Al Wisam School

The British route arrived in 2009 with the Cambridge curriculum, and the first Cambridge board examinations followed a year later. Pearson Edexcel was then added as a second awarding body for IGCSE and A Level work. Pupils today sit five to seven IGCSE subjects in Years 10 and 11, then move into a Sixth Form of AS and A Level courses; three A grades at A Level are worth a quarter off tuition. Cambridge covers English, Arabic, ICT, business and the sciences, while mathematics uses the Edexcel syllabus.

Arabic and English sit side by side here: the school describes its environment as bilingual and its 2021 review put bilingual ability at the top of the revised vision. Arabic appears across the timetable as first language, as a second language, and as the medium for Islamic studies and citizenship, while English carries the Cambridge subjects. German is a third language, taught in small groups from the upper primary years and available right through to A Level.

The school is organised in three sections. Primary covers Years 2 to 6 and follows Cambridge literacy and numeracy alongside hands-on science, with German introduced in small groups. Middle school spans Years 7 to 9, for pupils aged roughly 11 to 14. High school has two phases: Upper Secondary in Years 10 and 11, where students sit five to seven IGCSE subjects, and the Sixth Form in Years 12 and 13 with AS and A Level courses. Arabic, Islamic studies and citizenship follow the Bahraini Ministry of Education programme throughout.

Al Wisam's motto is to inspire young minds to lead the future. Its vision is to be a school that fosters excellence, creativity and a sense of national and global responsibility within a supportive bilingual setting. The mission speaks of quality education in a safe, innovative environment where each pupil can reach their academic and personal potential and gains the digital and twenty-first-century skills needed to become a responsible global citizen. Its graduate profile describes inquiring, knowledgeable, reflective, communicative, principled, open-minded learners who are willing to take risks.

Physical education is taught at every level, from Year 2 to Year 13, and pupils have a football pitch and a basketball court on site. The school says it brings local culture into the curriculum through its extracurricular programme and uses activities to build leadership and international awareness, particularly in the middle years. Drama is part of primary teaching, and the school has taken part in international competitions and community partnerships. The website does not publish a detailed list of clubs or sports teams, so families should ask the school for the current programme.

The campus in Budaiya has grown in stages. It began as a single villa, now Block A, and was extended with Block B, which houses the middle and high school in 24 classrooms with two equipped science laboratories, and Block D, added for the primary years with 21 classrooms, an art room and an ICT laboratory. Separate music, ICT and art rooms serve the whole school, and every classroom has a projector or smart board. Outdoors there is a football pitch, a basketball court, a general play area and a playground designed for the youngest pupils. A physical library is complemented by a student-run e-library site.

A team of social counsellors and supervisors is assigned by year group, from Year 2 to Year 13, alongside a head of counselling. Parents follow grades and progress through the school's OLIVE tracking system and a digital campus built on Google Workspace. Academic scholarships reduce tuition for pupils with strong IGCSE or A Level results, and sibling discounts apply to families with several children. A student-run e-library gives access to Arabic reading platforms, Oxford Owl e-books and Times Tables Rock Stars. Uniform and sports kit can be bought from several approved suppliers in Bahrain.