What are the major benefits your school offers?
The Sultan’s School was founded in 1977. Therefore we have had over thirty years experience of educating and investing in the youth of Oman. The garden-like setting of our spacious 250,000 square metre campus is unique among private schools in Oman, offering a pleasant environment in which each student has every opportunity to develop to his or her fullest potential, taught by experienced, well qualified and caring professionals. A parent knows when entrusting the education of their child to the Sultan’s School that he or she leave the school with internationally recognized academic qualifications in the form of I.G.C.S.E.’s and The International Baccalaureate. These qualifications will gain them entrance to the top universities and colleges in the world but they will also leave the school as a person who has adopted the habits and attitudes necessary for success in an increasingly interdependent world, including traits of responsibility, integrity, initiative, perseverance and cooperation.

Since it was founded, The Sultan’s School has been known to have special characteristics. What are these characteristics?
The Sultan’s School is special in many ways. The unique garden campus has already been mentioned. Children can spend all of their school lives here from Pre-KG to Year 13 and receive a completely bi-lingual education in mixed classes throughout their school career. With our students being completely bilingual, by the time they leave the school, the advantages that this offers extend beyond the languages themselves. It opens the door to a wide variety of opportunities and enables students to look to the future with confidence, whether in Omani or in international settings. One of our most important missions is to increase student awareness of and appreciation for the rich and varied cultural and religious traditions of Oman and how they relate to life in a dynamic, forward-looking and creative society.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and P.D.O. sponsor the other scholarship scheme that has been highly successful, for outstanding students, from the interior of the Sultanate. Forty plus scholars from years 7-13 board on site, in purpose built accommodation. Over one hundred scholars have successfully graduated from the scholarship scheme since its inception in 1980, many of whom now hold key positions in both the public and private sector.

How does your school take care of students? How does it develop their capacities, interests and potential?
Working with parents and through our pastoral system, we aim to help each student develop his or her talents to the optimum. The school enjoys a stable and committed staff, a number of whom have been at the school for many years and provide the stability of staffing that all leading schools need to have to provide continuity and quality assurance. If a student has problems then there is a well-defined pastoral system where difficulties can be discussed and issues resolved.

Thinking and study skills are an integral part of the academic curriculum and this, in turn, is complemented by a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Students are encouraged to explore their various abilities and interests to the full.

The Sultan’s School offers an extensive program of extracurricular activities throughout the academic year to develop students’ interest and potential. The challenges facing young people today require thoughtful and creative responses and our activities programme encourages this to the full.
All in all, our extracurricular program allows students to enrich themselves in areas outside the normal academic curriculum, to become more well-rounded, interested and interesting people.

What are the major stages of education in your school? What distinguishes each stage?
Education at the Sultan’s School is from Kindergarten to Grade 12 therefore the associated traumas of changing schools perhaps three or four times during a child’s educational career are eliminated. The educational process is as seamless as possible from year to year, with much planning and thought going into any transitional phase. The majority of students spend their whole school career at the school and there is very much “a family atmosphere” with our students and staff. We now have the pleasure of seeing our alumni as parents and generations of families passing through the school.

School fees are considered high, what services do you offer in return?
As stated previously parents are assured that their hard earned money is buying the best bilingual education in the country with guaranteed outcomes. As for school fees, it is true especially in the educational world that “you get what you pay for”. Comparison must be made, because of the structure, curriculum, staffing and the outcomes of our school, with the community schools in Oman. If we then make that comparison, then parents realize they are getting a very favourable deal and real value for money.

What sort of co-operation is there between the school and parents? How successful is this co-operation?
If the school is “a family”, as previously stated, then we consider ourselves a very close family. Many parents have had a long association with the school, in some cases as students and there is an inevitable bond of mutual trust, understanding and cooperation. For new parents who are not quite as familiar with the school as others, we encourage them to join us as partners in their child’s education. Open days, newsletters, curriculum evenings, parent consultations, contact books and our comprehensive reporting system are all designed to create a meaningful two-way flow of information with parents. The school has run a “Help Centre” for several years, where parents can “drop in” or telephone, during the morning or afternoon every school day, to get information or to talk over problems or share concerns with specialist members of the senior staff. This has been a highly successful venture that is now being used by people from the wider community too, who value the unique educational expertise the school has to offer.

What sort of opportunities do your graduates have, especially the outstanding ones?
The Sultan's School offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBD), a challenging and comprehensive pre-university course, for students entering year 12. The successful completion of the IBD progamme leads to acceptance into the world's top colleges and universities without the need for a foundation year. Over 90% of our graduates go on to higher education and in recent years, they have gained places at a range of prestigious universities worldwide including Oxford, Yale, Cornell, Stanford, Georgetown, London, Glasgow, Nottingham, Dublin, The American University of Beirut, Alexandria University and of course Sultan Qaboos University.

How do you develop your curriculum and teaching team in order to keep pace with continuous development in education?
Although the school employs highly qualified teachers, it encourages staff development by funding regular in-service training and encouraging teachers to study further as individuals and keep their experience current. The school has also committed substantial sums in the current five-year plan for future in-service needs. Regular departmental and section meetings take place where curricular issues are discussed and plans made. Staff handbooks are issued so everyone has a clear and accurate picture of the curriculum and its objectives. A staff library with educational books and current publications has been resourced for teachers to use for reference.

Are there boarding facilities available?
As part of the school’s planned growth, the demand for boarding places will be catered for, in the future by expanding the boarding facilities, so that students from outside the capital area can take advantage of the special programme, with intensive English, in grades six, seven and eight. Boarding facilities will also be available in the future for those older students who wish to follow I.G.C.S.E.’s and The International Baccalaureate programmes of study.

How do I apply for a place at the school?
Ms. Gillian Horsley Admissions Officer, would be pleased to talk to any interested parties and arrange for a visit to the school. There is a “Visitors Day”, usually in March, which prospective parents and students can come to view our campus facilities and talk to the staff about the school and the programmes of study.

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Contact details
Gillian Horsley
The Sultan’s School, PO Box 665,
Seeb,
Postal Code 121,
Sultanate of Oman.
Telephone: ++968 24536777 ext 307
Fax: ++968 24536273
Email: admissions@sultansschool.org