Loydence Academy

Loydence Academy – Al Dafna first opened its doors in 2009 in Doha, capital of the State of Qatar.

The school occupies a large villa which is situated in an affluent neighbourhood of Doha, close to a number of embassies. It has a very good location facing a main highway, although access is from the quiet streets to the rear. There are currently classes for the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 (Pre-school to year 2). 

The new Loydence Academy – Aziziya opened in September 2011. This school is much larger than the original Loydence Academy and offers an education for the full primary range. The school also has a football pitch, and basketball and netball courts.

The curriculum is the National Curriculum of England with the addition of Arabic and Islamic Studies as required by the Qatar Ministry of Education.

Qatar is a very liberal place to live with one of the lowest crime rates in the world. It does become very hot in the summer months but air-conditioning can be found everywhere. The winter and spring months offer excellent opportunities for exploring the desert, spending time at the ‘Inland Sea’ or listening to the ‘singing sand dunes’. The beaches in Doha are mainly located in the hotels. One has to travel outside of the city in order to find stretches of sandy beach, although the ‘Corniche’ is popular with walkers and joggers alike. It has sometimes been said that the Doha skyline, when viewed from the Corniche at night, rivals that of Manhattan!

You can expect to be treated fairly and with respect at Loydence Academy. You will work in a safe, attractive and friendly environment, with a generous level of resources and materials, a reasonable workload and collegiality.  Loydence Academy has high expectations in all that they do, especially in the standards of learning and teaching.

Curriculum

All pupils follow the National Curriculum set by the government of England. Students are taught the following subjects

• English
• Maths
• Science
• ICT (Information and Communication technology)
• Geography
• History
• Art
• Music
• Design and Technology
• Physical education
• French (from year 2)

Children are continually assessed by their teachers during every lesson. This informs future planning and helps with target setting for each pupil. As well as ongoing assessments, the children will be formally assessed during a testing week in reading, writing and maths. The tests will be marked and leveled according to the National curriculum level descriptors.

All pupils at Loydence Academy are also required to study Arabic, regardless of nationality, and our Muslim pupils can attend Islamic Studies lessons.