The governors and principal of Sherborne Qatar have announce that Sherborne Qatar Junior School will be joining its family of schools in September this year. To be based at Sherborne’s Bani Hajer site, Junior (Primary) School pupils will be able to progress seamlessly to the Senior (Secondary) School’s new buildings and facilities five minutes away in the Grand Zone of Mall of Qatar, according to a press statement.
The Junior School will teach the National Curriculum of England, modified for the local setting. The school will be run on the same lines as the existing Prep School and have its own head. The headmaster of the Prep School, Nick Fawcett, will oversee both the Prep and Junior Schools until the Junior School’s head is appointed and ensure high standards and consistency across both schools.
The key features of the Junior School will be as follows: 
n Pupils will be members of a “small, caring school, as part of a family of schools, each with its distinct character”.
n Pupils will be taught and cared for by dedicated and talented staff. 
n Small class sizes: 18 in Reception (5 year olds), 20 in KS1 (6 and 7 year olds) and 22 in KS2 (8-11 year olds).
n Pupils will have access to age-appropriate facilities and resources.
v A strong pastoral team will ensure that all pupils are known as individuals.
nPupils will be given opportunities to take responsibility and develop leadership skills.
n Pupils will be nurtured and developed as they travel on their educational journey and prepared for the step up to the Senior School.
n All schools in the Sherborne Qatar family are working towards being Microsoft Schools and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) schools.
nTransfer buses will link the Junior and Senior Schools, and the Metro station at Mall of Qatar provides excellent links with the rest of Doha.
The Junior School’s facilities will include dedicated wings for each section (Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2); a designated suite of classrooms for Arabic, Islamic Studies and Qatar History; a library with age-appropriate books and resources; two Science Labs; IT labs; a Robotics Room; a specialist Art Room; a Music Room; an auditorium/theatre; a large sports hall, also giving lots of indoor play space; a large, floodlit, AstroTurf sports pitch; an indoor play area; and plenty of suitable outdoor play space. Also, a swimming pool will be constructed in the grounds.
Sherborne Qatar is a member of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s Outstanding Schools programme. The Prep School is the inaugural BSME Network Lead School for Primary Maths and the Senior School has produced some of the highest GCSE and AS and A Level grades in the Middle East. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the school has continued to provide an uninterrupted education of the highest standard for its pupils, the statement adds. The principal and CEO of Sherborne Qatar, Nick Prowse, said: ‘With the recent opening of the Girls’ School at Al Ebb, the move of the Senior School to the Grand Zone and the opening of the Junior School at Bani Hajer, both in September 2021, this is an exciting time in the development of our family of schools. I encourage all prospective parents to come and see us and hear about what we have to offer.” People can visit the website to register their interest in a tour or to apply for a place and an assessment.