Prep Curriculum
Depth. Discovery. Independence.
At Sherborne Qatar Preparatory School, Bani Hajer, our curriculum is defined by academic depth, intellectual curiosity and purposeful independence.
From Pre-School to Year 8, our pupils move through a carefully structured journey that builds knowledge, character and confidence in equal measure. The first discoveries of the Early Years give way to the specialist teaching and genuine responsibility of the final two years, with each stage designed in the knowledge of what follows it.
At the heart of this journey sits the Sherborne Qatar Prep Diploma. Beginning in Year 4 and culminating in Year 8, it is a distinctive five-year programme that prepares pupils not only for the demands of IGCSE study, but for the years beyond.
The Sherborne Qatar Prep Diploma
The years between primary school and senior school are among the most formative in a child's education. We believe they deserve to be designed as a whole, rather than treated as a passage from one stage to the next. This conviction is what led us to create the Sherborne Qatar Prep Diploma.
Beginning in Year 4 and culminating in Year 8, the Diploma is a five-year programme that brings together academic challenge, personal growth and a spirit of discovery. Through a rich blend of classroom learning, co-curricular adventure and pastoral care, it teaches our pupils not only what to think, but how to think. It recognises that children of this age are old enough to take on genuine responsibility and leadership, yet still young enough to enjoy the warmth, individuality and breadth of prep school life.
Every child leaves us grounded in our values, equipped with genuine life skills and fully prepared for the demands of IGCSE study and the years that follow.
Delve into our Prep Diploma and explore the comprehensive educational journey that awaits your child at Sherborne Qatar.
We want learning to be Real, Immersive, Purposeful and Progressive.
Learning is organised around questions worth answering rather than isolated subjects, drawing together skills from across the curriculum. Each enquiry opens with an experience intended to capture the imagination and ends with our pupils creating something of their own.
Underpinning all of this is the National Curriculum for England, taught in full and thoughtfully shaped to reflect the culture and heritage of Qatar.
In our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), we prioritse independence, curiosity, and creativity, empowering our pupils to find their own solutions and take responsibility for their actions. Our 3 and 4-year-olds enjoy a safe and age-appropriate environment with their own designated play areas and outdoor classrooms, allowing them to flourish.
Our teachers observe closely, following the interests and questions that emerge through play, and extending them with careful questioning and rich conversation.
Storytelling lies at the centre of the Early Years. Children come to know stories by heart before they retell them, reshape them and eventually create their own.
As our pupils move from the Early Years into Key Stage 1, we manage the transition with care, ensuring that enthusiasm is carried forward into more structured learning.
Reading is a daily habit. Phonics is taught in small groups through Read Write Inc., with individual support provided where it will make the greatest difference. Writing develops through the Talk for Writing approach, and pupils are taught a joined cursive hand from the very beginning. Mathematics is taught every day through the White Rose Maths programme.
From Reception, our pupils learn French or Spanish with a subject specialist. From Year 2 they join the Accelerated Reader programme, begin discrete spelling lessons, and bring their own device to school as part of our Bring Your Own Device provision.
Year 4 marks the beginning of our Prep Section, and with it a steady widening of specialist teaching. Pupils remain with one class teacher while learning from specialists in Arabic, Islamic Studies, Qatar History, Physical Education, French or Spanish, and Computing. By Year 5, subject specialists lead Science. In Year 6, the Sciences separate into Chemistry, Physics and Biology, adding considerable depth well before senior school.
Enquiry work grows more ambitious through these years, and expectations rise alongside it. Our pupils research independently, present their thinking to others and learn to defend their conclusions, developing the self-belief and determination that will serve them in the years ahead.
Years 7 and 8 stand at the summit of our Prep School. Every subject is taught by a subject specialist, and our pupils work towards the standard they will require when IGCSE study begins in Year 9.
These are also the years of greatest responsibility. Our pupils mentor younger children, act as ambassadors at school events, captain sporting teams and lead House activities. Leadership here is understood not as a title but as a mindset, expressed through service, encouragement and courage.
It is a deliberate structure. Our pupils are old enough to take on genuine responsibility, yet still young enough to enjoy the warmth, individuality and breadth of prep school life. From Year 9, they continue into our senior schools.
Questions Parents Ask Us
We teach the National Curriculum for England (2014) in full, from Pre-School through to Year 8, shaped thoughtfully to reflect the culture and heritage of Qatar. Alongside this, all pupils follow the Arabic, Islamic Studies and Qatar History curriculum set by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
Our pupils then continue into one of our senior schools for Year 9, where IGCSE study begins.
Our approach to assessment is continuous rather than examination-driven. Teachers track progress against National Curriculum objectives throughout the year, with four summative grade points recorded annually. Full written reports are sent to parents twice each year, at mid-year and end of year, and these are complemented by parents' evenings and by informal conversation whenever it is needed. From Year 3, reading age is also reported.
Yes, from Year 2 through to Year 8. Bani Hajer is a Bring Your Own Device school, and we ask pupils to bring a laptop with a Windows operating system so that they may take part fully in classroom learning and develop their digital skills. A recommended specification is published for parents, and your child's form teacher is always glad to advise.
Within the nurturing environment of our Preparatory School, we are able to identify need early and respond quickly. Support may take the form of small-group work or individual sessions, according to what will help your child most, and our Learning Support Team works closely alongside form teachers throughout. Parents are kept informed at every stage.
Rather than teaching subjects in isolation, we build learning around a question explored over several weeks. Each enquiry begins with an experience designed to spark curiosity, develops the knowledge and skills the question demands, and concludes with pupils creating something of their own, which is then celebrated.