How to choose the Best School for Our Kids in Saudi Arabia

Choosing a school is a challenging task and one that a lot of parents find difficult. Here is some real good advice for you from our expert base and we hope you will find it extremely handy in making the final decision.

With so many options to choose from, it is a difficult task to decide which school would be appropriate for your child. Public Schools in Saudi Arabia are not an option for the Expats and so it makes it challenging for the expatriates to choose from a variety of private & international schools. 

It’s always a good idea to start searching for a school as early as possible to avoid rushing into an important decision. It’s always good to have that extra time so that you can also discuss options with your friends who have had a similar experience.

There are a lot of factors when considering a school. “Fees” is one such factor. The tuition fees in Saudi Arabia start approximately from SAR 4000 a year to almost 75,000 per year for a few schools. You will have to determine your budget and research the available schools in that price range. There are some expats though whose children’s school fees is covered or subsidized by their employers.

There is a whole list of school to choose from. Please visit the following links to get the list of schools in your region. 1) Schools in Riyadh 2) Schools in Jeddah 3) Schools in Dammam 4) Private Schools 5) International Schools

Once you filter the schools based on your budget, it’s always advisable to visit the school and spend ample time to get a better understanding of their physical space, classrooms, libraries, gymnasiums and playgrounds. All parents know their child’s individual needs and his extracurricular activities and so it is important to review the school’s practices. It is always advised to seek your child’s opinion during your tour of the campus and understand his concerns, desires and expectations. You can as well ask the school for their school prospectus and read it.

A lot of International Schools are governed by embassies however there are a lot of schools which are private. A lot of these schools host multiple curricula under a single roof and so it becomes much easier for you to decide which curricula to choose from.

The demand for schools is very high due to ever – increasing expat community in the Kingdom. It is always important to make application for registration as early as possible to obtain a suitable slot. The registration is mostly non-refundable and varies between schools.

Apart from the factors mentioned above, distance is one factor which should be considered before you take that final decision before closing in on any school. Location and transportation play a major role as you may not want your child to spend two hours every single day. Saudi Arabia has geographically large cities and traffic jams during the peak hours will most probably add time to the length of the commute and so it’s good to check the travel time before you finalize any school for your child.

Academic year in Saudi Arabia starts from September. An academic year is mostly divided into three quarters. School working hours are mostly 7AM to 3.30PM with working days Sunday to Thursday. All the schools are closed on the weekends. Most of the schools shorten their working hours during the holy month of Ramadan.

Do not rush into a decision and make a proper research before you make that critical decision of choosing the right school for your child.

Source: http://blog.daleeli.com/how-to-choose-the-best-school-for-our-kids-in-saudi-arabia/