Cities / Doha / Qatar International School
Qatar International School
One of the first British international schools in Qatar, founded in 1977 by Sheikh Ali bin Ahmed bin Thani Al Thani and now around 2,000 students on its Al Dafna campus. BSO outstanding in every category in the 2020 and 2023 inspections.
In brief
One of the first British international schools in Qatar, founded in 1977 by Sheikh Ali bin Ahmed bin Thani Al Thani and now around 2,000 students on its Al Dafna campus. BSO outstanding in every category in the 2020 and 2023 inspections.
Foundation Stage through Year 13, with Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel boards used through to IGCSE and A-Level. Mostly British teaching staff. The headline academic record since 2015 includes seven Best in World examination results across IGCSE and A-Level, and additional regional and national bests, which is unusual at this scale.
Parent voice is consistently strong on personal attention, teacher quality and academic trajectory. The school has the longest pedigree in Doha and the price point reflects that. Best fit for British-curriculum families who want the strongest external academic signal in the city. Waitlists are real, particularly for the September intake, so apply early and have a backup.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| KG1 | 3 | QAR 29,543 |
| KG2 | 4 | QAR 30,185 |
| Year 1 - Year 6 | 5 | QAR 31,435 |
| Year 7 - Year 9 | 11 | QAR 41,678 |
| Year 10 - Year 11 | 14 | QAR 49,628 |
| Year 12 - Year 13 (Sixth Form) | 16 | QAR 50,978 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment fee | QAR 214 | |
| Registration (one-time) | QAR 3,213 |
Reviews
One of Doha's oldest British schools and one of the largest, sitting in the Diplomatic Quarter at Al Dafna with close to 2,000 pupils across early years to sixth form. The headline is academic: a Penta-led British Schools Overseas inspection graded the school outstanding in every category in 2023, and recent IGCSE and A-Level sittings have produced a string of Pearson Edexcel "highest mark in the world" awards, several of them in Arabic Language. Entry is selective by Cognitive Abilities Tests from secondary upward, which sets the academic tone. The community is wide, with seventy-plus nationalities on roll. The flip side that surfaces on the teacher side is workload and pay relative to other Doha British schools, and the school's scale means the experience can feel more institutional than at the smaller boutique campuses around the city.
Positives
- Academic record. British curriculum through to A-Level with a long run of Pearson Edexcel and Cambridge top-mark awards at IGCSE and A-Level, including world-best results in Arabic Language. Leavers head mostly to UK, US, Canadian, UAE and Qatar universities.
- Inspection and accreditation. BSO inspection in 2023 graded the school outstanding across every category for the second consecutive cycle. The Qatar Ministry's national accreditation sits at the top grade.
- Scale and community. Around two thousand pupils from more than seventy nationalities on a purpose-built Al Dafna campus with two sports halls, a swimming pool, science labs and ICT suites. Co-curricular runs wide across sport, music and drama.
Considerations
- Selective entry. Admission runs through Cognitive Abilities Tests from secondary, with the policy explicitly aimed at students of above-average ability. Younger applicants sit readiness and English/maths assessments. The school is not a default place for any child who applies.
- Staff workload and pay. Teacher-side reports talk about salary not keeping pace with other Doha British schools and about leavers' work being absorbed by remaining staff rather than backfilled. Pattern shows up across more than one independent teacher review channel.
- Institutional feel. At this size the school runs as a large operation, which suits families who want a deep co-curricular bench and a busy peer group but reads as less intimate than the smaller British campuses in Doha.
Leadership
Mr. Deane Baker
Deane Baker has over 22 years of senior school leadership experience in the UK and Middle East. His leadership was described as 'outstanding' by Ofsted in multiple inspections. He advises the Qatari Government on British Education and sits on the Executive Committee of the British Schools in the Middle East (BSME).
Accreditations
- British Schools Overseas (DfE) 01
- Council of International Schools 02
Academic results
- Result A-Level 44% A*-B
- Result AS Level 41% A-B
- Result IGCSE 40% 9-7/A*-A, 12% 9/A*, 85% 4/C or above (most recent results published 2026)