I do not teach at Park House and I have never even visited the school. However, I have read quite a few posts on QL from parents who do send their children to the school and they all seem to be happy about the way that the school is educating their children. Many parents have written in to QL about the difficulties of finding a school place for their child.
I think that perhaps some of my comments in my original posting were not very polite and for ths I apologise. I have some very professional and dedicated South African taching colleagues and it's not their fault that they don't have a posh English accent. I have also met many fine teachers from Australia and New Zealand. I do not think that it would be an exaggeration to say that many children in London would not be having an education at all, if it were not for the input from Aussie and Kiwi teachers.
Yes, of course the safety standards at many international schools are nowhere near the same as those one would normally expect at a school in the U.K. Health and Safety is a huge problem in Qatar (as anyone who works in the construction industry will tell you). In the absence of effective inspectors, it really is up to the parents to make a fuss (and to keep on making a fuss) about this important issue. I am sure that most tachers (but perhaps not the school's owners) would fully support your efforts. Alas, most schools in Qatar do not have grassy areas where children can run around and let off steam. Having said that, it is usually the case that the school can be a bit more imaginative and try to make sure that the facilities are as safe as they can reasonably be expected to be. For example, at my present school, Newton International School, we do not let all of the children have their morning break at the same time. Safety surfacing is relatively cheap and our new trampoline is a good way of letting the children jump about relatively safely.
I do not teach at Park House and I have never even visited the school. However, I have read quite a few posts on QL from parents who do send their children to the school and they all seem to be happy about the way that the school is educating their children. Many parents have written in to QL about the difficulties of finding a school place for their child.
I think that perhaps some of my comments in my original posting were not very polite and for ths I apologise. I have some very professional and dedicated South African taching colleagues and it's not their fault that they don't have a posh English accent. I have also met many fine teachers from Australia and New Zealand. I do not think that it would be an exaggeration to say that many children in London would not be having an education at all, if it were not for the input from Aussie and Kiwi teachers.
Yes, of course the safety standards at many international schools are nowhere near the same as those one would normally expect at a school in the U.K. Health and Safety is a huge problem in Qatar (as anyone who works in the construction industry will tell you). In the absence of effective inspectors, it really is up to the parents to make a fuss (and to keep on making a fuss) about this important issue. I am sure that most tachers (but perhaps not the school's owners) would fully support your efforts. Alas, most schools in Qatar do not have grassy areas where children can run around and let off steam. Having said that, it is usually the case that the school can be a bit more imaginative and try to make sure that the facilities are as safe as they can reasonably be expected to be. For example, at my present school, Newton International School, we do not let all of the children have their morning break at the same time. Safety surfacing is relatively cheap and our new trampoline is a good way of letting the children jump about relatively safely.