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Post by candidate638 on Jan 22, 2020 14:54:27 GMT
Dear friends I am hoping to travel out to Dammam to join Aramco within a couple of months and now having to decide on the schooling option for kids who are in Primary 1, 4 and 6 in the UK at present. I am considering to put the kids in the American school in the Aramco compound, primarily for the ease of the process as the school is inside the compound.
The Aramco school website doesn't show much details on the curriculum. Our long term plan is for kids to return to UK upon completing school education. Does anyone from UK enrol kids at the Aramco school? If so, can you kindly comment on the questions below:
1. How did your kids find the transition from British to American curriculum? 2. How would you rate the Aramco school? 3. What is the highest level of education at the Aramco school? Do they do equivalent of A-levels?
Any additional comments, please let me know.
Thank you so much in advance for your help.
Regards
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swan
Senior Member
Posts: 209
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Post by swan on Jan 22, 2020 19:52:44 GMT
You say Primary 1,4,6. Are you in Scotland? Because that is again different from the English curriculum the "British" schools run.
IMO, Y1 is ahead of the US. Y4 is about equilavelent. Y6, the subjects start showing the differences between the systems.
We didnt use Aramco schools (not enled as no accomadation available when we landed, so lived off camp. This is not an issue now).
No Alevels on Aramco. The Aramco school stops at Grade 9 (Year 10 /S4). Kids then typically go to DHS or abroad.
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Post by candidate638 on Jan 22, 2020 21:02:52 GMT
Thank you so much for your prompt reply and sharing your thoughts. Our kids are currently school goers in Scotland.
While we have the option to enrol them at the Aramco expatriate school in the Aramco compound which will be the most hassle-free option from transport and other perspectives, our main concern is the switch back to British system when they return to UK for university education. On that regard, it seems wiser to enrol them into a British school in Dammam and while that also will be different from the Scottish schooling system, we expect the differences to be minimal.
Is there a British school that you would recommend and how far is it from the Aramco Compound in Dammam.
Thank you again for your time and effort to share your valuable thoughts
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swan
Senior Member
Posts: 209
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Post by swan on Jan 22, 2020 21:55:17 GMT
From Aramco main camp, DBGS would be the obvious choice, with lots of kids going (they share a campus with the Americian high school Aramco school leavers staying in kingdom typically transfer to). BISAK is the other decent British school. I think the logistics of this are harder to manage, unless your wife is prepared to drive all the school runs.
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Post by candidate638 on Jan 23, 2020 10:30:47 GMT
Thanks very much for your thoughts on that. I read mixed Google reviews on DBGS, in fact one of the parent's reviews was pretty negative. Not sure if that was an isolated incident and if the school has improved as that review is a year old.
If any parents send their kids to DBGS and would care to share their views on the DBGS from quality of education perspective, that would be highly appreciated
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swan
Senior Member
Posts: 209
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Post by swan on Jan 23, 2020 22:06:45 GMT
We attended DBGS (we left kingdom this summer). Friends attended BISAK. Mainly chosen on which had spaces in the relevent years when we landed in Kingdom! Both schools are fine. I would say on par with a decent English state primary, with amazing afterschool programs of activities. PM me if you want to discuss further.
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NewBieRE
Member
Posts: 10
Job Status: Accepted Aramco Job
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Post by NewBieRE on Nov 15, 2023 16:20:57 GMT
Dear All, Please let me know who to contact regarding the bus from Saudi Aramco camp in Dhahran to any of the British schools (BSD or BISAK). This is for our daughter, we hope we could enroll her to year 4 (she is 8 now). Thank you in advance
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