HORIZON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL REALLY STEPS UP THE PACE!
Opening in September 2008 with a modest 60 students aged between 3 and 8 years, Star International School, Umm Sheif thrived by growing ‘organically’ year by year and currently opens its doors every morning to almost 900 students ranging from Foundation 1 up to Year 10 (Key Stage 4). In June 2013 the school was purchased by Al Najah Education and has continued to expand into Key Stage 3 as part of the journey towards becoming an inclusive 3 – 18 school delivering the highest quality education following the English Curriculum.
As we forge ahead into the 2014-15 Academic Year, now named Horizon International School, our community embarks on yet another exciting phase in the school’s development. We feel we have made fantastic progress during the last six years and now have a vibrant community oriented school which is not only thriving but has the potential to become a truly unique educational establishment in Dubai. We have changed our school vision to reinforce our belief that school should be the beginning of a person’s lifelong love for learning as well as a time for personal growth in order to give them the confidence to mature and find their place in the world. We make no apology that there is no mention in our vision of child, student or pupil – we feel that our words are applicable to all ages:
Our school encourages individuals to reach their potential and inspire them to create their own future.
We develop a sense of pride and belonging to nurture all members of our community so that they feel valued and prepared to meet the challenges of the ever-changing world.
We are fortunate to employ teaching staff who are passionate about the role they play, as individuals, in the growth of Horizon International. In addition, we have a network of parents, teaching assistants, administration staff and specialised extra-curricular providers who add to the pool of skills and experience that we constantly draw on to enhance learning opportunities our students. In short, it is wonderfully exhilarating and rewarding to be part of our school.
In our Foundation stage, we allow children to be expressive and creative whilst teaching them the fundamental socialisation and behavioural skills they will need as they progress through school. By building confidence, they interact effectively with each other and learn to work within a team whilst retaining a sense of their own identity.
In Primary and Secondary programmes of learning are created around the English Curriculum and we have already taken steps to ensure that all our schemes of work embrace the new guidelines brought into effect from September 2014. Students are encouraged to research effectively and work independently so that they take control of their own progress. We provide many opportunities of experiencing ‘real life’ situations first hand by drawing on the expertise and experience within our broader school community. Examples of this can be seen in our secondary Science area where students have constructed an ‘eco-friendly’ greenhouse which facilitated a project based on the theme, ‘From seed to table’, and in our sensory foundation garden. Teachers guide the students all the way and many wider learning experiences are on offer in both curriculum time and as extra-curricular activities or trips. This year alone will see educational visits to Borneo, Nepal as part of a World Challenge project, a cultural -language experience in Barcelona and shorter more local visits to an Oceanography centre in RAK and camping in Oman. All our wider learning opportunities are designed to further enhance learning in its broadest sense. We are sure that by engaging children so that they see and understand the purpose of learning, they undertake it with full commitment.
This academic year has also seen us move into Key Stage 4 and our year 10 students have already begun their iGCSE’s in earnest. Each student is taking a minimum of ten subjects at this level when they complete the course in two years time, and have had three option choices ensuring that they will achieve a broad base of external qualifications. This also means that they will be well placed to move into Sixth Form and future study should they so desire.
Our next step is in process and this has demanded a creative and flexible approach to developing a curriculum that continues to demand academic rigour yet also allows our more talented sports and performing arts students to flourish. The Principal, Dave Wilson recently announced our intention to open the Horizon International Performing Institute in September 2015. This will be launched in January ….. so watch this space for further information!
