INFORMATION BOOKLET 2021–22 01 READY F R THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. We created this brochure to answer common questions about ACS Doha – everything from “what curriculum options do you offer?” to “where are you located?” Of course, no brochure could possibly say everything about such a vibrant, international school environment. To find out more, including how our distinctive approach to education ensures our students are ready for the rest of their lives, we encourage you to visit us – either for an individual tour or as part of one of our regular Open Houses. To arrange your visit, just email our Admissions department at [email protected] or call us on +974 3026 6800 *Some of the activities outlined in this brochure may be subject to change as a result of any further Covid-19 restrictions. 02 ACS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL DOHA 03 ABOUT OUR SCHOOL ADMISSIONS ACS Doha is a co-educational day school for Application procedure students aged 3–18, from over 70 countries We operate a rolling admissions process around the world. We offer a rigorous, that enables students to join us at any time highly-regarded international curriculum that of the academic year, subject to acceptance includes the IB, Advanced Placement and US and availability. High School Diploma. In addition to our strong academic credentials, we are recognised for our Our online application process takes a holistic exceptional co-curricular and sports programmes. approach, assessing each candidate individually by reviewing previous school records, references, We invite you to visit us and see ACS Doha student questionnaire answers and standardised for yourself, where we can take you on test scores. This helps us understand the a tour of our landmark new campus. complete student, giving us a real insight into who they are today and how we can make them ready for tomorrow. Offer and acceptance of place We ask that each application is accompanied by a non-refundable application fee, paid online. If your application is successful, we will contact you with an offer of a place for your child. To secure the place, we require a non-refundable enrolment deposit, which we set against the second semester tuition fees. For more details of application fees, deposits and tuition costs, see the School Fees section of our website. Practicalities for international families We have many years’ experience guiding international families through the application process and the practicalities of moving to Doha. Our experienced Admissions team is available to provide advice on your move and put you in touch with third-party agencies who can help with relocation services. 04 ACS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL DOHA SCHOOL STRUCTURE Divisions Grade placement ACS Doha is organised into four divisions: Early Children come to our school from a wide range Childhood for our youngest students aged 3 to 6, of countries and schools. This table shows Lower School for 6 to 11-year-olds, Middle School for the equivalent class age and curriculum for those aged 11 to 14, and High School for our oldest different education systems. students aged 14 to 18. Each division is run by a highly experienced principal, ably assisted by superb teaching staff and support specialists. AGE US / ACS DOHA GRADES UK YEARS QATAR GRADES 3 PK3 – KG1 4 PK4 Reception KG2 5 KG Year 1 1 6 1 Year 2 2 7 2 Year 3 3 8 3 Year 4 4 9 4 Year 5 5 10 5 Year 6 6 11 6 Year 7 7 12 7 Year 8 8 13 8 Year 9 9 14 9 Year 10 10 15 10 Year 11 11 16 11 Year 12 12 17 12 Year 13 13 05 PASTORAL ACADEMIC OVERVIEW We believe that social and emotional American heritage, global perspective development is just as important as academic All ACS schools offer a unique educational achievement. We focus on the whole child, experience, characterised by a bold international enabling us to create resilient, well-rounded, approach that builds on our proud American high achieving individuals – ready to face heritage. At the heart of this experience is a whatever the future has in store for them. commitment to providing exactly the right support Our team of experienced social counsellors for each student, so they thrive within our culture is available to students from Early Childhood of high expectations. As part of our commitment through to High School. Our aim is to provide to diversity and inclusion, we support a wide our students with the tools to develop their range of student interests and abilities. social and emotional learning, in order for them to achieve academic success. Another distinctive feature of ACS culture is our attitude to exams. We focus on assessment for We approach this in a holistic way, using a learning, rather than simply preparing for tests. wellness model that highlights and encourages We use high quality data and feedback on each students’ strengths and abilities. Building a positive student’s achievement, to adjust our teaching relationship with each student and being able to strategies, improve individual performance support them in their daily lives is what makes and celebrate learning. our work worthwhile. From their first day with us, you child will become part of a caring classroom The result is a flexible system that works for each community, where everyone is valued. student, regardless of ability. At the heart of this is our rigorous academic programme, designed To support this, we offer a proactive counselling to help highly ambitious learners excel in widely- programme designed to recognise and prevent respected international qualifications. This supports issues before they cause difficulties. Our social strong applications to the world’s top universities counsellors work closely with parents and – including Qatar Foundation’s Education City, Ivy teachers to identify and address the needs League and the Russell Group. At the same time, of each student, offering as much or as little we encourage all our students to pursue individual support as students feel they need. passions and explore personal interests, with a particular emphasis on sport, the creative Our pastoral programme extends into every industries, business and enterprise. subject our students study through the IB learner profile and their approach to learning. Put all this together and ACS schools deliver what In addition, we offer co-curricular activities, we call transformational learning: we help students such as our Model United Nations club, where help themselves, by teaching them how to learn. students are encouraged to develop their skills. We help them to become effective learners, confident individuals and caring contributors, ready for success in a changing world. 06 ACS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL DOHA Premier academic programmes The IBDP’s broad and balanced curriculum The International Baccalaureate (IB) is a requires students to study six subjects during suite of integrated international educational their final two years of school – three at higher and programmes for students aged 3 to 18. three at standard level. The curriculum includes The IB’s four individual programmes encourage languages, science, history, social sciences, business both personal and academic achievement, management, mathematics and the arts. IBDP challenging students to excel in their studies results are based on a combination of end-of-course and in their personal interests. examinations and externally marked coursework. Developed independently of national standards, In the IBDP’s signature Theory of Knowledge the IB incorporates best practice drawn from course, students examine the nature of knowing research and a global community of more than and deepen their understanding of knowledge as 4,000 top-performing schools. It encourages a human construct. IBDP students also complete a students of all ages to think critically, challenge major independent research project in the form of an assumptions and adopt a global perspective – Extended Essay, in which they conduct an in-depth with some students choosing multilingual learning. study of one of their IBDP subjects. Well-respected national and The IBDP also encourages self-directed learning international standards through its Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) element. Based on the idea of reciprocal service, The curriculum at ACS schools is informed by CAS involves students participating in a range of established standards that provide students activities alongside their academic studies, helping with clear milestones, to guide their academic promote healthy lifestyles, original thinking and development. Our standards are evidence- active participation in local and global communities. based, to prepare students for the demands of university, career and civic life. Importantly, the IBDP helps students gain offers from prestigious universities around the world. By identifying and prioritising significant content, Higher education institutions in more than 90 these standards promote deep learning that countries accept students based on their IBDP enhances the individual student’s knowledge credentials, while many US public and private and skills. Standards also provide a common colleges and universities offer credit or accelerated language for parents, teachers and students to courses of study in the light of strong IBDP results. discuss education topics, and enable students to transfer to other schools – national or The IBDP is ACS Doha’s most demanding and international – with the minimum of disruption. frequently-chosen academic programme. It requires commitment, resilience, excellent time management High School curriculum and determination. In return, a growing body of International Baccalaureate Programme evidence shows the IBDP is excellent preparation for university, ensuring students are ready for advanced The IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) is an study and helping them achieve results that go academically challenging programme that beyond anything they thought possible. ensures students aged 16 to 18 are ready for success at university and beyond. It addresses students’ intellectual, social, emotional and physical wellbeing, and has gained recognition and respect from the world’s leading universities.