What We Believe

Durham School for Girls Doha is a caring, supportive community where we aim to unlock and fulfil each pupil’s full potential. Our strong Qatari culture and values are supported by an excellent British Curriculum providing the best environment for our students to thrive in.

Confidence
for Life!

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

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Vanessa Jane Whay

Founding Principal

Dear Parents, Welcome to Durham School for Girls.

Since opening our doors in September 2019, we have already achieved so many milestones, but our greatest achievement is definitely the growth and consolidation of our Durham Family to over 1,200 girls who demonstrate on a daily basis our values, our desire to be the best that we can be, and the development of Confidence for Life.

Coming to DSGD means that girls are receiving a first-class British education, but without compromising who they are, their culture and their religious beliefs and customs. Respecting the National Anthem and most importantly daily prayers are important to us as a community, and we actively promote this alongside the Qatar Ministry of Education’s syllabus for Arabic, Qatari History, and Islamic Studies. These blend in naturally with the British curriculum offering the girls a well-rounded education that combines both cultures.

As a school grows and develops it is extremely important to receive independent feedback and guidance on the progress being made. This is often done through outside agencies equipped with experts who carry out internationally recognised inspections and help the school move forward. This allows the school to celebrate all that has been achieved and gives a clear roadmap for future development.

Durham School for Girls has achieved the following recognition in its first 3 years:

  1. First ever all-girls International High-Performance Learning World Class School
  2. British Schools Overseas Inspection – Good with outstanding features – DSGD is recognized and registered with the UK Government.Qatari National Accreditation
  3. Microsoft Showcase School -2 years running
  4. Approved Centre for Pearson iGCSE and A/S and A Levels
  5. Approved Centre for Cambridge iGCSE and A/S and A Levels
  6. 2021-22 we saw our first graduates take places in great universities such as Carnegie Mellon,
  7. Virginia Commonwealth, St Andrews, and Qatar University.

These are all amazing achievements for such a young school, but we are not resting on our laurels. The school, the staff, the parents, and the students all strive to be the best that we can be, and this means that we need to work together to focus on attendance, attainment, and attitude.

We have laid excellent foundations over these last few years, despite the disruption of covid and now as we settle into our “new normal” we are excited about seeing all of our girls develop and grow.

We thank you for your continued support and look forward to being allowed to involve parents more in daily school life, with workshops and face-to-face activities and meetings.

Let’s ensure we are all working together to make Durham School for Girls Doha be the best that we can be.
Confidence for Life

Vision

Durham School for Girls Doha aims to inspire a lifelong appetite for learning in a caring environment that will develop emotional, moral and spiritual strength for future leaders. The School strives to provide a curriculum and range of co-curricular opportunities that will enrich its pupils’ sense of self belief and help them make appropriate judgements, giving them ‘Confidence for Life’ and an aspiration for achievement. With an emphasis on both individual and collective learning, the curriculum will be set in an international context whilst staying inspired by Qatari culture and tradition

Mission

Durham School for Girls Doha aims to provide a supportive environment that is tailored to meet the individual needs of girls as well as providing them with a safe learning environment to fulfill their true potential. This is achieved in line with Qatar’s National Vision to empower young women while preserving their national and Islamic identity, preparing them for the opportunities and challenges posed by the 21st Century

Qatari National Values!

Prayers

Daily prayer in Secondary is held 1pm daily, we firmly believe that the girls should see prayer as an integral part of their day, at school and at home. Both academic and support staff are invited to join the girls in prayer.

Girls in Primary are taken to the prayer rooms to celebrate prayer and are accompanied by an Arabic member of Staff

Being at Durham School for Girls means that we celebrate being in Qatar and we celebrate the culture and religion of our students. There is no compromise regarding who they are even in a British School. We expect the girls to uphold their customs and beliefs and this includes such things as the Qatari National Anthem played every morning before school and of course, prayer.

Girls in Primary are taken to the prayer rooms to celebrate prayer and are accompanied by an Arabic member of Staff. Daily prayer in Secondary is held 1pm daily, we firmly believe that the girls should see prayer as an integral part of their day, at school and at home. Both academic and support staff are invited to join the girls in prayer.

M.A.R.K Values