A vision for a brighter future

We are here to do what we do best – teach.”

Bill Frost, British School of Bahrain’s director, said emphatically when GulfWeekly met up with him at Al Ruwad School in Hamala. This is where the all-new British School of Bahrain will be located.
The school was set up in 1995 and is based in Adliya. It recently hit the headlines when it was announced that it would merge with Al Ruwad School, a primary school in Hamala.
Secrecy shadowed the deal but after the dust settled it emerged that Mr Esam Janahi, CEO of Gulf Finance House, was an important member of the Al Ruwad Group and had played a prominent role in the merger.
It has been announced that the combined learning institution will be called the ‘British School of Bahrain’, follow a UK curriculum and offer all students access to public examinations at GCSE and A-level.
Today, the combined student strength has gone up to 761 with a teaching staff of 96.
Mr Frost, 55, the British School’s principal, was appointed director, responsible for setting up the new combined school at the state of the art building which is being developed in Hamala. The head teacher at Al Ruwad will shortly move on to another educational role outside the school.
Mr Frost said: “What attracted me was the shared vision, evidence of which is all around me. The children at Al Ruwad are happy, positive and looked cared for, which is a sign of good school.
“Mr Janahi clearly wants to build an excellent school that provides quality education ‘now’ and not four years hence. And there is nothing in my wish list that is not being provided for.”
Work is underway for a phased move to the new campus at Hamala.
Mr Frost was full of energy and enthusiasm as he took GulfWeekly around the school, its existing facilities and planned spaces in the new campus.
While a new building block and indoor swimming pool is under construction, the existing premises has the advantage of excellent play equipment for the infant school, a four-court sports hall and spacious and bright classrooms.
“We have a plan A, B, C and D. But I am highly confident that we are on track and the infant school will be up-and-running from the new campus when the new term opens in September 2007.” 
The junior school is scheduled to follow in January 2008 and the senior school in September of the same year.
“The current facilities on offer at our Adliya campus are Dickensian,” Mr Frost said. “There is no pool or sports field. Our hall is similar to that of a 1955 army Nissan hut.
“But what we offer is quality teaching. We do not advertise, yet our student population has increased from 180 in 2002 to 560 today and we have no more room.
“Last year we had the pleasure of celebrating excellent results from our very first A-level students. Sixty per cent of the students received an A grade, 90 per cent A and B, and we had a 100 per cent pass rate.”
Part of the school’s achievement, he says, is the very low staff turnover. He said: “The only teachers we have lost were either to retirement or promotion, or for pursuing professional development and in some cases because the family was moving on.
 “We are a small school. The secret of our success is the culture and ethos of the school. We have an international student population comprising 32 nationalities. Tolerance is part of our natural make up.
“We have an excellent language department and students begin learning French from the reception stage. From the beginning of the next term we will also be offering Arabic as a first language.
“By September 2008 we look forward to offering PC-based Arabic as a second language and a chance to every student to learn conversational Arabic in school.”
This move has been welcomed by many parents in the school.
Sandra Hamrouni, a parent said: “I have lived in the Middle East for many years and I am ashamed of my level of Arabic. I don’t want my children to live here and end up like me. In the world today it’s really important that our children grow up bilingual or multi-lingual, and it shows respect for the country and culture we are living in.”
The school has always faced criticism for its lack of facilities to which Mr Frost said: “It is a problem we can now solve. We encourage parental choice. We ask them to shop around and make informed decisions. In our school parents enjoy an open atmosphere.
“Although our salaries are not very high compared to some other schools, teachers don’t come to us for money. They enjoy teaching well-behaved kids who are full on. We focus more on teaching and less on bureaucracy.
“Our philosophy is that the core task of teachers is to teach, mark and assess students’ – and talk to children and parents. As a result they do what they have been trained to do and the results are very evident.
“In these last five years here I have spent all my time teaching, talking to students, mums and dads, alongside planning and doing paper and administration work.”
Mr Frost believes that his energy comes from his passion for teaching, which he has been actively engaged in for the past 30 years.
He said: “I will be a poorer person if I did not get an opportunity to teach.”
Juggling several roles as an administrator, planner and teacher, and now two offices 30 minutes apart, he begins his long day at 6.15am. He teaches history to Year 7s and A-level students. 
Although he is turning 56 this year, he is on the job 24/7 and added: “The longest lunch-hour I enjoy is on Fridays and I certainly cannot afford any late nights.”
Mr Frost is acutely aware of the several challenges that the school staff, administration, students and parents face in the coming few months. He envisages an increase in the teaching staff and their need to be close to the school. “We are a democratic institution and we have to take everyone’s opinion into view.
“My primary concern is to provide safety to everyone on the premises,” he adds. “There will be an amount of dust and noise although a lot of work will be completed during the summer and school holidays.”
At the same time he is excited about the opportunities that await the school. For the very first time the school has been approached to host an international inter-school swimming meet across British schools in the Middle East. It is planned for late 2008.
The most immediate challenge concerns transportation issues.
“We understand that some parents may have to drop their children in both campuses and so is the issue of distributing teaching staff who generally teach classes in different groups,” he explained.
A more minor but important question, he says, is that of school uniforms and new branding.
A firm believer in democracy, Mr Frost is highly-confident of the faculty of the British School of Bahrain.
He said: “This is the best staff I have had the pleasure of working with. They are highly-professional and they are here for the children. We are growing in numbers and I am working with staff on subjects such as how to retain the values of the school.
“Parents love to walk into my office and speak to the teachers. And I want them to continue to feel happy to do so.”
Lack of space in the past has forced the British School of Bahrain to train students in extra curricular activities with help from external agencies.
Ginnette Fawn, a parent of the school, said: “The British School of Bahrain has a shortage of space and it is understandable that it lacks in their provision of sports, drama and music education. If this situation were to be resolved I sincerely believe it will be the best school in Bahrain. The kids are generally well bought up, well educated and are very well behaved.”
In an earlier interview, Mr Janahi of the Al Ruwad Group told GulfWeekly: “Students should be always on a sharp learning curve. We have to continuously build on their levels of professionalism. Under the guidance of Bill Frost, I am sure the British School of Bahrain will become the best educational institution in the country.”
And come September we are assured that the British School of Bahrain’s director, Bill Frost, is readying his team for a ‘hit the ground and run’ situation.

By Anasuya Kesavan
anasuyak7@gmail.com