Passion for teaching

Bahrain will shortly celebrate the opening of ‘The British Preparatory School’ run by popular former head teacher Sandra Whitford who has been part of the academic world of Bahrain for the past 25 years.

She left the role of head of both St Christopher’s Infant School in Awali and Budaiya in July 2005 and admitted at the time: “I was terrified – I felt it was the end of my life.”

Friends, acquaintances, parents and former pupils, however, have constantly encouraged her to continue with teaching and her decision to open a school in Bahrain for younger children, for whom, she says, she has “a lot of affection for” was made after much deliberation.

She said: “I came upon an ideal villa in Saar, near to the American Mission Hospital before the summer holidays.

“In July, after getting all the required permissions, I have with my four Bahraini partners, begun this new venture.

“Plans are to start the first session in the January term. Initially we will be only taking 30 students, aged two to four years, in the pre-school and nursery classes. The school will follow a British-style curriculum.

“Staff, whom I will be recruiting shortly, will have experience of the British ‘early years’ curriculum and methodology and have genuine interest in the development of children through play.

“The villa is getting refurbished with adapted bathrooms, colourful tiles and decorated rooms. All the equipment is currently on the ship from the UK. The classrooms will be well lit and will have stimulating well-equipped play areas both inside and outside the premises.

“We shall cater to all nationalities and will provide a well-structured English programme for children who are not native English speakers and aim to ensure that they acquire sufficient English for entry into other schools at the point of the compulsory school age, where the instruction is in English.

“The school will lay great emphasis on a child’s development through partnership between home and school.

Parents are at times not aware of the importance of the role they are playing.

Children change your lives and as adults we have to accept that.

“We will be starting toddler-parent groups that will facilitate discussions on child care and parenting skills.

“Parents can chat about all sorts of issues including the importance of mealtimes, bedtimes and toilet training.”

Sandy was born in Lytham St Annes in Lancashire and spent most of her childhood in the Oxford and Cambridge area before moving with her parents to Hong Kong.

Her love of teaching with teaching began at a very young age.

“If I could not find my sister or friends, she said, “I would teach my dolls. So when I learned French my sister also learned the language!”

At the age of 18, she left school to work in a kindergarten and met her husband, a dashing young pilot, in Hong Kong.

After the wedding they returned to the UK and Sandy took her professional training in teaching and drama at Cambridge University’s Homerton College.

She went on to teach for five years in the UK until 1975 when her husband was posted to Muscat and she found herself teaching English as a second language to children and adults.

A year later she joined her husband in Abu Dhabi and began teaching in The British School – Al Khubairat before arriving in Bahrain in 1980 with her husband who was with the Gulf Air 737 fleet.

“We had initially come here just for three years but my work and its excitement took over and we stayed on,” she said.

At St Christopher’s she was a part of huge changes and developments including the taking over of Awali School from Bapco, closing down the Manama branch and the entire reorganisation of the schools into Infant, Junior and Senior establishments.

She was also one of the senior members of staff who stayed in the Middle East during the Gulf War.

Mrs Whitford also organised visits of UK royals – Princess Anne and Prince Edward – to the school and produced and directed several celebrated school productions.

She said: “I love travelling and entertaining. My husband loved sailing and he was sailing all over the world on his 65-feet sailing boat. I had the best holidays joining him in all sorts of places such as Mexico, Tahiti and Australia.”

Tragedy, however, struck shortly before she retired from St Christopher’s School.

She said: “2003 was a very sad year for me. I lost my father, whom I was very fond of, in the January, and my husband passed away, suddenly, in Spain in May.”

Friends rallied round and their love and affection has kept her on the island ever since.

She revealed: “Although I have great loyalty to the UK – the traditional UK,” she quickly points out. “The only thing I don’t like is their weather.

 “I have thoroughly enjoyed living in Bahrain. I have very good friends here. Nowadays, I feel as if I know everyone – from the grocer to the photographer, to the customs people at the airport! This is home.”

l Those interested in applying to ‘The British Preparatory School’ as students or teachers can email Mrs Whitford at: sandrawhitford@hotmail.com