Downe House Muscat

Downe House Muscat, in Al Bandar, belongs to the Downe House family of schools and to the Cognita group, sharing the heritage of Downe House UK, a girls' school founded in 1907 in Charles Darwin's former home in Kent. It offers a British education adapted to Oman for girls and boys aged 3 to 9 (KG1 to Grade 4) and for girls only aged 10 to 18 (Grades 5 to 12). The curriculum is built on Cambridge and enriched by Downe House UK's philosophy, running from Kindergarten (KG1-2, ages 3-5) through the Lower and Upper Junior School and Senior School to the Sixth Form, with pathways to IGCSE and A Levels or to the Omani General Education Diploma. Arabic language and Islamic studies are an integral part of the programme. Pastoral care follows the Cognita Be Well Charter and the all-girls approach of the UK school, with safeguarding measures across the campus, and the school offers scholarships, a career guidance programme and a bus service covering many areas of Muscat.

Downe House Muscat aims to help every student thrive whatever their language background or learning needs. The Learning Support Department works with students who have mild to moderate special educational needs: every child who needs support has an Individual Education Plan setting out specific strategies to access the curriculum, specialist staff help teachers build these plans into their lessons, and individual or small-group sessions are available for students who need extra help. Students learning in a non-native language can follow the English as an Additional Language programme, with group sessions, one-to-one tuition, online resources and mentoring; progress is assessed regularly and specialist EAL tuition carries an additional charge.

An extended school day makes room for a wide programme of clubs and activities. Creative clubs range from painting and pottery to photography, digital art and product design, using separate painting and ceramics studios, a kiln, a photo studio and a lab for jewellery and product design. Music includes private lessons, ensembles, concerts and choirs, supported by a music academy with ensemble and music-technology classrooms, nine practice rooms, a recording studio and a digital editing lab; the 450-seat theatre is the heart of the Performing Arts Centre, and private music, dance, speech and drama lessons lead to graded examinations. Under a 'Sport for All' ethos, sports facilities include a 25-metre pool with six lanes, a large double sports hall, a dance studio, hockey and football pitches and courts for netball, basketball and tennis, and girls can take up sports such as swimming, sailing, cycling, athletics, cricket, hockey, netball, football, basketball and tennis.