Durham School for Girls celebrates official opening in Doha

Durham School for Girls Doha celebrated its official opening at an event attended by HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi, officials from Durham School UK and a large number of parents. The event, which took place at Al Messila Resort & Spa, included performances by students in English and Arabic, welcoming speeches by the heads of Houses and the head girl.Durham School for Girls, the first international sister school of Durham School UK, welcomed its first cohort of girls on August 25 for the new academic year, 2019/2020. The school, located in the Al Messila area, offers “an excellent educational option for families who want British education for their daughters but do not want to compromise their beliefs or cultural identity”, according to a press statement. Vanessa Whay, founding principal of Durham School for Girls Doha, said: “We are proud and excited to bring this unique educational experience to Qatar. We bring the best teachers, a creative UK curriculum, and strong Arabic and Islamic studies together for our students in Qatar. “Our school’s vision and aims are perfectly aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Human Development outcomes of life-long learning, a strong sense of belonging and citizenship and a broad and varied creative curriculum based around strong moral and ethical values, tradition and heritage. “Our girls will all receive opportunities to fulfil their aspirations and become valuable global citizens.”Durham School for Girls Doha will provide a curriculum and range of co-curricular programmes that will “enrich its pupils’ sense of self-belief and foster leadership, collaboration and teamwork”, the statement notes. “The school fosters and develops ‘Confidence for Life’ and promotes the values of moral integrity, responsibility, ambition and kindness. It offers an innovative curriculum, including STEM subjects, humanities, English, ICT, Art, PE, Cooking, Textiles, Drama, Music as well as a strong provision of Arabic and Islamic studies, all delivered by highly qualified and trained teachers and staff, in state-of-the-art facilities,” the statement continues.All girls are encouraged to participate in the school’s co-curricular programme that covers “a broad spectrum of activities, including a comprehensive sports programme, extensive visual and performance arts opportunities, crafts, cookery, eco-club, robotics and programming through to leadership activities, debate club and involvement in national and international school competitions”.At this stage, the school opened enrolment in its Foundation Stage and Primary School from years 1-7 and is accepting admission for Secondary School classes in 2020, catering for students in years 8, 9 and 10.Samantha Whay-Jenkins, director of Admissions and Marketing at Durham School for Girls Doha, said: “We are thrilled with the overwhelming response represented by over 560 enrolled students, the biggest school roll for an opening school in Qatar, a testament to our strong alignment with the needs of the Qatari society.”“We are honoured to welcome HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi for our official opening, and I look forward to welcoming all parents and their girls for admissions as we embark upon an exceptional journey here at Durham School for Girls Doha,” added Whay.