INTRODUCTION

Shaikha Hessa Girls’ School (SHGS) is a national, private and non-profit school which offers a bilingual education in Arabic and in English from Pre-school to Grade 12. This is in addition to French as a foreign language from Gr 4 to Gr8. The school is committed to providing high quality education that fosters students’ personal, social, intellectual, physical and aesthetic areas of development. Each individual student is provided with the support needed and is challenged to reach her full potential. To help our students meet with the growing challenges, we optimize their learning opportunities through a wide range of extracurricular and after school activities. In SHGS, we adopt the IB learner profile traits as school values for all students and staff to be Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced and Reflective. While developing such attributes in our students, we encourage that Islamic and Arabic cultural values together with global citizenship are embedded in all aspects of our students’ school life, and in the larger community.

In SHGS, all stakeholders adhere to the school guiding principles and implement them to enhance the school’s performance and success.

SCHOOL VISION:

“TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE”

SCHOOL MISSION

Our mission is to promote leadership, critical thinking and life-long learning in a secure, healthy, all female environment by providing quality international programmes in education to achieve students’ potential as individuals as well as global citizens with emphasis on Arabic and Islamic values in an effective joint home-school partnership.

SCHOOL VALUES:

All members of the SHGS community strive to be:

Inquirers – They develop their natural curiosity.  They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning.  They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeable – They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance.  In doing so, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Thinkers – They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators – They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication.  They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled – They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities.  They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

Open-minded – They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities.  They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of views and are willing to grow from the experience.

Caring – They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others.  They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

Risk-takers – They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies.  They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balanced – They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective – They consider their own learning and experience.  They can assess and understand their strengths and limitations to support their learning and personal development.

SCHOOL OBJECTIVES

  • Academic Excellence
  • Lifelong learning
  • Inclusive learning environment
  • Multiculturalism and Global citizenship

1-Academic Excellence

  • SHGS promotes academic achievement and sets standards for high quality teaching and learning, focusing on the students’ wellbeing and learning.
  • At SHGS, we believe high quality learning promotes leadership, critical thinking and allows students to reach their full potential. Life-long learning takes place both inside and outside the school settings and beyond. This is achieved through the systematic development of 21st Century skills.

 

  • SHGS is committed to providing a broad and challenging international curriculum, relevant to the school ethos and to meeting with the standards of the EYFS, Primary Cambridge, Cambridge Secondary 1, Edexcel IGCSE, IBDP and with the Ministry of Education Arabic National programs.
  • The curriculum is balanced, holistic and relevant for students’ development promoting intercultural learning and keeping them rooted in their Arabic culture and Islamic values.
  • SHGS is committed to providing adequate and latest resources to develop students’ digital citizenship ensuring they are using technological tools responsibly and ethically.
  • SHGS ensures the school outcomes are aligned with the frameworks and principles of the Bahrain Quality Assurance (BQA), the IGCSE, IBDP, the CIS, the MSA and the U.N Convention on the Rights of the Child.
  • SHGS is committed to supporting teachers with professional development programs, mentoring and coaching them with internal and external trainings.
  • At SHGS, formative and summative assessments are made through a variety of assessment techniques enabling students to acquire learning skills, to make progress and to achieve the expected outcomes.
  • SHGS community has built a culture of continuous improvement in all areas of the school through the cycle of review, plan, implement and evaluate. Self-reflection, data analysis, target setting and sharing best experiences are the mostly used tools to develop communities of learners among SHGS staff and students.

 

High quality learning takes place when:

  • Students think independently, analyse and solve problems innovatively.
  • Students work and communicate independently and collaborate effectively as a team.
  • Students demonstrate leadership and confidence in decision making when faced with familiar and unfamiliar situations.
  • Students use technology and technological tools to excel intellectually and use literary and scientific knowledge locally and globally.
  • Students act responsibly and ethically, demonstrating honesty and integrity; they are considerate of the needs of others and are mindful of the impact of their actions on those around them and the environment.
  • Students actively participate in service-learning activities both locally and globally.

 

 

2– Life-long learning

  • SHGS has built the culture of Life-long learning at the level of leadership, staff and students. They are all given opportunities to be aware of their strengths and their weaknesses, to get different learning experiences and to monitor their progress through structured systems and procedures.
  • In SHGS, we use a holistic approach in teaching and learning, thus encouraging the members of the school community to adopt a mindful behaviour in their communication and interaction with others.
  • Life-long learning is imbedded in all students’ activities within the curriculum and in extracurricular activities. In such activities the students strengthen their independent learning skills and take ownership of their learning through critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, collaboration, making informed choices, reflecting upon their work and through setting targets for improvement.
  • In SHGS, we build on students’ strengths, provide them with adequate support and challenge to help them to reach their full potential.
  • Keeping in line with our school mission, we equip learners with values, knowledge and with the 21st century skills enhancing their personal development and their active role as local and global citizens.
  • In SHGS, students are always encouraged for independent learning in preparation for their next stage of education and for a better future for all.

 

3- Inclusive environment

  • SHGS is committed to providing a safe and healthy school environment for students, parents and staff based on the school culture of partnership and the open-door policy supported by the school Governance.
  • SHGS maintains a positive learning and working environment using the school values and procedures that align with Bahrain Ministry of Education, The Ministry of Labour, the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child and the CIS code of Ethics.
  • The school vision, mission and guiding principles are shared and understood by all stakeholders in different ways such as in the morning assemblies, in class, on the school’s portal, website, published documents, physical environment and in meetings and events.
  • The leadership teams monitor the implementation of the school guiding principles. In on-going meetings, goals are reviewed, areas requiring improvement are identified and plans are made to support and address issues that may arise.
  • SHGS’ priority is responding to the student’s individual academic and personal needs in all aspects of school life. Students feel positively connected to others, respected and appreciated for the effort and the work they do.
  • In SHGS, each student has the basic right to be included in the mainstream educational process to develop a balanced character that prepares her for life.
  • Our school behaviour management procedures are corrective and formative and parents’ involvement in their children’s learning is encouraged at all stages.
  • In SHGS, we foster a fundamental understanding and respect of the UN declaration of the Rights of the Child. All students learn their rights in Local and Global Citizenship lessons and demonstrate a practical understanding of their rights and responsibilities within the local/ global citizenship context. Practicing tolerance and developing skills for peaceful conflict resolutions are encouraged at an early stage.

 

 

  1. Multiculturalism and Global Citizenship

 

  • SHGS defines “international and intercultural education as one where students’ learning goes beyond knowledge and skill development. An education that respects, celebrates and recognises diversity and promotes understanding of equality and human rights.”
  • At SHGS, we endeavour to develop cultural learning in the whole school community, but we focus and invest on the student as a human capital. We equip the learner with values, knowledge and skills based on the human rights, social justice, diversity and environmental sustainability.
  • SHGS leadership and staff ensure that the school environment fosters intercultural learning and empowers students to be responsible global citizens.
  • The school is committed to helping students demonstrate the attributes of the IB Learner Profile in the school daily life and to connect them to international-mindedness.
  • The multinational character of SHGS staff and students enables students to appreciate the richness and diversity of other cultures, to respect their values and to challenge prejudice and discrimination.
  • SHGS students maintain the fluency of their mother tongue while valuing the acquisition of other languages.
  • SHGS students are nurtured with international mindedness from an early age with their active participation in UNESCO, MUN, U.N day, International Peace Day, CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) and INJAZ programs etc
  • SHGS students develop the ability to reflect upon and modify their behaviour and actions in accordance with the world around them.
  • SHGS students develop a sense of initiative, turning their ideas into actions using creativity and entrepreneurship skills for a better world.

 

REVIEWED AND UPDATED Jan 2019