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SOME of the most prestigious schools in the United Kingdom are targeting pupils in Bahrain to continue their education away from the unrest and any chance of interference to studying, attendance or vital examinations.
The headmaster of Merchiston Castle School, a Scottish institution educating boys for more than 175 years, will be holding a reception in Hamala for families next week, and international boarding school specialists Sue Anderson Consultants will be back visiting expatriate clubs and meeting families in the new year.
British curriculum international schools on the island, however, are making a determined bid to keep pupils and parents happy. Both St Christopher’s School and the British School of Bahrain (BSB) are currently involved in building investment projects and celebrating impressive academic achievements.
Linsey Melo da Silva, Merchiston’s external relations assistant, said: “In terms of the boarding school option for expat parents, we find increasingly that parents are converted to the benefits a boarding education offers.
“Boarding has also moved a long way from how it was in the past. These days the boarding houses are warm, hospitable places; boys use mobile phones and the internet to communicate with their parents; there are numerous opportunities to go home and weekends are packed full of events.
“We find that many parents living in what can be ‘volatile countries’ prefer to ensure their children’s education is not interrupted. The continuity of having qualified experienced staff onsite and available to answer questions and deal with any issues that arise is very reassuring for parents living abroad.
“Experience shows that boarding helps the development of young boys: it can help develop a higher level of confidence, a community spirit, independence, greater social skills, a cultural awareness, respect for others and self-motivation.
“It offers boys a wide variety of interests, a more diverse social life, helps them to develop closer relationships with friends, an enhanced curriculum, and helps develop a good working relationship with teachers. As the boys get older they take on responsibility for managing some aspects of the boarding houses and this has the added benefit of teaching them to be leaders.”
Traditional Scottish elements in the school such as the wearing of the kilt for formal occasions are very prominent. Rugby is played enthusiastically and indeed the annual fixture against Edinburgh Academy, which has now been played continuously for over 150 years, is the longest established inter-club match in existence anywhere in the world.
Headmaster Andrew Hunter and his wife, Barbara, have sent out invitations to a drinks party to interested families in Bahrain being hosted by school parents, the Warner’s in Hamala, on Tuesday evening.
“We are a very nurturing school with the highest standards of pastoral care,” said Mr Hunter. “In terms of value added to each boy, we are a high performing academic school. Merchiston believes firmly in the significance of a boy’s academic platform in putting him in a position of choice for his life, but equally, the daily menu of co-curricular activities at Merchiston teaches the boys vital life skills for the future. In other words, we develop all-rounders with a sense of values.”
Sue Anderson Consultants are preparing to visit Bahrain in January as part of a Middle East Tour and earlier this year placed 12 students from Bahrain into UK boarding schools, double the number of the previous year.
Karen Zein, the company’s representative in Bahrain, said: “We also received a number of enquiries last week from parents who plan to visit schools in the UK during the upcoming holiday.”
Although there has been a clampdown on protests, tyre-burning incidents continue, but the upheaval caused by the closure of schools in Bahrain has not been repeated since the height of the unrest last year.
Some educationalists suggest the economic downturn in Europe is encouraging leading independent schools in the UK to cast their nets further afield.
Schools on the island remain bullish about the future and it appears waiting lists for places in several academic years are starting to stretch again.
A few days ago, St Christopher’s held a post-16, pre-university introductory evening at its school site in Isa Town to give students and parents detailed information about available A level and IB programmes.
Steve Martin, head of sixth form, presented an overview of both and talked about the importance of making the right choices to give the best chance of entry to the world’s top universities.
Parents and students also had the opportunity to meet subject heads, teachers and students to help them to gain a full understanding of the Post 16 programme. More than 350 people attended the event and feedback both on the night and subsequently in writing was ‘very positive’, says the school.
Senior School head Nick Wilson added: “We live in an age of lifelong learning where the world of work is rapidly changing. In addition, entry to universities is becoming increasingly more competitive.
“With the ultimate goal of securing university entrance, the evening was an opportunity for students, along with their parents, to explore the opportunities on offer in our Sixth Form so that they can make fully informed decisions about the next stages of their academic career.
“It was wonderful to see so many St Christopher’s students and potential new students with their parents enjoying the evening.”
St Christopher’s School students who sat Advanced Levels (A levels) and International Baccalaureate (IB) summer examinations have recently been celebrating an excellent set of results.
The pass rate was 99.7 per cent across all A levels, with 38 per cent being given grade A and A* and 65 per cent being awarded grade A*, A or B (in the UK the figures were 27 per cent A* - A and 53 per cent A*, A or B). Eleven per cent of all grades were A* (the UK figure is eight per cent). These figures, the school says, stand comparison with good independent schools in the UK.
The school is currently investing more than BD450,000 on covering its swimming pool and adding fitness and dance studios at its Saar site and its board of governors have other projects in the pipeline.
Last week students at BSB staged an awards night after reporting a 100 per cent pass rate with 32 per cent achieving A or A* grades. The school is currently in the middle of a BD4.1 million investment project at its Hamala base expanding its facilities.
School head Karen Moffat said: “We support family values and provide a much more natural environment for children to grow up in. In my opinion, boarding schools cannot provide the same level of support, care and attention that our children receive in the family home and our school in Bahrain.”
Visiting boarding school representatives, however, remain convinced they have something positive to offer and parents will not be put off by the cost. The boarding fees at Merchiston, for example, vary from £5,690 to £8,885 per term (BD3,400-BD5,300). It includes all tuition, two meals a day, most of the sports coaching and travel to sports fixtures.
“It reflects our small class sizes and the fact that a Merchiston education is about the development of the all-rounder,” said Mr Da Silva. “Thus, our pupils concentrate on academic work, sport, drama, music, and so many other activities designed to stretch them and develop their potential on a daily basis.”
The debate will no doubt continue … this time over drinks in Hamala.
