Welcome Pack | Sherborne School for Girls | 2023-2024

CONTENTS HEADMISTRESS’ WELCOME

HEADMISTRESS’ WELCOME

INTRODUCING OUR TEAM

KEY INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND PUPILS

Academic Assessment

Attendance & Absence Reporting

Bring Your Own Device

Canteen

Communication

Drop off & Collection

House System

Key Policies

Medical Forms

The Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

School Fees

Term Dates

The School Day

Transport

Uniform

WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR CHILD’S FIRST DAY LOCATION

Dear Parents,

May I offer you a very warm welcome to Sherborne Qatar School for Girls, part of the Sherborne Qatar family of schools; a family of schools which believes in preparing well-educated, wellrounded children, who achieve their potential in happy and nurturing schools. I am delighted you have chosen Sherborne Qatar School for Girls (SQSFG) for your daughter’s education and I welcome you to our exciting STEM school. In August, as well as welcoming many new pupils to our school, we will have our first cohort of Senior pupils in Year 12. Our school is now fully operational from Pre-School to Year 12 and, in August this year, the girls will receive our first ever set of IGCSE examination results. We wish them the best of luck!

Our school offers something very special, a unique girls’ school built on the foundations of our highly successful and prestigious Sherborne sister schools. These schools, with their rich cultural heritage, strong reputation for outstanding academic success and positive approach to lifelong learning, have been the ‘schools of choice’ for families wanting the very best private education in Qatar and the UK.

With a focus on STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and a STEM approach to learning (inquiry, innovation, inquisitive and creativity) in our genderneutral environment, we provide girls with the opportunity to flourish and thrive without any ‘hothouse’ pressures. We provide a non-self-conscious environment that allows girls to reach their true potential without distraction. We offer your children a friendly and caring environment where individual talents, strengths and interests are identified, nurtured and enhanced; a programme of rigorous academic study with an extensive range of co-curricular activities in a disciplined environment.

Our values of Respect, Honesty, Kindness, Perseverance, Teamwork and Responsibility are embedded into the culture of the school and everything we do. Through quality pastoral

support and the nurturing of a positive three-way, parent, pupil and teacher relationship, we help create aspirational, curious, talented and kind young ladies, who are courteous and generous with a balanced mix of self-belief and humility.

I am truly looking forward to meeting you and your girls at the school in August and please rest assured that we will contact you again, nearer to the start of term, with more details of what to expect on Day 1.

With best wishes for you and your families,

SOFIA DARR Headmistress

INTRODUCING OUR TEAM

SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

KEY INFORMATION

NICOLA RAMSDEN

Deputy Head / Head of Pre Prep (Pre School to Year 3) nramsden@sherborneqatar.org

SOFIA DARR

Headmistress sdarr@sherborneqatar.org

ACADEMIC

To summarise our six learning dispositions, we have chosen the word CREATE. CREATE is a learning disposition in itself and is directly related to our overall aim of becoming the best STEM school for Girls in Qatar. Our pupils are encouraged to learn and engage through the learning dispositions: Confidence, Reflective Enquiring Aspirational, Thoughtful and Expressive. The curriculum has the National Curriculum for England and skills of the IGCSE syllabi as its underlying structure but it also tailors all parts of learning towards a STEM education approach to learning. This ensures our content is enriching and purposeful – with our moral values and learning dispositions at the centre of everything we do.

MUNAZZA MUKHTAR NADIRA RAHMAN

Deputy Head / Head of Juniors (Years 4 to Year 8) nrahman@sherborneqatar.org

Deputy Head / Head of Pastoral (Years 9-13) mmukhtar@sherborneqatar.org

JULIE COCKER JOANNE HARWARD

Deputy Head / Head of Academic (Years 9 – 13) jcocker@sherborneqatar.org

School Counsellor and Welfare Officer jharward@@sherborneqatar.org

Throughout the Primary Years, The Read Write Inc Phonics Programme is followed, The White Rose Maths scheme of work, and the Talk for Writing structure, which ensures we do not lose the British nature of our education. The British nature of the school is also very evident in the themes and topics taught in the Primary sections (Pre-Prep and Lower Juniors) of the school. In our Early Years, Foundation Stage (EYFS) department (Pre-School & Reception), we were early adopters of the new 2021 curriculum and as a result, 2023/24 sees us entering our fourth year teaching the framework. In the Secondary sections of the school (Upper Juniors and Seniors) the curriculum is designed using a top down approach. The skills required for the IGCSE examinations at the end of Year 11 are built into the curriculum from Year 7 upwards whilst maintaining real life connections to the subject material through the STEM education style of learning. Pupils start some IGCSE content in Year 9 and, if grades are high enough at the end of Year 11, go on to study AS and A Levels in Year 12 and 13.

ASSESSMENT ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE REPORTING

Our assessment strategy is designed to focus on every child making the best progress they possibly can and us recognising as a school ‘value added’ in pupils’ academic attainment. We use a variety of external and internal assessment methods to ensure we track pupil progress accurately and in order to plan for ‘next steps’ in teaching and learning.

All pupils from Years 1-12 sit externally assessed cognitive ability tests in English. Baseline levels are gained using the CEM testing suite and pupils sit a repeat cognitive ability test every change of Key Stage. InCAS is used for Years 1 to 6, MiDYIS for Years 7, 8 and 9, YELLIS for Years 10 and 11, and ALIS for Years 12 and 13. An academic attainment grade is recorded for every pupil in each subject every six weeks by the class or subject teacher, and every pupil has a short reading test in English and Arabic every six weeks. Academic attainment grades are derived from a test, they may be gained by assessing a variety of different pieces of work and academic observations in the classrooms. Every year, Arabic pupils from Year 1 to Year 12 sit Arabic examinations as written by the MOEHE. Muslim pupils also sit Islamic Studies exams (Years 1-Year 12) and Qatar History papers (Year 1 to Year 9).

Pupils sit the externally written and assessed IGCSE examinations in May and June of Year 11 whilst AS and A Level qualifications are taken in the same months of Year 12 and 13, respectively. The results of these examinations, together with pass grades in Year 10, 11 and 12 in Arabic and Islamic Studies, enable pupils to gain The Al Thanawiya (Qatari General Secondary Education Certificate) before they go on to study the subjects of their choice at universities in Qatar and further afield.

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

Parents are reminded that whenever a child is absent, an email should be sent to the Form Teacher with an explanation so that the correct entry can be made in the Register. Please note that all applications for leave of absence should be made, in writing and in advance, to Mrs Joanne Harward, School Counsellor and Welfare Officer on jharward@sherborneqatar.org.

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

BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE

As a STEM school and a Microsoft school the devices the girls bring in are an important part of the education we provide. Your daughter will use this as a tool for learning across the curriculum and it will be used daily. They have weekly computing lessons that cover knowledge and skills in the areas of computers and networks, creating media, data and information and programming. Our aim is for your daughter to leave our school with transferable skills to use in higher education and the workplace – including certificates in Microsoft programs.

Your daughter will receive a school email that which should be used to set up the device so you can use the school licence for Microsoft 365 and Minecraft.

The devices can be purchased from stores across Qatar or you can contact Mannai Trading for a SQSFG package deal – look out for the pop-up shops in school, too,

Loubna El Tawil – Microsoft Solutions

Loubna.ElTawil@mannai.com.qa

Mannai Trading Co. Doha, Qatar

GSM: +974 77189648

For further information contact Miss Gilbert jgilbert@sherborneqatar.org

Years 1-3

Technical Specifications:

• Processor Intel® Pentium 4425Y

• Operating System Windows 10 Pro

• Graphics Intel® HD Graphics 615

• Front Camera 5MP, 1080p FHD video

• Rear Camera 8MP Auto Focus with 1080p FHD video

• Microphones Dual Studio Mics

• Memory Option 1: 8GB RAM Option 2: 4GB RAM

• Storage Option 1: 128GB RAM Option 2: 64GB RAM

• Audio 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™

• Display 10.5” PixelSense™M (1920 x 1280) 220 PPI.

408 nits.

• Touch 10-point multi-touch

• Dimension (W × D x H) 245 × 175 x 8.3 (mm)

• Starting Weight

Tablet: 544 g

With keyboard: 789 g

• Bluetooth ® Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology

• Wireless Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax compatible

• Sensors Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope and Magnetometer

• Security Firmware TPM, Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in

• Battery Up to 10 hours of typical device usage*

Years 4-13

Technical Specifications:

• Processor 11th Generation Intel® i3

• Operating System Windows 10 Pro

• Graphics Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics

• Front Camera 5MP, 1080p FHD video

• Rear Camera 8MP Auto Focus with 1080p

FHD video

• Microphones Dual far-field Studio Mics

• Memory 8GB LPDDR4x RAM

• Storage Removable 128 PCle SSD, easy to upgrade

• Audio 1.6W stereo speakers with Dolby®

Audio™

• Display 12.3” PixelSense ™ (2736 × 1824)

267 PPI.

410 nits.

• Touch 10-point multi-touch

• Dimension (W × D × H) 292 x 201 x 8.5 (mm)

• Starting Weight Tablet: 770 g

With keyboard: 1080 g

• Bluetooth® Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology

• Wireless Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax compatible

• Sensors Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, and Magnetometer

• Security TPM 2.0 chip, Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in

• Battery Up to 15 hours of typical device usage*

Required accessories for all pupils

Keyboard & Pen

Suggested accessories for all pupils

Glass protector & protective case

PLEASE REMEMBER TO LABEL THE DEVICE, INCLUDING THE ACCESSORIES AND CHARGER, SO THEY DO NOT GET LOST

School for Girls Welcome Pack

2023-2024

CANTEEN

Our canteen supplier offers a wide variety of healthy snacks, drinks and meals from our two school canteens before, during and after school. There is a quick self-service area and a more traditional staffed serving area. We operate a cashless system with pupils using cards to purchase food and drink. Credit can be added to the cards by parents online. More details will be shared before the start of term.

DROP OFF & COLLECTION

There is some construction work around the school site and this may affect the school gates we can open and the space available for parents to park. We appreciate your patience and understanding. At the time of writing the arrangements in place are as follows:

COMMUNICATION

Now you are part of the Sherborne family, it is vital we have open lines of communication between us, you and your child/ren. Form Tutors will remain your key point of contact throughout your time with the school.

We value face-to-face meetings and there are formal and informal opportunities for this to happen.

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

6.15am – 3.00pm Open throughout the day for pedestrian access only Visitors, morning drop-offs, early drop-off, early pick up, appointments, finance, admissions etc can all be done through this gate by walking in to Primary reception

access only for secondary pupils

Pedestrian access only for KS2 pupils

We ask all drivers to please drive slowly and respect the instructions of our security staff and teaching staff on duty.

As with any directions, the first time you drive it can be tricky. We recommend parents and drivers do a ‘dry run’ before the start of term to be confident you know where you are going. Finally, to ensure the safety of all staff, pupils and visitors, please note we are constantly striving to ensure smooth and safe traffic flow. We will share with parents any changes to our arrangements before the start of term.

HOUSE SYSTEM

Our Houses are named after inspirational, motivational and highly successful women, three from Qatar and three from the UK. When a girl enters the school, she is placed in one of these Houses and stays with that House for the entirety of her time at the school.

Parents are be notified which House their daughter is in before the start of term. Siblings (unless you request otherwise) are in the same House.

Al-MAYASSA (Yellow):

Named after Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the sister of Qatar’s ruling Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and daughter of the country’s Father Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and former First Lady Moza bint Nasser. Sheikha Al-Mayassa was declared the most influential person in art on Art Review’s Power 100. She serves as Chairperson of Qatar Museums and the Doha Film Institute, and she established the NGO ´Reach Out to Asia´.

She is the girls’ inspiration for the Arts, Media and Charity.

SHEIKHA (Purple):

Named after Sheikha Ahmed Al-Mahmoud, the first woman to be made a member of the Qatari cabinet. Sheikha AlMahmoud was a school teacher, a secondary school Principal, a member of the Committee for revising elementary education methods, and became the Minister of Education in Qatar. She was also appointed as an Under Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Cultivation and Education.

She is the girls´ inspiration for culture, politics and innovation.

HIND (Green):

Named after Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani, the sister of Qatar’s ruling Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and daughter of the country’s Father Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and former First Lady Moza bint Nasser. Sheikha Hind serves as Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. She holds a Masters degree in Human Rights from University College London, and has played an important role in launching and supporting various national projects with a particular focus on educational initiatives and the teaching profession.

She is the girls´ inspiration for lifelong learning, human rights and charity.

SHARMAN (Orange):

Named after Helen Patricia Sharman, CMG, OBE, HonFRSC, a chemist who became the first British astronaut (and in particular, the first British Cosmonaut) as well as the first woman to visit the Mir space station in 1991.

She is the girls´ inspiration for the Sciences and overall academic success.

RIMINGTON (Red):

Named after Dame Stella Rimington DCB MA, author and most notably the first female Director General of the Security Service MI5. Rimington was the role model for the character “M” played by Dame Judi Dench in the James Bond 007 films.

She is the girls´ inspiration for leadership and literacy.

GRAINGER (Blue):

Named after Dame Katherine Jane Grainger DBE, British former rower, current chair of UK Sport and Great Britain’s most decorated female Olympian with five Olympic medals to her name.

She is the girls´ inspiration for sport and determination.

TERM DATES

TERM DATES 2023-2024

Autumn Term 2023

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

Sunday 22nd to Thursday 26th October Half Term

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

Thursday 21st December Term ends at normal time for pupils

Spring Term 2024

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

Sunday 11th to Thursday 15th February Half Term

Sunday 31st March Easter Sunday – SCHOOL CLOSED

Thursday 4th April Term ends at normal time for pupils

Summer Term 2024

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

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

Thursday 27th June Term ends at 12 noon

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

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

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

KEY POLICIES

At the Sherborne Qatar family of schools, we have a comprehensive range of policies that cover all facets of school life. Many of these are available on our website or on the parent portal.

Other useful information, including up-to-date inspection reports, can be found on the website.

Parents are asked to complete and submit an online Home School Agreement, an ICT Acceptable Use Agreement and a Photo & Video Permission Form. Our Admissions Department will send you the link separately.

You can read the documents here.

1. Home School Agreement

2. Prep ICT Acceptable Use Agreement – Years 1 - 3

3. Juniors’ ICT Acceptable Use Agreement – Years 4 - 8

4. Seniors’ ICT Acceptable Use Agreement – Years 9 - 13

MEDICAL FORMS

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

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

THE PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA)

Dear Parents,

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

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

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

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

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

SCHOOL FEES

All parents are be asked to read and sign the Fees Policy when they register their child. The Fees Policies in both English and Arabic can be found on our website. Sherborne Qatar Schools have 3 terms per year. Tuition fees for each term are payable on or before the first day of term. Invoices will be emailed to parents no later than one month prior to the payment due date. The Finance Offices in all our schools are open Sunday to Thursday 7.00am to 3.00pm. Holiday opening hours differ. For any queries relating to the payment of fees and the Qatari education voucher scheme, kindly email Mrs Amilasan on aamilasan@sherborneqatar.org

Mrs Rebecca Baron Lead Nurse

THE SCHOOL DAY

*Siblings club is hosted in the Primary School canteen to help parents with pick up.

TRANSPORT

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

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

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

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

• Buses are GPS tracked

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

The key personnel at Tri Logistics are:

Admin Support – Ms Ruth Murillon Head of Business Operations - Mr Jalil Parkar Direct Dial: 4402 0205 Direct Line: 4402 0184 Mobile: 6616 5097 Mobile: 6672 8034

Email: info@trilogistic.com Email: j.parkar@trilogistic.com

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

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

UNIFORM

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

• promotes pride in ‘The Penny’;

• engenders a sense of community and belonging towards the school and each other;

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

EYFS 1 - KS1 DAYWEAR

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

All items on our uniform list are available to purchase from Noble House at www.noblehouse. qa and our unique school code is SG080.

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

Please ensure all your daughter’s belongings are clearly labelled with her name.

KS2 DAYWEAR

KS3 - KS5 DAYWEAR

EYFS - YEAR 11

EYFS - YEAR 12

WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR CHILD’S FIRST DAY

WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR CHILD’S FIRST DAY

Your child’s class teacher will write to you before the start of term to confirm the arrangements for the first day of term and with a reminder of what to bring in.

Your child’s class teacher will write to you before the start of term to confirm the arrangements for the first day of term and with a reminder of what to bring.

We look forward to seeing all our girls at 10.00am on Tuesday 16th August and welcoming many new families to our wonderful community. Wishing you all a wonderful summer break.

We look forward to seeing all our girls at 10.00am on Sunday 27th August and welcoming many new families to our wonderful community. Wishing you all a wonderful summer break.

EYFS - YEAR 12 HOUSE SHIRT

EYFS - YEAR 11 HOUSE SHIRT

LOCATION MAP

LOCATION MAP

SCAN HERE

SCAN HERE