Reigate Grammar School Riyadh is a new name for parents and students in the city, but is associated with a very established school - the Multinational School Riyadh.

The story so far...

In early September 2022, it was announced by owners ADECO, that they had entered a partnership  with Reigate Grammar School UK for the management of Multinational School from the start of the 2022 academic year.

Reigate Grammar School UK was founded in 1675 from a legacy gift bequeathed by Henry Smith, an Alderman of the City of London, for the relief of the poor through education, and is regarded as one of the leading co-educational schools in the UK, offering an academic education with equal prominence placed on the arts, sport and a rich extra-curricular programme.  

The newly named Reigate Grammar School Riyadh (RGS Riyadh) is a Nursery (FS1) to Year 13 school.  Originally founded in 1998, the Multinational School has a long history, having re-opened in September 2020 under the ownership of ADECO. At the time of the launch of Reigate Grammar School Riyadh, there were approximately 780 students from over 50 different nationalities attending the school. 

Originally designed to meet the needs of international expatriates who did not have their own community schools, Multinational School had become the favourite choice for Antipodean and Canadian expatriates, with a reputation for strong academics but a more relaxed approach than that of the other long-standing options in terms of the British International School Riyadh and the American International School Riyadh. The original school is also understood to have offered excellent learning support and special needs programmes. 

Reigate Grammar School Riyadh is the third international location for the UK-based school, in addition to its campuses in China and Vietnam.

RGS Riyadh operates under the Royal Commission for Riyadh City’s (RCRC) International Schools Attraction Programme, joining other international schools such as Spain's SEK, and the UK's Aldenham, Beech Hall, Downe House and King's College.

According to the school's website, RGS Riyadh will adopt the best of RGS UK's academic, pastoral and well being systems and practices. 'The Reigate Way' will be carefully and appropriately interwoven into the fabric of the Riyadh school.  

The Riyadh school is led by the highly experienced Principal Mrs. Ann Philip, who is celebrating 24 years as academic founder of MNS (which opened in 1998) and her third year of Principalship at the school. Mrs. Philip has a Masters in Education qualification from Dundee University in Scotland. Teachers are said to be “World class, internationally experienced, qualified teachers”.

Classes are mixed-gender until Year 7 and separated from Year 8 onwards in accordance with MoE criteria for International Schools.

What about the Curriculum?

Whilst under Multinational School, the State of Victoria Australian Curriculum was offered, it seems that RGS Riyadh will follow solely the National Curriculum of England for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) curricula in the Primary and Secondary schools, leading to IGCSE and A Level external examinations. The curriculum is also adapted to the specific educational setting and RCRC requirements for international schools in Saudi Arabia with a strong focus on Arabic and Social Studies, together with Islamic Education. 

RGS Riyadh aims to provide academic excellence with strong pastoral care, child-centred and play-based Early Childhood programmes, a wide range of specialist subjects for Secondary students and integration of information technology. Wellbeing and Happiness are said to be at the centre of the school’s holistic approach

What about Academic Achievement?

The last results published by MNS in 2019 indicated A Level and IGCSE results that resulted in 24% of the grades being A*-A at A-level and 35% A*-A at IGCSE. This was the last year in which written examinations took place, as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic.

By comparison, Reigate School UK's 2022 results at A Level indicated that 47% of grades were A* and 80% grades were either A* or A, with 94% of students achieving A*-B grades. This is an outstanding set of results.  The typical grade profile for students at the UK school was A*AA with 96% of A Level students receiving Russell Group, Oxbridge or medical school offers.

If the team at Reigate Grammar School Riyadh can raise standards to this level (which will be a long term task), this would see the school as one of the most academically successful in the Middle East.

Support for students with additional learning needs.

Reigate Grammar School Riyadh offers a comprehensive range of  Learning Support for students with Special Education Needs and English Additional Language requirements which is said to be one of the most comprehensive and sophisticated learning support programmes in the Middle East.

What about the facilities?

The school is said to have spacious, well-resourced classrooms and specialist art, music and language rooms,  equipped science laboratories, a library and the provision of state of the art technology. Additional facilities include an indoor multipurpose hall, Football, Tennis, and Basketball Courts, a Canteen and outdoor eating area, and two spacious outdoor play areas, 

The Buzz 

Reigate Grammar School UK was the first UK independent school offering an inclusive education for students from a broad range of backgrounds that was awarded ‘Exceptional’ by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in 2016. In addition, the Riyadh school will receive 'Quality Assurance' from Reigate Grammar School UK.  This will be vital to ensuring that the school genuinely delivers the level of academic achievement to its Riyadh students.

If you are a parent, teacher or senior student at Reigate Grammar School Riyadh, please share your opinions and experience with other potential members of your community and compete our Survey here.

What about the fees?

Tuition fees at Reigate Grammar School Riyadh are on the premium end for those operating under the RCRC.  They start at 38,900 SAR for Nursery/FS1, rising to 52,500 SAR for Years 4 to 6, 57,750 for Years 7 to 9, culminating in 71,400 SAR for Year 13.

Students who receive additional support through the Learning Support team will be subject to additional fees dependent on the requirement. English Language Learners can expect to pay an additional fee of 10,000 SAR per term.

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