An Introduction
to School Life
At King’s College Doha we offer an outstanding, all-round education. We recognise the exceptional care needed to nurture every child to allow for enhanced opportunities whilst also respecting culture and heritage.
Our holistic curriculum is achieved through a broad balanced curriculum and supported by our pastoral care programme to nurture and develop pupils physical, social and emotional qualities in addition to challenging them academically.
House System
The House system is a traditional feature of English independent schools and UK top colleges. These ‘Houses’ are an integral part of every child’s life at school. Each child is allocated to one ‘House’ at the moment of enrolment
We believe the development of leadership, sense of identity and community is facilitated through our House System. The house system’s main purpose is to allow pupils to contribute and celebrate achievements to a wider community than their year groups.
Our house system is fully inclusive of all pupils at King’s and we value the fact that every single learner can contribute to their House. The sense of community throughout the school allows pupils to develop their skills and talents whilst acknowledging team and individual successes.
Each house pays homage to the wonderfully celebrated Arabian Horses. King James I of England imported the first MARKHAM Arab in 1616. During the Ottoman Empire, Turkish rulers began to send gifts of Arabian horses to the European heads of states, such as the GODOLPHIN Arab, imported into England in 1730, as well as The BYERLEY and DARLEY Arabs. These horses ultimately play a significant role as they have contributed to some degree to all our light breeds of horses. Moreover, today 93% of all modern thoroughbreds can be traced to these original horses.
House Points
Pupils are awarded ’house points’ for academic and pastoral activities in their daily school life. The ‘house points’ give the opportunity to develop self-confidence, personal and team pride. Some behavioural traits that are praised at King’s College and rewarded are:
Being organised – having the correct uniform and equipment regularly for lessons (older children)
Being helpful – volunteering to help tidy classroom or assisting the teacher.
Being kind – caring for someone when they are hurt, looking after new pupils, including others in games, sharing with and thinking of others.
Being polite – greeting people correctly, saying please and thank you, opening doors, allowing others to go first, smiling, being friendly, using names appropriately.
Being a team player – taking initiative and responsibility, cooperating, being supportive and respecting others ideas, compliments, being positive and encouraging.
Being honest – owning up to mistakes, telling the truth.
Activities and Competitions
We run a wide range of academic, musical, poetry, drama, languages, humanities, mathematics, science and numerous sporting competitions throughout the year, which promotes a sense of healthy competition.
Throughout the year pupils can earn ‘house points’ for their team which are continually added to their totals. The winning Houses will be awarded cups and accolades for various activities along with names posted on the honours boards.
Pastoral Care
At King’s College Doha we firmly believe that the welfare, wellbeing and safety of our pupils are our number one priority. We understand that for our pupils to progress in school beyond their own expectations, we need to nurture and develop their physical, social and emotional attributes in addition to challenging them academically.
Sports at King’s
We have grown to become a successful sporting school, attending an array of tournaments with our competitive and talented teams.
Health & Wellbeing
We take the wellbeing of our pupils very seriously at King’s College and celebrate a strong awareness of healthy eating across the school. Additional exercise is encouraged outside of PE and we run an annual Health & Wellbeing Week to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Our Facilities
Our state-of-the-art facilities stand out amongst British schools in Doha and colleges in Qatar and include: 3G AstroTurf pitch; tennis and basketball courts; 25m covered outdoor pool; indoor sports hall; MacLab (computing suite); Science lab; Art room; Music rooms and silenced music booths; fully stocked library; medical room; separate dining hall and fabulous stage and open atrium for assemblies and performances.
King’s Friends
The aim of King’s Friends is to provide support for upcoming school events, social and fundraising events, where people can choose to get together in a sociable and friendly environment.
Every year the King’s Friends team organise and help with events such as Qatar National Day, World Book Day, WWF, Anti-Bullying Week, Spring Fayre and last year hosted an iftar which proved to be a huge success.
All King’s College parents are welcome to join King’s Friends and attend the Friends meetings.
Please check the Events Calendar for future meetings.
King’s in the Community
We take every opportunity to connect with our community and expand our curriculum into the real world to enrich learning outcomes and spark further creativity for our pupils. Qatar is an amazing country with a rich and diverse heritage, landscape and culture – our pupils enjoy regular trips and excursions out of the classroom as part of the themes and topics within their curriculum.
Our pupils also have their own newspaper, The Pelican Press – take a look at our News and Events Section.
We have a chosen charity each term in which the pupils take a leading role and they formulate an active eco-committee, which encourages them to engage in ways to implement environmental and sustainable practices.