New English School (Jordan)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Location
New English School (Private co-educational)

Amman, Jordan
Information
School district	Khalda
Principal	Paul Ingarfield
Staff	350
Students	2450
Faculty	120
Grades	KG-12
Motto	Ex Oriente Lux (motto)
Established	1986

The New English School is a bilingual school located in the heart of Amman, Jordan. It was founded in 1986, and it is one of the first Jordanian schools to introduce International GCSE and GCE A-levels. Licensed by the Jordanian Ministry of Education, the New English School (NES) is a co-educational private school catering for the 4-18 age range. From kindergarten to Key Stage 3 students receive a largely bilingual education, the English-led element of which is based on the National Curriculum of England and Wales, which provides the foundation for International General Certificate of Secondary Education and A Level courses. NES graduates pursue a variety of university degree courses in several locations, including the UK, the US, Canada, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

1 School profile
2 Sources

[edit] School profile

The school is divided into two sections: Primary Department and Secondary Department. Further smaller divisions are each co-ordinated by their own respective line manager: Kindergarten, Infants (Grades 1 to 3), Juniors (Grade 4 to 6) and Secondary (Grades 7 to 12). Students graduate at the end of Grade 12. The school also caters for a small number of pupils with Irlen scotopic sensitivity syndrome The condition is charactered by a difficulty in processing full-spectrum light efficiently resulting in difficulty in reading and other visual tasks.

According to the British system, students of the Senior School, in Grades 9 and 10, follow syllabuses laid down in a range of subjects by Cambridge International Examinations, leading to International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations, and by the University of London leading to O Levels. These examinations are set, moderated and marked by the examining boards of the universities. IGCSE is the international equivalent of GCSE examinations taken by students in schools in England and Wales at age 16 and above. The results of these examinations are published as grades between A* and G. For the purposes of further and/or higher education students are normally expected to gain at least a Grade D.

The student programme at this level includes the compulsory study and examination of English Language, Mathematics, Arabic, Religion, Information Technology and Physical Education together with five further subjects chosen from a range including Physics, Biology, Chemistry, English Literature, French, Economics, Business Studies, Computer Studies, Child Development, Drama and Art.

After successfully completing at least six examinations at this level, students move on to the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A Level) programme. This comprises a further two years of study according to syllabuses laid down by the same two universities. Normally, students will take two or three subjects at this level, from the same range as above, but there is provision for them to take four if they wish. In Grade 11, students follow A-S components, representing half of the ‘A’ level course and in Grade 12 they follow A2 components, focusing on the other half of the ‘A’ level course. Students may achieve grades between A and E at these levels, all of which provide eligibility for further study at university or college in the United Kingdom. The programme at this level also includes Religion, Information Technology, English and Communication, Numeracy and Physical Education courses, which are not externally examined.

In order to achieve equivalence for the Ministry of Education school-leaving certificate in Jordan students must have passed a minimum of six IGCSE or O Levels at Grade D or above plus a minimum of two A Levels at Grades A to E.^{[citation needed]}

Most of the students from this school proceed to attend universities in the United Kingdom (including Oxbridge), the United States (including Yale), Canada and Jordan.^{[citation needed]} A small number proceed to studies in Lebanese universities.

[edit] Management and staff

Most teachers are Arabs who have the ability to teach in English. However, some teachers are British, Indian, Russian and other nationalities.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Clubs, competitions, school trips, and activities

A range of extracurricular clubs and activities are available in the Primary School, including the Student Parliament, the Environment Club, Girl Guides and Boy Scouts and the Ballet Club. School trips of an educational, cultural or sporting nature are organized from KG-12. Musical concerts and assemblies are held regularly in the school theatre and parents are encouraged to attend. The school also organizes various festivals and events to commemorate special occasions.

Secondary School students participate in a range of clubs and activities held after school, on Saturday mornings and during the mid-day break. The annual chess tournament and team sport contests are closely allied to the ‘team system’ and, where appropriate, are organized and led by responsible senior students. The Student Council and PR team in association with the school’s administrators plans social trips and events, while the faculties concerned lead educational field trips. The French Department supervises language courses in France and the English Department holds an annual writing contest and revue show entitled ‘Write To Be Heard’. The Arabic Department runs regular writing competitions and quizzes. The PE Department ensures that our male and female students are trained to compete in the private schools’ tournaments. The Art Department, assisted by senior students, runs an active Art Club which helps to decorate the school halls and prepare for our annual open day (The NES Carnival). The Music and Drama departments collaborate to stage musicals; seasonal concerts are organised by the Music Department alone while the Drama Department directs a variety of other stage productions.

The school also runs its own Model United Nations (MUN) club, which takes part in local and international MUN conferences. The club has started in the 2004-05 school year by a handful of students, and since then, it has become a popular activity among the student population. The NESMUN has taken part in several conferences including AMMUN in Amman, AISMUN in Cairo, PAMUN in Paris and most recently THIMUN in the Hague, The Netherlands.

[edit] The Cambridge International Diploma for Teachers

The NES is the only Jordanian school currently accredited to train teachers who wish to obtain the Cambridge International Diploma, a practice-based vocational course focusing on a variety of teaching skills and methods.^{[citation needed]}