One School, Two Places

The UK has had a long history of successful exports to the rest of the world. Cloth, oil, cars and even gold have made up the bulk of this trade over the years, but recently a new product needs to be added to the list – education.

We sometimes don’t realise how lucky we are in the UK to have the education system that we do, and we certainly don’t often appreciate how so many other countries look on in envy at what we sometimes take for granted. Relatively small class sizes, highly-qualified staff and a liberal approach to discussion and dialogue in the classroom are not seen in every country in the world. Our leaving qualifications are also of a gold standard, with many countries taking international versions of GCSES, A Levels and even O Levels as a recognised measure of excellence.

Latterly however, many countries have taken this a step further and invited independent schools in the UK to open sister schools overseas. At last count, there were 58 overseas campuses for UK independent schools; the majority of these are in mainland China or Hong Kong, with Middle Eastern branches a close second.

I am delighted to say that one of those 58 includes our own sister school, Durham School for Girls, in Doha, capital of Qatar, which opened its doors to its first cohort of pupils in late August and welcomed 560 girls into the Durham School family. I had the pleasure of being at the school for its official opening last month, and I was struck by a number of things during my visit.

The first, and most heartwarming, was the delight that the pupils had in being part of a British school. We had worked hard in the development of the school to incorporate as many features of our school as we possibly could. This didn’t mean creating a faux-Hogwarts in the desert – nothing could be worse – but, more importantly, embedding the values of the school into everything they did. Our school motto is the same, our curriculum structure is the same – even our uniform is the same (well, after having adjusted for 50oC summers). Our mantra was one school, two places.

The second striking aspect was the engagement from the parents of our newest pupils. Whilst Qatar may feel a different country, its parents want exactly the same for their children as Durham School UK parents want for ours. They want their children to do well academically; they want their children to develop and grow as young people; most of all, they want their children to be happy. So far, it looked like we were doing an excellent job as the smiles on their faces were outshone only by the beaming grins of their children.

There is, of course, a degree of cynicism surrounding the expansion of UK independent schools overseas. Some criticise schools for selling their name for a fee, or accuse them of franchising education as if it were hamburgers. In our case, nothing could be further from the truth. It’s a genuine partnership, with staff from each school collaborating in a shared vision to provide a first-rate educational experience for the young women of Doha. But it affects more children than those just in Qatar. Already we have seen interest and engagement from our pupils at home; they are learning and understanding more about a different country and its culture. In a time where we are in danger if becoming more inward-looking as a country, this is a benefit not to be underestimated.