User:Maumau1980/sandbox

Victoria English School (VES) was established in 1996 and has since offered a high quality, British styled education in an international setting serving expatriates and local children. Located at Al Azra, in the smaller school area in the emirate of Sharjah, UAE, VES caters for students in FS1 through to Year 13.

The curriculum at VES is designed and adapted to suit the multicultural nature of the school, maintaining a positive culture of academic excellence and a caring environment. The school serves to prepare its students for IGCSE and A level examinations and also to enable them to take their place as global citizens of the twenty-first century. It also has a nursery school at a separate location where children enjoy a variety of stimulating outdoor activities at its vast garden and sandpit play area.

The school boasts a high level of student engagement: Year on year, on average, 1 in 10 students at VES applies for a position in the student council. The school also conducts an annual talent competition, Athletics Carnival and Battle of the Bands that are well participated and attended by its student body. Faculty at VES describes the students as respectful and well behaved.

Considered as one of the best British Schools in Sharjah, VES has been rated as “Highly Effective” in previous inspections by the education regulator of the emirate. This means that the school is doing very well in the areas of School leadership, The School as a community, The school’s approach to student learning, The classroom climate, Students’ personal development and Students’ attainment and progress.

VES is a member of the British Schools of the Middle East (BSME) and is regulated by the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA).

History
In 1996, Amin El Nezami, a scion of a business family in Egypt, with his experience in helping establish the UAE’s elite Rashid School for Boys and the Latifa School for Girls, opened the Victoria English School in Sharjah. The first batch of teachers were hired mainly from Ireland.

Admissions
VES enjoys a good reputation in the emirates of Sharjah and Ajman and demand for places can be high. In many of the year groups, there are waiting lists. For places in FS1, prospective parents are encouraged to enroll their children at Victoria English Nursery to secure priority assessment at Victoria English School.

School Fees Fees at VES for SY 2019 – 2020 are AED 18,900 for Nursery, AED 24,500 for FS1 to AED 43,450 for Year 13. The fees quoted include registration, tuition, book fees and medical. Bus fees are charged separately.

Student Body
As of September 2019, there are more than 1,000 students enrolled at VES. Considering the number of students in its roll and the more than 70 nationalities represented in the student body, VES is one of the most diverse academic institutions in the UAE. This also means that on average, there can be more than 10 nationalities in a single classroom.

Faculty
VES faculty is an international mix of dedicated and committed educators recruited locally and abroad, with majority coming from the UK, Ireland and South Africa.

Academics
The medium of instruction at VES is in English.

In 2018, four VES students received internationally recognised Outstanding Pearson Learner Awards for obtaining the highest marks in four categories for the year 2017/18 IGCSE Level exams. These are:
 * Highest mark in the world in IGCSE Mathematics
 * Highest mark in the world in IGCSE Russian Language
 * Highest mark in the Middle East in IGCSE Chemistry
 * Highest mark in the UAE in IGCSE Arabic Language

In 2019, VES has posted, once again, impressive IGCSE results. 19% of all grades were 9 or A*+ (UK average 3.5%), 62% were grades 9 to 7 or A*/A (UK average 22%) and 91% of all IGCSE grades were 9 – 4 or A*/C (UK average 70%). One of the VES students achieved 7 grade 9s.

Campus
Victoria English School has a sixth-form centre, 4 science labs, a well-resourced library, an indoor pool, a multi-purpose hall, climbing wall and astroturf outdoor shaded play area. For some of its sporting activities, VES uses other locations in the emirate such as, the Wanderers Rugby Club sports facilities and Sharjah Shooting Club for archery.

VES is seeking to move to a new larger purpose built campus within the next few years.

Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities at VES are offered for free and are teacher led. Depending on the faculty, these activities may include: netball, football, gymnastics, swimming, cricket, badminton, tennis, chess, archery and choir. Karate is offered by an external provider. Students are also encouraged and supported to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

University Destinations
VES graduates have been accepted at top Universities in the UAE and abroad:
 * American University of Sharjah
 * University of Glasgow
 * Mount Allison University
 * Heriot Watt University
 * University of Plymouth
 * Stellenbosch University
 * American University of Beirut