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Sultan Al Qasimi visits Sharjah English School

SHARJAH - His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and the Ruler of Sharjah, today officially opened the new Performing Arts Centre at Sharjah English School.

His Highness toured the building meeting students, staff and members of the Board of Governors. He was greeted by Mr Khalid Al Amiri, the Chairman of the Board of Governors and by Mr John Nolan, the school’s Principal. The Ruler unveiled a plaque commemorating the opening of a new state-of-the-art theatre, viewed an exhibition of student art work, and also visited the music rooms and the new school library. He commended the school on its progress and development and its contribution to education in the emirate.

The Performing Arts Centre is the latest addition to a developing school which is achieving an ever-growing reputation. Sharjah English School, established in 1974 and one of the oldest schools in the UAE, now caters for 600 children, and boasts some of the finest facilities of any school in the UAE.

The school, which has a very strong tradition of music and the arts, aims to become a centre of excellence in these areas and the new Performing Arts Centre will enhance its ability to achieve these goals. The theatre seats 400 people and has superb sound and lighting equipment. Alongside the theatre are a number of specialist music classrooms and practice rooms.

The Centre also supplements the existing Primary and Secondary school with 12 new classrooms dedicated to Maths, English, Business Studies, Arabic and IT. There is also a special Learning Resource suite of classrooms, and new prayer rooms. One of the features of the building is a large new library with approximately 30,000 books and banks of computers for research.

The Ruler has been a generous benefactor and supporter of Sharjah English School since it was established. He has donated land to the school and has very graciously helped to finance the sports facility and landscaping. His continued support is very much appreciated by the school community, especially in his contributions to the new building. His Highness, during his visit, commented on how happy the students appeared and checked with students that they felt satisfied with the education they were receiving.

He was complimentary about the level of music in the school, having heard the Advanced Singing Group and a Primary class perform in his honour. He shared anecdotes and jokes with staff and students, and promised his continuing support and commitment to the school as it develops further.

Mr John Nolan, the Principal said, “It has been a very auspicious day for SES. We are honoured that the Ruler has visited us again and shows such a genuine interest in our development. He is a true friend of the school and we are all committed to ensuring that the school continues to be worthy of his support”.

Sharjah English School is a non-profit British curriculum school and in its four decades has become one of the leading educational institutions in the Emirates. The school opened the secondary section and moved to its new location near University City in 2005. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, and now caters for students from Foundation Level to A Level.

Staff are all British qualified and experienced and the school has a history of achieving outstanding examination results. It prides itself on close links with the local business and educational communities, and seeks to provide its students with the best aspects of a British education with an international perspective and outlook.

“It is a very exciting time for the school, as we seek to build on our achievements in the past by continually finding new challenges and areas for improvement. We are lucky in having wonderfully talented children, supportive parents and superb teaching staff,” explained Mr Nolan. “We are also most fortunate in having the patronage and good-will of His Highness, as a crucial foundation for our successes.”