News, Blog, Podcasts - Page 6 - News Search

Students studying the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme at The British International School Abu Dhabi once again performed significantly above the global average. A total of 76 students at The British International School Abu Dhabi studied for IB exams this year. As well as achieving an outstanding pass rate, the students ’ average score was 33.6, exceeding the global average of 30.32.

As part of a response to the rapidly changing nature of education, Nord Anglia is pioneering a research-informed, innovative approach to metacognition in the classroom. This approach deepens students' self-awareness of their thinking processes and the learning strategies they can use to achieve success.

The end of the year is a time for reflection and celebration, as well as an opportunity to look ahead. During the last weeks, we have celebrated students at the Sports Awards Assemblies, welcomed fathers sharing time with students in the Early Years team, enjoyed end-of-term showcases across many year groups, attended IB presentations, participated in a Science Fair hosted by the Science CCA, and watched the Dance Production, BISAD’s Got Talent Show, and the Music Open Mic event, to name but a few.

In 2014, Mrs. Lowe arrived to teach at the British International School Abu Dhabi, excited to work with the Physical Education Department (PE) to implement and embed Dance within both the curriculum and the CCA programme. Schemes of work were created for FS1 to Year 9 and all PE teachers received professional development training to understand the fundamentals of Dance, to discover the importance of Dance, and how movement can be creative and powerful.

BIS Abu Dhabi's Year 12 BTEC Business students recently completed 40 hours of work experience as part of their course, working at prestigious locations such as Seaworld, The W Hotel, The Courtyard by Marriott, and Crompton Partners. We are proud to have established strong relationships with outstanding employers who are eager to support our BTEC students.

Earlier in June, a group of our IB students jetted off to Iceland for an unforgettable adventure. Damian Toader from 12A shares his experience of this incredible trip, capturing the essence of Iceland's breathtaking landscapes and unique natural phenomena through his lens as the group's photographer.

From the 10th – 16th June, our team of World Scholars attended the Baku Global Round, after successfully qualifying at our in-school round back in April. Our Scholars ranged from Year 6 to Year 10 and competed in teams of three with the hope of qualifying for the next stage.

Last week, Mrs. Stanier, our Head of Humanities, had the pleasure of accompanying three of our amazing students: Tia and Renad from Year 12, and Turkan from Year 10, to Houston, Texas, to take part in the NAE UNICEF summit. We were thrilled to be hosted by one of our Nord Anglia schools, The Village School in Houston, the first Child-Friendly City in the US recognised by UNICEF. The Village School is a boarding school, so the students got to experience what life was like as a boarding student there for the week.

The Eco-Edventure build is progressing swiftly, and everything is on track for its opening in the new academic year. We can now see glimpses of the finished project as water features take shape, surrounding grass is laid, and trees are being planted. The Eco-Edventure now boasts windows, electricity, light fittings, and air conditioning units. Slight adjustments to the original plans will allow access to the area even on the hottest days.

As part of Nord Anglia Education (NAE), one of the world’s leading international schools groups, The British International School Abu Dhabi is proud to have 3 attending this year’s NAE-UNICEF Student Summit, hosted for the first time ever in Houston, Texas from 12 to 19 June 2024. A total of 123 students have been selected from across Nord Anglia Education’s global family of schools to attend this year’s NAE-UNICEF Student Summit. Through Nord Anglia Education’s global collaboration with UNICEF, students have been raising awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through social impact projects. The SDGs are a collection of 17 goals set by the United Nations regarding social and economic development issues.

Dear Parents, As we approach the end of this term and the academic year, we take great pride in celebrating the multitude of successes our children have achieved. This period has been filled with events showcasing the diverse talents and interests of our students here at BIS Abu Dhabi. From the creativity of our dance performances, our success at sports competitions to the incredible ongoing school trips, from the talent displayed at the BISAD’s Got Talent audition and our Open Mic sessions to the World Scholars Cup and the Quran reading, our calendar has been brimming with opportunities for our students to shine.

The British International School Abu Dhabi is delighted to announce that our Year 13 IB Visual Arts Exhibition is now on display at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Mall from 10th June until 24th June. This showcase is a testament to the creative spirit and dedication of our Year 13 students.

On 22nd of May, the school auditorium was filled with excitement and pride as our Class of 2024 celebrated their International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) graduation. This occasion marked a significant milestone for our Year 13 students, their proud parents, and the dedicated teachers who have supported them throughout their educational journey.

At the recent Year 13 Graduation event, I mused on the theme of truth, inspired as I was by the very hard academic work that any Year 13 student must go through to graduate successfully and achieve a place at the university of their choice.   It seems to me that academic work is entirely about truth and our perpetual search for it, although I know many would disagree.  Students in particular generally want a different answer when they ask the question ‘why am I learning this?’.  Students want to know all about the lesson content’s practical application, whether they’ll need this ‘fact’ for an exam, or whether what they are learning will help them get a job.   When I reply ‘we are learning this, because we want to discover the truth about the world we live in….’ I suppose I’m sometimes met with understandable bemusement.  Truth is a strange concept, a tricky one.  ‘Learn this, because it will be on your end of term exam…!’ is a much simpler answer.  But it’s the wrong one.  Teachers shouldn’t be teaching so that students can pass exams, we should be teaching to encourage discovery.  And what do we want young people to discover?  Truth.

It's been an exciting week for our Year 10 students as they embarked on their work experience journey across Abu Dhabi and the UAE. From schools to businesses, hospitals to garages, hotels to offices our students have been immersed in real-world environments, gaining invaluable insights into various industries.

Last weekend witnessed a clash of arts events. In Abu Dhabi, Cranleigh hosted the annual BSME Dance Festival, while in Dubai, our sister school NAS Dubai hosted the first Regional Nord Anglia Performing Arts Festival. Students from BIS Abu Dhabi attended both events and gave their all.

At BIS Abu Dhabi, we believe early exposure to languages fosters essential skills, not only in foreign language acquisition but also in overall cognitive development. Aside from our provision for English and Arabic, our Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) programme offers primary students specialised MFL classrooms, promoting engagement with highly qualified teachers and encouraging pride through displays of their work. This article explores the advantages of learning languages, details our school’s language programme, and highlights its unique features.

In April, I was fortunate enough to watch 3 of our students present at the World Energy Summit hosted at the Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi. Their presentation was titled ‘Embedding Sustainability into the Ethos of The British International School Abu Dhabi’ and they shared the stage with a VP for Sustainability at FAB Bank, and a scientist who worked for the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency. As I looked around the exhibition centre that day, and watched our students talk so articulately and confidently on that stage, I had one thought running through my mind ‘what an opportunity for these young people’.

Last week, we were thrilled to welcome Helen Tocci, our Dance Specialist from The Juilliard School, to BIS Abu Dhabi. During the visit, Helen observed our PE teachers delivering the Juilliard Creative Classroom lessons, which support the Dance programme within the PE Department here at BIS Abu Dhabi. The Juilliard Creative Classroom is an online platform full of resources and tools that provide additional material to teachers to engage students in creative lessons with meaningful tasks and activities, along with visual images, accompanying music, and reflective dialogue.

We are delighted to announce that two of our Year 11 students, Diana and Leena, were successful in the MIT competition for a place in this year 's MIT Student trip to Boston in October 2024! Their achievement is particularly notable given the exceptional quality of entries received from not only our school, but around the world. The selection panel was thoroughly impressed by the ingenuity and insight demonstrated in their submissions.