St Christopher’s School Bahrain has been recognised as one of the world’s best private schools by Spear’s School Index and Carfax Education for two consecutive years. In addition to the highly prestigious accolades, the school is recognised for its multinational student body and eight-member Leadership Team of which four are highly-qualified women.
St Christopher’s School has long been known to be a reflection of the Kingdom’s diverse and culturally-rich population, boasting a multinational student body from 70 different nations. Further, the school’s alumni have gone on to have tremendous success in their tertiary education, careers and lives.
As the only school in Bahrain to be present on the list in 2021 and 2022, St Christopher’s School is immensely proud to have included the Kingdom of Bahrain in this prestigious list of the world’s best schools. “The Spear’s index is the only research-based worldwide index of the very finest private schools, and is a valuable resource for our audience when making some of their most important decisions: where to educate their children. Inclusion depends on the very highest standards in the classroom and world-class facilities for the pupils,” said Ian Douglas, Head of Research and Insight at Spear’s.
The school has also achieved the coveted ‘Gold Standard’ – the highest possible ratings in all their school inspections. With a commitment to the positive mental health and wellbeing of the school community, St Christopher’s was delighted to have recently been awarded the highest entry award in the School Mental Health Awards from the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health. Furthermore, St Christopher’s School is recognised as being one of the top international schools in the region.
In addition, the school has developed a bespoke curriculum, the Future Ready Curriculum (FRC) – a one-of-a-kind holistic framework that prepares and equips students with contemporary skills, knowledge, and understanding to ensure success in further education and future careers.
The guidance of the school’s Leadership Team has been essential in receiving these honours and developing the school’s approach. Of the eight members, four are women (pictured from left to right): Head of Senior School, Yasmine Dannawy, Director of Marketing, Sonali Thadani, Director of Operations, Leaana Baker and Head of Infant School, Nat Dickinson.
The men and women who make up the staff community at St Christopher’s School Bahrain all have one common goal – a world-class education for their students. “Our ethos of educating our students though nurturing and empowering them is embodied by our leadership team and is embedded in every decision that is made at St Chris. While the appointment of these roles was not an intentional decision based on gender, rather on matching the most qualified individuals to each role, having a well-balanced leadership ensures that decisions and outcomes are also well-balanced and inclusive,” says Ms. Thadani.
The 2023 theme for International Women’s Day is Embrace Equity which Ms. Thadani believes is fundamental to growth and progress in any society. “Breaking gender barriers ensures that all people, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, or socio-economic background are offered equal opportunities and this benefits not only the individual but also the family and the economy on the whole,” she says.
“We are extremely proud to be role models to our female students. We want to let all our students know that there is absolutely no limit to achieving your ambitions, whatever they may be. Work tirelessly to achieve your goals and nothing can stop you,” she concludes.
