The British School – Al Khubairat

The British School Al Khubairat, formerly called "Al Khubairat Community School", now commonly known and referred to as "Al Khubairat", "BSAK", "The British School" is a non-profit school for English speaking children in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The school roll is some 1,800 students.OverviewThe school follows the National Curriculum of England and Wales, and is an international member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS) and the Council of British International Schools (COBIS). It has also received a rating of 'excellent' by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI).Paul Coackley was Principal of the school from September 2005 until June 2013. Dr. Christopher Ray started as the Headmaster in September 2013 but was replaced by Elaine Rawlings in May 2014.In September 2015, Mark Leppard MBE began his role of Headteacher.HistoryThe school was established in January 1968 on land donated by the then Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in an area of the city known as Khubairat. This area was the part of the Corniche where the pearl fishing fleet were first sighted on their return from sea. One suggested translation of the word 'Khubairat' is 'good news'.In May 1971, the school was registered as a legal entity by Amiri Decree No. 5 of 1971, with its management vested in the Board of Governors. The board is made up of elected governors and those appointed by the British Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. The school has been sponsored since 1980 by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, The President of the UAE.