The British International School of Jeddah

OFFICIAL PAGE - The British International School of Jeddah (BISJ) (formerly Conti School) is one of the largest international schools in Saudi Arabia. Established in 1977, BISJ provides a British-style education to the expatriate and local community in Jeddah. Since its inception, the school has grown and developed rapidly, culminating in relocation to the current purpose built campus in 1999. The school is accredited by the Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. We are a member school of the British Schools in the Middle East and are authorised by the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) and Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).

In total, the school now has over 1500 students from over sixty countries. Teaching staff are mainly recruited from the United Kingdom, Australasia, North America and locally. The school has primary and upper school sections, each with their own individual buildings, play areas and administration. There are some 90 rooms, eight science laboratories, five computer rooms, a large sports hall, a gymnasium, a multi-purpose hall, a refectory, three libraries, a clinic, two pools and an outside sports area with running track.

The curriculum throughout the school is British in style. The school does not follow the English National Curriculum, but uses it as a basic instructional resource, for example drawing on publications issued by the Qualifications & Curriculum Authority, and literature concerning standards and curriculum changes. Additionally, the school is heavily dependent on British textbooks, which are, quite naturally, based on the National Curriculum. There is strong support in the Primary School for the use of enquiry based learning through the development of integrated thematic units. These draw on the philosophy of the IBO’s Primary School Programme (PYP) as well as on the International Primary Curriculum (IPC).

In Years 10 and 11 the curriculum leads to the externally assessed examinations of the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), set by Cambridge International Examinations. Post 16 education is based on International Baccalaureate courses, with the majority of students taking the full Diploma course.

It should be noted that places at the school are limited and parents interested in having their children attend should check with the registration department at the earliest opportunity.