| The Cambridge School | |
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"Lead Kindly Light"
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| Location | |
| Doha, Qatar | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Established | 2001 |
| Director | Jayashankar Pillai |
| Principal | David Throp[1] |
| Grades | KG-Y13 |
| Gender | Boys & Girls |
| Enrollment | approx. 1500 |
| Language | English |
| Publication | TCS Weekly Gazette (English and Arabic) |
| Curriculum | National Curriculum for England Cambridge International Examinations Board |
| Houses | Eagles Falcons Hawks Kestrels |
| Website | www.tcsqatar.com |
The Cambridge School (Arabic: مدرسة كامبردج الدوحة) (also known as TCS) is a private international school that is located in Doha, Qatar, the school provides an education based on The National Curriculum for England to students from Kindergarten to Year 9.[2] The school prepares students for the IGCSE, AS and A Level, following the Cambridge International Examinations Board. The school has grown from just under 300 students seven years ago to almost over 1500 students with over 60 different nationalities.[3] Most of the teaching staffs are from United Kingdom, Scotland,[4] South Africa, and India. The school is founded by the philanthropist Mohammed Taleb Mohammed Al Khouri and managed by the Taleb Group. The company also own and manage two other schools in Qatar,[5] Cambridge International School for Girls [6] and Doha Modern Indian School.[7]
The school is organised into three sections: Kindergarten, Primary, and Secondary.[8] Each section has a Head of Section.[9] The Cambridge School also has a sixth form. The Primary and Secondary sections are further divided into key stages.[10] Boys and girls are taught together in all grades.[11] Students enrolled at TCS come from countries such as Australia, England, South Africa, India, Pakistan, and South East Asian countries. All graduating students of Grade 11, 12 and 13 receive IGCSE, AS and A Level certificates from Cambridge International Examinations.
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The Cambridge School Doha was founded in 2001 and opened in September 2002 with under 300 students. In 2003, The school started to offer IGCSE followed by A Level in 2005.[12] The school inducted its first ever group of prefects in May 2003. Eighteen senior students were sworn in as house captains, vice captains and prefects.[13]
Cambridge International School for Girls, established in 2004 with the primary objective of providing education for girls. CISG provides the National Curriculum for England and Wales, delivered in English by mostly native speakers. It has a thriving Kindergarten and Primary School, both based around the Early Years emergent curriculum. The Secondary School is only for girls offering IGCSE and A Level. CISG is the first school for girls alone from year 5 onwards in the private sector.[14]
In 2008, Taleb Group took over the management of the schools. The management of the schools which was previously carried out by the GEMS Education of the Varkey Group, were undertaken by the Taleb Group.[15][16]
The Cambridge School Doha offers the National Curriculum for England with the addition of Arabic and Islamic Studies for students from Kindergarten up to Year 9. The Kindergarten follows the Early Years Foundation Stage and Primary and Secondary follow the British Curriculum. Toward the end of Year 9, students will make some choices about subjects for the International General Certificate Secondary Education ( IGCSE ) offered through the Cambridge International Examinations Board (CIE). After IGCSE, students will continue to study Advanced Supplementary (AS) and Advanced Level (A level) subjects mainly under the Cambridge International Examinations Board.[17]
The main subjects taught in school consist in 3 levels, Core, Foundation, and Additional Subjects. Core subjects include English, Mathematics, Science, and ICT. The Foundation subjects include History, Geography, Art, Music, Physical Education and a selection of second languages, which include French and Arabic. Additional subjects include Arabic for both native and non-native speakers, Islamic Studies for Muslim students as well as Moral Education. The school offers IGCSE for year 10 and 11. Students must take minimum 8 subjects which consist of 2 compulsory subjects and 6 elective subjects. AS and A Level offered for students in year 12 and 13. Students must take minimum 3 subjects and maximum 4 subjects. Students who wish to continue AS and A Level must have minimum 5 subjects with grade C in IGCSE and B in order to take Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.[18]
The Cambridge School Doha offers a Sixth Form for students in year 12 and 13 since 2005.[12] The sixth form provides AS Level for year 12 and A Level for students in year 13. The school provides the same courses as a sixth form college in England. Uniform is different for Sixth Form students; they must wear their formal suit. In Year 12, students may choose between 3 to 4 AS Level subjects to study. The school holds a sixth form open evening for students and provides them with choice application forms.[19] At the end of year 12, students generally drop one subject; the majority of year 13 students take 3 subjects on to A level. Sixth form classes are much smaller than standard secondary school lessons.
After the candidates completed the Application Form and return it to the School Office along with the supporting information requested on the form and the application fee. Candidates will be notified of their test result within one week of the test date. If they are successful, they will be offered a place or, if none is available, put on the waiting list. The majority of secondary pupils will also attend an interview with the Head of Secondary
Admission to the school depends upon an available space in the appropriate age group and the school's ability to meet the needs of the children. Students will not be admitted into a year group outside of their age group unless there are exceptional circumstances.[20]
Priority usually will be given to students who have a sibling attending the school and boys transferring to The Cambridge School from the Cambridge International School for Girls. Priority is also given to the children of staff, but this is not guaranteed.[21]
A small number of prefects including a Head Boy and Head Girl are chosen each year from the students in Years 12 and 13. Their role is to assist the staff with specific duties and represent the school at specific functions. House Captains and Sports Captains lead competitive student activities in their House – Falcon, Hawk, Eagle or Kestrel.[22]
Each Tutor Group will elect two members to attend School Council and represent their views and concerns and to influence school procedures. School Council has an important role to play to ensure students are listened to and taken heed of. Also that they understand why decisions are made that affect them. The School Council members feed back and discuss issues with the Tutor Group under the guidance of the Tutor.[23]
The normal school day begins with registration at 7.15am for students. Lessons for Kindergarten children end at 12.00pm and for other students at 1.15pm. Students in Years 2 – 4 are expected to stay until 2.15pm on Monday for Extra-Curricular Activities. Students in Years 5 – 13 are expected to stay until 2.15pm on Tuesday for Extra-Curricular Activities.[24] The school year is divided into three terms of varying lengths. These dates are usually determined in part by major Islamic festivals.
The school also offers after-school activities. All students are expected to participate on Mondays and Tuesdays. Monday is for students in year 2 – 4 and Tuesday is for students in year 5 – 13. The activities include sports activities, science club, debate, and drama. Some students will be directed to certain activities such as additional graded Arabic or English courses.
The Cambridge School has been regularly active in opportunities outside of school, some of those include Interschool debate,[25] CS4Qatar at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar,[26] and Qatar Debate[27]
All graduating students of Grade 11, 12 and 13 receive IGCSE, AS and A Level certificates from Cambridge International Examinations. Students of The Cambridge School are consistently accepted at many universities around the world, including University of Cambridge, University of Sussex, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and Georgetown University, as well as many universities in their home countries.
The International Food Festival is an event held every year at the Cambridge School in Doha. It is an open day activity for all students, parents, teachers and visitors to taste free food prepared by representatives of different countries and cultures. These countries include Armenia, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and United Kingdom.[28]
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