Dear Parents,

At the start of this school year, everything seemed to be in place for a period of excellence as far as learning was concerned. Schemes of work had been revitalised, with a clear structure in place allowing enough flexibility for teaching and learning to be responsive to the children's questions and interests, whilst maintaining rigour in reading, writing, maths and Arabic.

Now we are coming to the end of the school year. As I proofread the end of year reports, I am glad and relieved that the learning outcomes for the vast majority of children are very good indeed and in many cases excellent.

Headteacher's News - Sunday 14th June 2020

Headteacher's News - Sunday 7th June 2020

Headteacher's News - Sunday 31st May 2020

Dear Parents,

We were delighted with the response to this year's Ramadan quiz, organised by the Arabic department. Originally, there were to be five overall winners. However, in the end , several tied scores meant that we have seven lucky winners. Congratulations to the students with the top scores!

• • Gritpanachat Kumadde, N6

  • Hamad Alayed, 2.2

  • Isla Maguire 1.10

  • Jack Delbos, 2.1

  • Jawaher Alarayedh, N7

  • Joon Daas, 1.2

  • Livia Kremser, R10

Parents are welcome to pop into school to collect the children's prizes any time after noon tomorrow, Monday 1st June.

Headteacher's News - Wednesday 27th May 2020

Dear Parents,

It is a pleasure to welcome you back to the routine of virtual school. I hope you have enjoyed peaceful Eid celebrations with your families and that children are refreshed, full of stamina and determination to complete the school year. With only five weeks to go until the end of the summer term, I hope that we will make the most of every learning opportunity. Team Infants is determined to make this half term's learning as engaging as possible. There is much to look forward to, with increased live lessons to participate in, an exciting cookery topic for Key Stage 1 and a drama showcase in the offing.

Three months ago I considered the value of the BSB blog during virtual school. I was concerned that there would be little to post without our usual live events. I have been proved wrong and the following videos are testament to this! Many thanks to the Arabic department, Ms Claire and Mrs Nanda. Thank you too to Hamad and Jouri for making us smile!

Headteacher's News - Sunday 17th May 2020

Dear Parents,

The efforts of teachers, assistants, parents and children have all played a vital part in making BSB's virtual school a success. It has evolved quickly as the weeks have progressed and it is the subject of much discussion among schools and families in the region. I was honoured to be invited, along with Mr Brant, to present at a webinar on Virtual School hosted by the British Schools of the Middle East. Preparation for the presentation has involved much reflection over the weekend and my conclusion is always the same. Open, honest communication at all levels, exceptional relationships between teachers and students and deep levels of trust within the school's leadership team have all been contributory factors in the development of virtual school. These key elements continue to give us the confidence to take risks and innovate.

Over the last week though, I have had much anxious communication from parents on one particular matter. Please be reassured that health and safety, ensuring that appropriate social distancing is possible, is a priority for when school reopens. Discussions at the highest level are well underway.

Headteacher's News - Sunday 10th May

Dear Parents,

As teachers assess children's learning and plan the 'next steps' for each child, it is becoming increasingly clear that for most children, excellent academic progress is being made during virtual school. However, school is about so much more than academics. Amongst other things, it is about play, camaraderie, teamwork, a sense of belonging and learning to connect and get along with others. Young children connect with each other initially by engaging in shared play rather than through conversation - perhaps by experimenting with sand or water, or building with bricks alongside each other. They are very much 'doing' rather than 'talking'. Hence connecting with friends online is particularly challenging when you are one of the youngest members of the school community! It is not easy to play and to develop friendships and a sense of belonging through a screen.

Headteacher's News - Monday 4th May

Dear Parents,

There are moments of gentle humour in all happy classrooms. There are times when the teacher will intentionally evoke a smile to engage a student and others when a student may intentionally try to make his friends laugh just for the fun of it. Some of the most magical moments are when a child says something original which causes the teacher and the assistant to catch each others' eye in shared amusement. Such unscheduled happy moments of connection are less frequent during virtual school.

However, this week, one submission of work really made me smile. Children in Year 1 were set a Listening Challenge as part of their PSHE lesson. This involved listening to a series of 'soundscapes' and trying to guess and record what the sounds were. Focus was at its best as many children were quick to recognise the dawn chorus, the sound of a fizzy drink being opened and the sound of scissors cutting. Then, an answer to question 1 caught my eye. It said clearly, in beautiful handwriting, "The BSB Song". The sound clip in question was in fact the national anthem of the Kingdom of Bahrain, familiar to all children in the Infants. However, for this little boy, it was quite simply, the 'BSB song'. I so enjoyed the fact that his parents had not corrected him before he submitted his work. Whilst it made me smile, it also reminded me of how much of the essence of our school is embedded in its name. There is of course the British part - the focus on developing character, along with traits of honesty, integrity, resilience and perseverance. Equally important, ( for we are not just any old British school!) is the Bahrain part of the school's name. The country's welcome, generosity of spirit, respect for all and lightness of touch is very much part of our educational ethos.

We wish you a happy and productive week ahead,

Best wishes,

Julie Anne Gilbert and Matt Brant

Headteacher's News - Sunday 26th April

Dear Parents,

I am sure it has not been easy for some children to get back into a learning schedule this week after the Spring holiday. We have however been delighted with the uptake of increased live learning sessions and we have been blown away by the amount of effort so many students are putting into their learning tasks. Now that the Holy Month of Ramadan is here, additional responsibilities will mean it is even harder for some families to support children in their learning. We appreciate this and if parents are trying to prioritise, I would suggest that, if you are feeling overwhelmed, the live learning sessions with the teacher and regular reading practice are the most important learning opportunities at this point in time.

Headteacher's News - Tuesday 21st April

Dear parents,

It has been a pleasure to welcome children back to school for the summer term and we look forward to working together virtually for the best possible outcomes for the children. In response to children's engagement and progress last term we have made some changes to our online provision this term.

• You will receive an increased number of invitations for your child to attend ' live' teaching sessions on Blue Jeans. Some will be for class group sessions, some to learn in a small group with the teacher and some to learn on a one to one basis with the teacher. I strongly recommend that your child attends all small group and individual sessions in particular.

• Last term, teachers provided lengthy written feedback and 'next steps' guidance as each piece of work was submitted by email. Now that we are more comfortable with the virtual way of learning, we believe direct verbal feedback from the teacher will have more impact. This term you will receive an acknowledgement as soon a piece of your child's work is received by their teacher. The teacher will use these submissions to inform her of the teaching points that need to be covered in your child's one to one learning session. There will be a big reduction in written feedback in email form.

• There will be an emphasis this term on children making good progress in reading. You will see additional week by week reading resources at the top of each year group's section of the virtual school blog. At the moment, the curriculum team is preparing videos to 'model' ways that parents can help at home.

I continue to applaud all members of Team Infants, that is parents, carers, teachers and teaching assistants for their creativity, collaboration and determined perseverance as virtual school evolves.