Cities / Kuwait City / Kuwait National English School
Kuwait National English School
KNES is a non-profit British-curriculum school in Hawalli teaching from KG to Year 13, with IGCSE and A-levels and fees that run significantly below Kuwait's larger international schools. Facilities include an Olympic-style indoor swimming pool and a full-size gymnasium.
In brief
A British curriculum school in Hawalli, open since 1991 and known for small-school feel and individual attention. The smallest of the main British schools in Kuwait.
KNES runs from preschool to Year 13 with around 580 students, well below the 2,000-plus rolls at KES and NES. The school follows the English National Curriculum through to IGCSE and A Level, with Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel and Oxford AQA examination routes. It holds BSO recognition and BSME, CIS and NEASC accreditations.
The compact size is the differentiator. Families who want their child known by name, with closer access to teachers and senior leadership, tend to land here rather than at KES or NES. Reviews swing wider than at the larger schools: families who click with the head and the staff describe a supportive environment, while others have raised concerns about behaviour management and pastoral consistency. Fees sit in the mid range for British schools in Kuwait. KNES suits families who specifically want a smaller community and are willing to trade the breadth of co-curricular offering at the bigger British schools for closer attention.
Fees
| Fee | Age | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| KG | 3 | Annual | KWD 1,494 |
| Reception | 5 | Annual | KWD 2,289 |
| Years 1-2 | 6 | Annual | KWD 2,446 |
| Years 3-5 | 8 | Annual | KWD 2,765 |
| Years 6-11 | 11 | Annual | KWD 2,926 |
| Year 12 | 16 | Annual | KWD 4,630 |
| Year 13 | 17 | Annual | KWD 4,862 |
Reviews
- Parents split sharply. The positive camp on edarabia and the school's social pages credits supportive teachers and steady results across long enrolments.
- The negative camp flags fees creeping up faster than service, including a technology charge that the Ministry of Education reportedly froze school transactions over until refunds were paid.
- Bullying surfaces as a recurring theme. One parent said their son was bullied and ended up adopting bully behaviour; another described frequent fights in secondary.
- Teacher turnover and the proportion of native English speakers come up. One review claimed the school replaces senior teachers with cheaper hires; another noted many staff hold UK or Canadian passports but are not native speakers.
- The 2023 BSO inspection ran broadly positive on teaching quality and pastoral care, putting it at odds with the louder parent complaints.
- Older International Schools Review posts from teachers were brutal about management and conditions, but those date to 2006 and predate the current leadership.
Head of school
Chantal Al Gharabally
Madame Chantal Al Gharabally is the Head of School at Kuwait National English School, dedicated to fostering a nurturing and academically rigorous environment for students. With a commitment to excellence, she leads the school in its mission to provide quality education while respecting universal moral values.
Accreditations
- British Schools in the Middle East accreditation 01
- British Schools Overseas (DfE) 02
- Council of International Schools 03
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges 04
- COBIS Patron's Accreditation and Compliance 05
Academic results
- Result One student received an Outstanding Cambridge Learner Award for IGCSE Mathematics in the May/June 2022 session. Aggregate campus-wide scores for 2023/2024 are not published on the official site.