The Gulf English School

We welcome your interest in The Gulf English School. Our curriculum embraces an international approach to learning for students in our Primary and Secondary School, as well as for those in our IB Diploma Programme.

The Gulf English School provides the National Curriculum of England and Wales, taught in the English language, for eligible and qualified students of all nationalities. Criteria for enrolment include age, English language proficiency, previous school records, learning achievement, special learning needs considerations, and space availability.

New applicants should submit their previous school records and a completed reference form filled by the previous school prior to entrance testing.

Admissions testing will be done on all students who apply to the school except International Baccalaureate and AS-level students provided that they have 5 or more A-C IGCSEs or GCSE. The admissions test includes a reading and math assessment as well as a writing sample. Testing will take place before any admission decision is made.

Acceptance decisions could include full acceptance, conditional acceptance, or denial. Parents will be notified of the decision. Once a year group closes, a waiting pool will be established. Parents and students will be notified should an opening become available. GES does not accept any applications or testing if places are unavailable.

GES does not accept students with physical, emotional, or learning needs that cannot be appropriately remediated in the school's program. After initial acceptance of a student, the school reserves the right to deny re-enrolment if the student's needs go beyond the scope of available services.

Students may be denied admission or asked to withdraw for any of the following reasons:

• Lack of academic preparation for an age appropriate Year Group.
• Insufficient knowledge of English
• Disciplinary problems
• Academic probation: lack of significant progress
• Other reasons, which, in the opinion of the administration, may be in the best interest of the school and/or the students.

Application

Thank you for your interest in The Gulf English School. We are pleased that you have chosen to consider GES for your child's future.

Please note that our waiting lists are E-based. If you wish to complete our application form to waitlist your child or to arrange an entrance assessment, please complete our Online application powered by infosnap.

Once you submit your child’s application you will receive a confirmation Email and a reference number to use for follow-ups during the application process. If your child’s application is accepted, you will receive an Email from GES admissions to organise an entrance assessment followed by parental interviews. 

Submitting an online application does not guarantee placement at GES. Please visit our Admissions Requirements page for further information on our admission policy and requirements.

Specifications

• Ensure that scanned copies of all documents are available when completing the online form. We are not able to review incomplete applications.
• All records and documents must be submitted in English. Translated/certified copies of records must show an official stamp from the translator. The student's parents may not translate records.
• Records from local government schools may be submitted in Arabic.
• We accept applications throughout the year and students will be accepted based on availability and criteria.
• All Applicants are required to sit for an admissions screening assessment followed by a parental interview.

School Records

Provide previous 2 years of school reports.

We request any additional information that may assist us in the evaluation process:

• Narrative reports
• Summaries
• Programme modifications of students, such as:
• Psychological / Educational Evaluations
• Academic Programme Recommendations
• Behavior Modification Programmes
• Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs)

Documents

• Copy of passport/birth certificates
• Current immunisations records of the child.
• Health History form.
• Completed parents' questionnaire.

The Gulf English School reserves the right to contact schools previously attended in order to validate records provided /or inquire about the student(s) in question.

Requirements

The Gulf English School does not have a deadline for applications, as we are happy to process admissions interviews and tests as long as we have places available in our classes.

Admission to The Gulf English School is based upon entrance tests/interviews, previous school records, the student’s application. New students will be admitted according to Board policy.

• Age eligibility
• Entrance tests results 
• Parents interview
• Previous school records
• Completed reference form filled by previous school
• Others based on date of application

The first step toward being considered for enrolment at GES is to complete our online application form and upload all relevant documents.

If your application is short-listed, you will be notified of the entrance exam date, which take place throughout the year as places become available or during the Spring (March/April) of each academic year.

Entrance Exams/interviews

• Copy of your online application confirmation
• Entrance exam fee of 550QR (non-refundable)

Physical Disability

The Gulf English School facilities cannot meet the needs of those who have serious physical disabilities.

Students With Special Needs

The Gulf English School believes that all students should be able to follow our mainstream program. The term 'mild learning difficulties' is used to describe students with below average or above average intelligence. This is reflected in a slow rate of maturation, reduced learning capacity and inadequate social skills. Students with mild learning difficulties need to be able to participate in the major portion of the regular academic program. In certain instances students with mild learning difficulties may benefit from slightly modified approaches in the classroom, using a range of teaching styles and techniques. However, The Gulf English School does not have the resources to accommodate significant or multiple modifications.

Students demonstrating low achievement or extreme difficulty with mainstream work will be referred to the Student Support Team for evaluation. After an assessment has been completed the Student Support Team will make recommendations, in the best interest of the student, to the Head of School; who will consult with the parents concerning the recommendations of the Student Support Team. Academic probation procedures will also be followed.

Parents must provide all documentation concerning previous assessment, or any past history of learning difficulties, with their admissions application. Failure to disclose such information may result in a student being asked to withdraw from school. Should it be found that the Student Support Team recommends that a student be evaluated for either intelligence or learning difficulties, the parents are obliged to have the evaluation completed in a timely manner, and advice will be given on whom to contact for these evaluations. Financial responsibility for these tests will lie with the parents. Failure to do so could also result in the student being asked to withdraw from The Gulf English School.

Priority For Admission Into Pre-school

• GES gives priority to students from The Gulf English Nursery into Pre-school.
• Second priority into Pre-school is to students with siblings at GES.

Specific Entry Requirements

Early Years And KS1 (Infants)

• For Reception, we would expect a child to show established fine motor skills - holds the pencil correctly, able to draw a picture and give meaning to it, control a scissors - cut along a line, write their own name, build a basic puzzle without assistance, thread a variety of sized beads onto a string, follow and then make a repeated pattern with the pegs on a peg board, discuss similarities and differences when sorting. Phonetic knowledge- recognise the 1st set of Jolly phonic letters (s,a,t,p,i,n) , know which sound their name starts with and able to hear the 1st sound in a word. Mathematical knowledge:  Understand number carries value, count to 10 in rote, recognise numbers to 10 out of order, knows the basic colors and can identify them in different contexts, knows a variety of 2d shapes 
• For Year 1, we would expect a child to know his/her 24 sounds and 52 high frequency words and blend some CVC words in English and we would expect a child to be able to count to 20, to recognise all the numerals from 1 to 20, recognise 2-D shapes, and to be able to add up and subtract to 5 in Mathematics.
• For Year 2, we would expect a child to be on level 1B in English and level 1A in Mathematics.
• For Year 3, we would expect a child to be on level 2C in English and 2B in Mathematics.

KS2 (Juniors)

• For Year 4, we would expect a child to be on level 2B in English and level 2A in Mathematics.
• For Year 5, we would expect a child to be on level 3C in English and level 3B in Mathematics.
• For Year 6, we would expect a child to be on level 3A in English and 4C in Mathematics.
• For Year 7, we would expect a child to be on level 4C in English and 4B in Mathematics.

KS3 (Secondary)

• For Year 8, we would expect a child to be on level 4B in English and 4A in Mathematics.
• For Year 9, we would expect a child to be on level 5C in English and 5B in Mathematics.
• For Year 10, we would expect a child to be on level 5A in English and 6C in Mathematics.

AS-Level

Our AS-level coordinator will interview students (new or existing) wishing to enrol on the AS-level programme. Students wishing to enrol on the AS-level course must have one of the following:

A minimum of 5 I/GCSE grades A*-C (at least B in English as a Second language paper) or:

English Requirements

• First language Speakers: First language Paper 3 directed writing and Composition 26/50 Grade C
• Second language speakers as Entrance examination is English as a Second Language Extended Paper
• Students should complete exercises 6 &7 and then attempt other questions 57/84 Grade B

Mathematics Requirements

• CIE Mathematics past paper Extended paper, Pass Mark 60%

International Baccalaureate Diploma

Our IB coordinator will interview students (new or existing) wishing to enrol on the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Students wishing to enrol on the IB programme must have one of the following:

• A minimum of 5 I/GCSE grades A*-C (at least B in English as a First language paper) or:

English Requirements

• IB Entrance exam of commentary on a piece of poetry or prose minimum 13/20 required.

Maths Requirements 

• CIE Maths examination Extended paper, Pass Mark 60%.

Year 11 And Year 13

Students will not be accepted into Year 11 or Year 13 unless exceptional circumstances are in place. All of these cases will only be after personal interview with Head of Secondary or Deputy Head.

Age Requirements

The age of the applicant is an important factor in determining year group placement.

Students enroling in the Pre-school program shall be (3) years of age on or before September 1 of the year of admission. Students must be three years of age and potty-trained (see our Early Years Toileting Policy) for entrance to Pre-school. 

Students enroling in Reception shall be (4) years of age on or before September 1 of the year of admission.

Where previous school records indicate that a student has already attended a British school style pre-school or Reception, yet the student does not meet the GES age requirements, the student may be placed in Pre-school/Reception for observation to determine appropriate placement.  For clearly compelling educational reasons, exceptions may be made.

Subsequent to Pre-school and Reception, Year placement and age on or before September 1 of the year of admission should normally be as follows:

In Pre-school, no exceptions are made for children whose birthdays fall after these deadlines.

Re-Enrollment

Existing students' re-enrolment is not automatic in GES.

Parents are expected to re-register their children in order to reserve their seats for the following year. If parents do not re-register their children by the end of March each year, the students will be considered leavers and their seats may be offered to students on our waiting list. Students who do not re-register on time will be considered as new students.

There are specific criteria and expectations for each year group, students are expected to reach these levels to be promoted to the following year.

The following factors are taken in consideration before re-enrollment:

• Attendance/ punctuality (GES reserves the right to block students re-enrollment when attendance is below 90%).
• Student progress (according to criteria below)
• Student Behaviour

Criteria

Early Years And KS1 (Infants)

In English:

• For progression from  Reception to year 1, we would expect a child to know his/her 24 sounds and 52 Common Exception Words (CEW) and blend some CVC words
• For progression from Year 1 to Year 2, we would expect a child to be on level 1B in English by end of Year 1.
• For progression from Year 2 to Year 3, we would expect a child to be on level 2C in English by end of Year 2.

In Maths:

• For progression from Reception to Year 1, we would expect a child to be able to count to 20, to recognise all the numerals from 1 to 20, recognise 2-D shapes, and to be able to add up and subtract to 5.
• For progression from Year 1 to Year 2, we would expect a child to be on level 1A by end of Year 1.
• For progression from Year 2 to Year 3, we would expect a child to be on level 2B by end of Year 2.

KS2 (Year 3-6)

In English:

• For progression from Year 3 to Year 4, we would expect a child to be on level 2A by end of Year 3.
• For progression from Year 4 to Year 5, we would expect a child to be on level 3C by end of Year 4.
• For progression from Year 5 to Year 6, we would expect a child to be on level 3A by end of Year 5.
• For progression from Year 6 to Year 7, we would expect a child to be on level 4C by end of Year 6.

In Maths:

• For progression from Year 3 to Year 4, we would expect a child to be on level 2A by end of Year 3.
• For progression from Year 4 to Year 5, we would expect a child to be on level 3B by end of Year 4.
• For progression from Year 5 to Year 6, we would expect a child to be on level 4C by end of Year 5.
• For progression from Year 6 to Year 7, we would expect a child to be on level 4B by end of Year 6.

KS3 (Year 7-9)

In English:

• For progression from Year 6 to Year 7, we would expect a child to be on level 4C by end of Year 6.
• For progression from Year 7 to Year 8, we would expect a child to be on level 4C by end of Year 7.
• For progression from Year 8 to Year 9, we would expect a child to be on level 4A by end of Year 8.
• For progression from Year 9 to Year 10, we would expect a child to be on level 5B by end of Year 9.

In Maths:

• For progression from Year 6 to Year 7, we would expect a child to be on level 4B by end of Year 6.
• For progression from Year 7 to Year 8, we would expect a child to be on level 4B by end of Year 7.
• For progression from Year 8 to Year 9, we would expect a child to be on level 5C by end of Year 8.
• For progression from Year 9 to Year 10, we would expect a child to be on level 5A by end of Year 9.