE

Preschool and Reception have been developing their physical abilities through fundamental move ment activities:

A – Agility

B - Balance

C – Coordination

The children have played lots of fun games, learning to throw, catch, move in a range of ways, as well as following rules and taking it in turns.

Opportunities This Year

We have continued our partnership with Future Sport and we have had the opportunity to welcome them into our games lessons, offering Football and Basketball lessons. This has allowed all pupils the opportunity to develop their skills with specialist coaches. We have also been fortunate to have Yolanda in PE lessons to teach Gymnastics to a range of pupils across the school.

Competition This Year

There have been limited competitive opportunities available to the pupils over the last two years because of Ministry of Education Covid-19 guidelines. This year has been a great steppingstone back to ‘normality’. Competitive sport is back up and running! We have played many interclass games of Football, Tag Rugby, Netball and Dodgeball. Every pupil also took part in Interhouse Cross Country, earning points for their houses in the process.

Inter School Matches

The children were so excited to play in our first inter school’s matches since March 2020! It was great to see every child from Years 4, 5 and 6 taking part in competitive sport against another school. I would like to highlight that our current Year 6 pupils have not had a full year of ‘normal’ PE or competed as a full year for matches, since they were in Year 3! This is a big moment for PE and we hope for this to continue in the next academic year.

Sports Captains and Stars of the Week

Duru and Kareem, in Year 6, have been our Sports Captains this year. They have done a great job of setting an example for the other pupils of sportsmanship and leadership. They have also been re sponsible for awarding the Sports Start of The Week certificates across the school. We have awarded 320 Sports Stars of The Week this year. I’d like to congratulate every pupil who has received an award and demonstrated outstanding participation / progress in PE this year.

Sarah Nicholls Head of PE and Games

I have the privilege of writing this year’s article on behalf of our amazing house leaders, therefore I am going to begin by thanking them: Mrs Williams, our seasoned House Leader, who we can always rely on for her expertise in relation to all things Sherborne; Miss Nixon, Miss Nicholls and Miss Ferguson, all of whom took on their new roles this year with gusto, bringing their flair and fresh ideas to house days; and Mr Symth and Miss Gittens whose excellent knowledge and creative approach to tasks and activities always contributed to the competitive element of our House system. Thanks to them, the pupils, and staff, of Sherborne Qatar Prep have enjoyed being part of Amna, Irons, Jassim, Khalifa, Powys and Sheppard. Each House has also been represented by a committed group of Year 6 Prefects – Mann (Amna), Sai (Irons), Khadija (Jassim), Victoria (Khalifa), Hasan, Mariam and Ayad (Powys), and Zoha (Sheppard). They have been dedicated and true role models, showcasing our Sherborne Values in all that they do. Amongst other jobs and responsibilities, they had a morning duty at the school gates, to ‘Meet & Greet’ pupils, parents and carers, and our Heads of School, Mariam and Zoha, worked closely with Mr Fawcett on the podcast. This year, for the first time, the prefects helped the Senior Leadership Team conduct school tours – needless to say they did an excellent job showing prospective parents what they can expect from Sherborne pupils. Thank you, Prefects, for doing an excellent job of representing your Houses.

This academic year continued to see varying degrees of restrictions due to the pandemic, which meant that we were unable to come together in our houses. However, house days were no less exciting or successful. We started the year with Friendship Week, which culminated in a fantastic Friend‘ship’ display, demonstrating our value of Teamwork. These six ships are a regular reminder of our sense of belonging and

community spirit every time we walk through the ground floor corridor in the main building. November marked Anti-Bullying Week with a theme of One Kind Word – you were very thoughtful and creative in choosing your words of kindness. Love and Respect were the two that came up the most, which I thought were an excellent reflection of what we stand for at our school, celebrating both and our diversity as a community as well as our uniqueness as individuals. Qatar National Day is always a huge success and a wonderful way to end the Autumn Term. House Leaders, in collaboration with Ms Suzan, planned a day filled with fun and creativity linked to the World Cup. The main task of the day was for each form to create a stadium based on one of the eight designs, and the end results were fantastic! Visitors to the school are always very impressed by these pieces of art that are displayed at the main entrance. In February this year, we celebrated Children’s Mental Health Week by dedicating an entire house day to well-being. Miss Peerzada, our Well-being Champion, along with the House Leaders, put together tasks and activities that encouraged us all to consider the ways in which we can make healthy choices for our minds and bodies. At Sherborne Prep, we are working hard to support all members of our school community, particularly after the pandemic, to develop a happy and healthy state of being.

Despite the restrictions, we have made a success of our house events: House Leaders, and other members of staff, have worked exceptionally hard to make each house day memorable for you, and you have maintained a positive outlook, embracing every experience with excitement and eagerness. You participated whole-heartedly in our assemblies which were live streamed from your form rooms to make up for the fact that we were unable to come together as a school. You worked collaboratively but also competitively, not losing sight of the Inter House Cup! Inter House Cross Country was one such event – every child from Pre School to Year 6 took part in this fun event with music playing and all of you challenging yourselves. It was also great to see you trying your best and encouraging your friends. In total the school ran 3200 laps of the astro, which added up to 640km!!! This is the same distance as running from Doha to the Burj Khalifa in the UAE!

There is so much to be proud of at Sherborne Qatar Prep School – your resilience and positive mindset have certainly enabled you to make the most of every opportunity you have been presented with. I am hopeful the next academic year will see us returning to more of a ‘norm’ for house events. Until then, remember:

‘If you are positive, you will see opportunities instead of obstacles’

– Confucius

Mrs Nadira Rahman Deputy Head

ENRICHMENT

The Enrichment programme we offer at Sherborne Qatar is a central element of the school’s mission to offer an outstanding British style education in the Middle East. We believe that encouraging pupils to engage beyond the curriculum, in a broad range of activities, is key to inculcating them with our school values.

Extra-curricular activities have been hit particularly hard over the past two years of Covid restrictions, with children limited in how they can mix and socialise, both in and out of school. The first step on the long road back to a full Enrichment programme was online resources encouraging the children to develop new skills and share their achievements with friends. In November 2021 our pupils were able to utilise the world class facilities at the College of the North Atlantic and enjoy a range of activities from swimming to Paddle Tennis. Thankfully, March 2022 brought an easing of restrictions on the school site, finally allowing year group bubbles to mix and take part in activities outside the classroom. Though the offering was more focused than usual, to meet all ministry guidelines, many of the pupils leapt at the opportunity to get back into their favourite activities with rugby and netball as popular as ever.

A highlight of this year has been the launch of the Sherborne Football Academy which has allowed pupils to receive high level instruction from the coaches at Future Sport. Training sessions have been held in the school day, allowing access to more pupils than ever. Fixtures restarted at Qatar Foundation and the boys and girls had the opportunity to represent Sherborne. The squads have been invited to join the Qatar Foundation League next season, allowing great exposure to high quality fixtures for our developing footballers.

The Summer Term held much promise with restrictions lifting further and a return of outside providers to the school site. New activities, such as ballet and bas ketball, joined our existing roster and when complemented by the wide variety of clubs offered by our passionate teachers a huge step was taken back towards the diverse and engaging programme, we pride ourselves on here at Sherborne Qatar Prep.

John Oakes Enrichment Coordinator

THE PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION 2022

After a two year hiatus we are delighted that the annual Year 3 – 6 Public Speaking Competition was able to take place this year and this was the tenth edition of the competition. It was a privilege to attend all the Semi Finals and Finals and to witness the enthusiasm with which the pupils undertook the challenge and the confidence they displayed in doing so. This was the first time that any of Years 3 – 5 had been able to participate but the standard remained very high. As Mr Spicer, the Senior School’s Headmaster, said in his adjudication comments at the Year 5 and 6 final, “You never get beyond being nervous, you just learn to hide it away.”

All pupils in Year 3 – 6 participate, choosing a topic on which to speak, either from the list of suggestions or on a topic of their choice. This year topic choices ranged from Qatar to The World Cup, from Tennis to Egypt and from Recycling to Ocean pollution. Two pupils from each form progress from form heats to Year group Semi Finals which, in turn produce four finalists for the section finals.

Although the size of the audience was necessarily smaller than usual, parents of the finalists were able to attend and all were very proud of their children’s achievement in reaching the final and of their performance on the day.

The year group winners for 2022 are:

Year 3: Filza Frahan

Year 4: Yusuf Choudhury

Year 5: Maira Khan

Year 6: Mariam Rizvi

Our thanks and congratulations to all the pupils for their participation, to all the members of staff who gave their time to judge the various stages and to Mrs Williams who organised the whole competition.

The overall winners of the Jo Slatter and the Roy Withey Public Speaking Cups will be announced at Commem.

Williams Director of Accreditations and Inspections

Richard

CHALLENGE 31

In 2016 the Sherborne Qatar family of schools joined up with United World Schools (UWS), a facilitating partner of Education Above All (EAA), to support our partner schools, Som Roung and Pray Maes, in rural Cambodia, as part of UWS’s aim to get primary aged children into school. 2019 saw the first Prep and Senior Schools’ trip to Cambodia for a weeklong familiarization visit, with the aim of then sending volunteer Senior School pupils to help out in the school. Unfortunately, the pupil visit was put on hold because of Covid-19.

As we transition out of the pandemic and its associated restrictions, we are aware that the challenges in post Covid-19 Cambodia of living and putting food on the table mean that education, understandably, slips down the list of priorities. Now more than ever, our partner schools need our support.

It was with this in mind that in the summer of 2021 Mr Bray and I decided that we wanted to do something to raise funds to help keep the schools developing and therefore improving the surrounding area. (For example, now that there are schools, a doctor visits the villages regularly). We considered a wide range of challenges and it wasn’t really until relatively late on, that we settled on The Torch Hotel Stair Climb – having held a similar event (albeit for the whole Sherborne community) in 2015.

Part of the challenge itself was the actual training, as the 1304 steps to the 51st floor weren’t easy to replicate! However, on the morning of 22nd April, at 6.15 a.m., we began the grizzly challenge of climbing the steps of The Torch Hotel 31 times – Challenge 31 – with 51 floors to each climb, combining to be the equivalent height of Mount Everest.

We had expected each of the two days to take roughly eight hours to com plete 16 and 15 ascents respectfully, each day. That’s not how it transpired. After eight painful hours on Day 1, we still had quite a way to go. It did, in fact, take twelve and a half hours to complete 16 ascents of the iconic building in the Aspire Zone. It was important that, by the end of Day 1, as much as we were physically hurting, psychologically, we were over halfway. A series of videos on Sherborne’s social media sites kept the supporters up dated throughout the day. I remember thinking as I went to bed at 7.00 p.m. that night that I really hoped my body got enough rest, ready for Day 2.

Day 2 was an incredibly difficult start as the calf and quad muscles were in serious pain to begin with. However, we actually got off to a very strong start chipping away at the remaining 15 ascents of the Torch and completing five of those in quite quick succession. At different times on Day 2, both of us did ‘hit the wall’ and felt as though we could not continue. However, a series of visitors came to cheer us on, as well as a steady stream of donations through the Just Giving site, and of course the whole purpose of why we were doing

this and the impact it would have, ensured we managed to complete the challenge at approximately 4.00 p.m. on Saturday 23rd April 2022 – a combined total of about 22 hours!

We are both immensely grateful for all the donations and the messages of positive support – it really has been overwhelming. Again, as we have seen time and time again, the Sherborne community has shown why it is such a feature of our school. We are incredibly proud to announce that we all helped to raise just under £4500, which is just over QAR 20,000 – enabling 60 children to receive education for a full year. That really is quite humbling.

Finally, we would also like to make special mention to The Torch Hotel for all their support to allow this event to take place. Thank you

Nick Fawcett Principal

A PERSONAL REFLECTION

My family and I had never been to Qatar, took a leap of faith in 2017 and thankfully landed on our feet at Sherborne Qatar Prep School. Although it was evident from day one that this was clearly far more than just a school, we had found a home from home.

Over the last five years, from form teacher for Years 1 and 3 and a member of Amna House, then from Head of Maths to Head of Key Stage 1 and finally as Head of Pre Prep, I have enjoyed an exciting journey and grown professionally at Sherborne Qatar. I have had the privilege of working with the greatest team of colleagues and forged friendships that will live on long after I leave Qatar. The passion and dedication, the energy and drive that Sherborne staff bring week after week to deliver an innovative, broad and balanced curriculum are awe-inspiring. Few schools deliver such personalised learning and manage to individualise the provision for each child quite like Sherborne does. In fact, this is at Sherborne’s core - providing the best education for each and every child.

Getting to know the families within the Sherborne community has also been a privilege and I have loved welcoming siblings to the school and watching families grow over the years.

Although it is with true sadness that I leave Sherborne at the end of this school year, it is also with pride that I look back at all we have achieved together. I know Sherborne is in very safe hands and I will watch from afar as you all continue on the journey of a truly outstanding school.

The memories, the people, the feelings and the experiences that I will take with me will always hold a very, very special place in my heart. Thank you Sherborne for having been a wonderful place to be and providing us with five unforgettable years.

‘How lucky am I to have so many people to love that it makes saying goodbye so hard’

- Winnie the Pooh

Antonia Confalone Head of Pre Prep

COMMEMORATION

Form Prizes: Pre School

Pre School Meadows Achievement Fatima Hussain Progress Fatima El Demiry

Pre School Treetops Achievement Iyad Odeh Ahmed Progress Nouf Al Mansouri

Outstanding performance in PE and commitment to sport in school

Rec Hassan Mohamed (Rec N) Leanne Abdalla (Rec T)

The Antonia Confalone Cup (Most Merits EYFS): Adam Pinto (RB)

Form Prizes: Year 1 and Year 2 1J

Achievement Ibraheem Shueb Progress Reemanh Mustafa 1D Achievement Aarav Navkar Progress Mirza Agic 1P Achievement Alizah Aamil Progress Hassan Al Thani 1S

Achievement Mohammed Adam Progress Faisal Al Saleh 2N Achievement Nirvani Mistry Progress Tina Alabbasi 2M Achievement Deema Yagoub Progress Khalid Jassim Khalid Al Thani

2B

Achievement Syeda Farwa Rizvi Progress Shams Nana 2G Achievement Tristan Jessie Regan-White Progress Rashid Al Khater

Outstanding performance in PE and commitment to sport in school

Year 1 Abdulla Al Sulaiti (1S) Alina Ali (1S) Year 2 Tristan Jessie Regan-White (2G) Tilly Fawcett (2B)

Outstanding progress in their skills and teamwork in PE and Games

Year 1 Mirza Agic (1D) Maira Shahid Rashid (1D)

Year 2 Mohammed Al Nuaimi (2G) Fatima Al Kuwari (2M)

The Alice McVeigh Cup (Most Merits Years 1 & 2): Alalya Al Thani (1P)

The Dawn Ayling Trophy - Maria Al Enazi (1D)

Form Prizes: Year 3 and Year 4

3L

Achievement Abdullah Shoaib Murray Jacobs Progress Ahmad Al Thani 3F Achievement Bader Al Bader Progress Austin Gray 3M Achievement Fatima Vohra Progress Rawda Arefeen 3N Achievement Arakit (Kitty) Hilhorst Progress Saeed Almansoori 4J Achievement Imraan Sunifar Progress Mohamad Sumbal 4R Achievement Zainab Ali Progress Zaynab Mosharraf 4M Achievement Oluwatobiloba Akintayo Progress Muhammad Javed 4S Achievement Mahra Al Sowaidi Progress Lola Paige Robey Outstanding performance in PE and commitment to sport in school Year 3 Mads Loej (3F) Filza Farhan (3L) Year 4 Rashid Suwaid (4M) Zainab Ali (4R) Outstanding progress in their skills and teamwork in PE and Games Year 3 Austin Ian George Gray (3F) Dareen Bader Al Fehani (3M) Year 4 Omar Ajweh (4J) Mahra Abdulla Al Sowaidi (4S)

The Beccah Barton Cup (Most Merits Years 3 – 6): Aaleh Saeed (3F)

The Jo Slatter Public Speaking Cup (Years 3 & 4):

Runner Up: Filza Farhan (3L) Winner: Yusuf Choudhury (4S)

The Carolyn Savage Cup: Mohammed Al Shammari (3L)

The Colin Niven Cup - Amelia O’ Donnell (4S)

The Principal’s Award - Mollie Williams (3N)

Outstanding

The Withey Public Speaking Cup (Years 5 & 6)

Runner up: Maira Kamal Khan (5L) Winner: Syeda Mariam Rizvi (6S)

The Bailey Bowl: Ayesha Bushra Hussain (6O)

The Jennifer Mitchell Cup: Syeda Mariam Rizvi (6S),Luka Panaretos (6S)

The Sheikha Noura Cup - Nasser Al Kuwari (6T)

Headmaster’s Commendations – Maya Khadim 5G, Victoria Baron 6S

The Headmaster’s Prize: Syeda Mariam Rizvi (6S), Zoha Anum Awan (6O)

The Sherborne Award: The Wollaston Family

The Inter House Trophy: Sheppard

progress in their skills and teamwork in PE and Games

Year 5 Abdelmalek Sennoun (5L) Lola Rose Keal (5G)

Year 6 Rami Jabari (6M) Mofinyinfoluwa Seun Ogunbiyi (6S)

THE JUNIOR DUKE

This year, we introduced the children in Upper Key Stage 2 to the Junior Duke Award. Many of you may already be familiar with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards International Award conducted from Year 10 in the Senior School. The Junior Duke is an introduction which prepares children for this challenging initiative and supports and encourages the use of our Learning Dispositions and Values. Aimed at helping children to learn and practice a large variety of life skills, Year 5 were invited to complete the Gold Award and Year 6 the Platinum award.

Each of these levels has a selection of challenges and, in order to complete a level, the children need to finish a pre-de termined number of these successfully. These include skills such as First Aid, ICT, Eco Awareness, Drama, Music, Sport and other life skills such as cookery and puncture repair. The children were given some of the necessary skills in school, but most of the challenges required a good deal of time and effort out of school with friends and family. On completion of a level, a well-earned certificate and badge was awarded to each successful candidate.

SHERBORNE QATAR JUNIOR SCHOOL

The academic year 2022 – 2023 will be another significant step in the continued development of the Sherborne Qatar family of schools. Following on closely from the opening of Sherborne Qatar School for Girls, at El Ebb and the relocation of our Senior School to a purpose built, state of the art building at the Grand Zone, Mall of Qatar, we now welcome Sherborne Qatar Junior School (SQJS), to Bani Hajer.

As a co-educational school for children from Reception to Year 6, the Junior School will work closely with the Prep School, as both schools look to build on and further develop the outstanding all-round education and pastoral care, through further development of The Sherborne WAY. The Junior School will focus on the Performing Arts and Sport - utilizing the excellent facilities at the Junior, Prep and Senior Schools and using our internal shuttle bus service to reach the Prep and Senior School campuses.

The founding Head Mrs Mary Robertson - Barnett joins us from the UK. Mrs Sarah Bennett, currently Head of Upper Key Stage 2 at the Prep School, will move to the Junior School as Deputy Head.

With a strong desire to maintain the very highest standards, academically and pastorally, for which Sherborne Qatar is renowned, Mrs Nadira Rahman will move to a central role between the Prep and Junior schools as ‘Second Master’: Director of Studies - overseeing the academic and pastoral standards of both schools, supported initially by Heads of Department. Mrs Rahman has been Deputy Head at the Prep School since 2019 and has been integral in helping the Prep School achieve the very highest judgements in all Standards in both our recent Qatar National Schools’ Accreditation in September 2021 and the British Schools Overseas Inspection (the UK Department for Education’s inspection scheme for overseas schools) in April 2022.

MADE IN SHERBORNE MADE FOR LIFE