At the heart of our pastoral care is the House system, which is a traditional feature of British independent schools such as ours. This is made up of small communities within the larger school community, known as ‘Houses’, in which each child can build friendships with pupils of all ages.
Pupils at King’s College Doha are organised into four Houses: Byerley, Darley, Godolphin and Markham. The names of each these Houses pay homage to beloved Arabian horses. King James I of England imported the first Markham Arab in 1616 and, during the Ottoman Empire, Turkish rulers began to send gifts of Arabian horses to the European heads of state, such as the Godolphin Arab, which was important to England in 1730, as well as the Byerley and Darley Arabs. These greatly celebrated horses have all contributed to some degree to the light breeds of horses of the modern age. Indeed, 93% of modern thoroughbreds can be traced back to these original breeds.
Each of the four Houses at King’s has its own base, identity and ethos, but they all share a common framework in terms of the pastoral support that is offered to each child. Older pupils are routinely given specific roles and responsibilities to lead their House peers, whether in a formal leadership capacity or by organising teams for one of the many inter-House competitions.
