Education in Saudi Arabia: international schools

This file relates to education in Saudi Arabia, particularly the operation of international schools. It contains correspondence concerning:

• The changes to the curriculum in international schools in Saudi Arabia, with signs of a move towards more modern subjects
• The Saudi Ministry of Education’s rules around who can be admitted to British international schools, highlighting the issue of Muslim Arab students in particular
• The possibility that the Saudis are trying to set up a school on their embassy premises in London, and the possible leverage this may provide for British educational issues in Saudi Arabia
• The Director General of the Saudi Arabia International Schools (SAIS) department of the Ministry of Education Dr Hamad Al Abdali’s problems with the Jeddah Continental School, in particular its Headmaster Trevor A Williams. It includes: the primary issue that the school is operating beyond intermediate level, by providing classes for over 14s against the Ministry’s regulations; the efforts of the British Ambassador P R H Wright and the former Ambassador A J M Craig, along with various other foreign ambassadors, to petition the Saudi Government to allow the school to retain the classes; and the eventual decision by the Saudis to maintain its stance.