Sabis- international school in Bath?

[LeMousquetaireAnonyme]

Anyone knows anything about it?

Used to teach in a SABIS school (named after Ralph Saad and Leila Bistami) in Pakistan. I've heard about the school in Bath but don't know any details. Isn't it a boarding school mostly for Arab children ? (Most of their schools are in the Gulf which is where they made most of their money). SABIS is a Lebanese company, also known as the International School of Choueifat (the suburb of Beirut where the first school was founded). Where I taught the place had one single function : to milk the local elite; all fees were in US $ so you can guess that only the very rich entered the School. Teachers are not allowed to meet the parents, only the 'School Administration' is allowed to do this. They follow their own centralised curriculum (same subjects taught at same time in all their schools around the world) and use, particularly for younger students, their own text books. SABIS believes in using something called the 'points system' in the classroom which is effective for subjects like maths and science but far less so for humanities subjects. They are a 'for profit' school and are far more focused on this goal than on your kids education. Where I worked every teacher had a different contract with separate pay and conditions;ex-pats paid in US $ with other benefits, locals treated like dirt and paid in local currency etc etc.
Might be different in UK location but still the same company running things.....

I have seen "International School of Choueifat" on the OS map, but that's it. Ive never seen the place (despite living nearby for decades) and I've never met anyone with children there - I always assumed it was a business school or something.

Well, you learn something new everyday :)

I was more interested about the level of the student, are they OK to reintegrate standard UK curriculum, doing well at university...?

The not "meeting the teacher" is actually a good thing where I am as it avoids bribery which is common (I can't afford LV bags for myself even less for my DD's teachers). They are one of the cheapest international school so not milking as much as the british or american schools (3 times the fee, some with below standard teaching too).

They don't let children fall behind they have a lot of support, is that continuous even in older years? (DD is only in primary).

I just found out the school in Bath but am interested to hear about the children experience in any other country.

I would guess it was your 1st expatriation EMM and it didn't go very well?

If you are looking for a good international school in Bath I would recommend Bath Academy in Queens Square www.bathacademy.co.uk. They have a very good record of obtaining places for their students at UK universities and have students with a wide range of nationalities. They also have boarding facilities or can arrange lodgings e.g. with families. They are accredited by the British Council.

No,not my first expatriate experience as I had already taught in other parts of south Asia and Europe but was certainly my first SABIS experience. In Pakistan the children were taught a mixture of US and UK curricula, so for example I taught AP History and first year A-level History(second year A-level was taught in Bath). Many of the kids in the Pakistan school went to the US for further studies, fewer went to the UK but that has probably more to do with the preferences of the rich in that country. Good luck with choosing the best school for your child.

Hi,
I seem to have stumbled across this thread - apologies for the delay - I am the Head of Marketing and Admissions for the SABIS International School UK and am currently developing a new website for the school to provide further information regarding curriculum, boarding etc.

Please email me with any enquiries and/or questions so I can help - [email protected]
Deborah