The British School of Bahrain's support programme focuses on pupils' individuality to help them gain confidence in their studies. Photo: British School of Bahrain
The British School of Bahrain's support programme focuses on pupils' individuality to help them gain confidence in their studies. Photo: British School of Bahrain
The British School of Bahrain's support programme focuses on pupils' individuality to help them gain confidence in their studies. Photo: British School of Bahrain
The British School of Bahrain's support programme focuses on pupils' individuality to help them gain confidence in their studies. Photo: British School of Bahrain

British School of Bahrain wins international award for well-being


Anam Rizvi
  • English
  • Arabic

The British School of Bahrain has won an International School Award for well-being and has been recognised as among the best schools globally.

The school has won recognition for providing an accessible environment to improve pupil and staff well-being by creating a holistic support programme through which children could ask for help.

The awards ceremony took place online on January 24, and 291 applications were received this year from schools in 61 countries.

The International School Awards — hosted for the fifth year in a row by ISC Research, an educational data provider in the UK — celebrate learning, teaching, community, well-being, leadership and other initiatives at international schools.

Schools were shortlisted in 10 categories, including community partnerships, diversity and sustainability.

An independent panel of 13 international education experts selected the winners.

British School of Bahrain

Established in 1995, the British School of Bahrain has almost 3,000 pupils of 92 nationalities.

The school designed a Support 360 programme that focuses on pupils' individuality to help them gain confidence in their studies.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the school said it had found that many pupils experienced social and academic anxiety as well as attachment issues as they returned to in-person learning.

The school provided assistance in these areas as well as assisted in challenges related to autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, parental pressure and ADHD.

The British School of Bahrain's support initiative encouraged pupils to ask for help while allowing them to take ownership of coping with their own challenges. The system also took referrals from teachers.

Three schools in the UAE had been shortlisted for the award.

Ajman Academy and Millennium School in Dubai had each been shortlisted for one award, while Dubai College was in the running for two.

Ajman Academy and Dubai College were both on the shortlist for the Digital Technology in Learning Award, a prize that recognises a school initiative that uses technology to help pupils learn digital responsibility.

Dubai College had also been nominated for the Future Pathways Award, which awards a school initiative that gives pupils with the skills and values to support them in future endeavours.

Best school is in Singapore

The International School of the Year 2023 was awarded to Tanglin Trust School in Singapore.

Established in 1925, Tanglin is the oldest British international school in South-East Asia.

Tanglin Trust School in Singapore is the International School of the Year 2023. Photo: Tanglin Trust School Singapore
Tanglin Trust School in Singapore is the International School of the Year 2023. Photo: Tanglin Trust School Singapore

In addition to the International School of the Year award, there were 10 separate category winners:

  • The American School of Warsaw in Poland won the Community Partnership Award for its initiative providing support for the Ukrainian community established in response to the war in Ukraine.
  • The British School of Bahrain won the Well-being Award for providing an accessible environment to improve pupil and staff well-being through the creation of a support and management programme.
  • The British School of Brussels in Belgium won the Future Pathways Award for offering pupils the chance to take a variety of subjects including one-to-one mentoring and non-traditional workplace experiences.
  • The British International School of Houston won the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Award for its initiative which involved school-wide auditing of curriculum offerings to ensure all stakeholders felt represented.
  • International College Hong Kong won the Sustainability Award for an initiative through which they helped children in kindergarten and primary school to take ownership of the natural world and develop an understanding of the role they play in sustainability.
  • Marymount school in Barranquilla, Colombia, won the Digital Technology in Learning Award for its creation of a webtoon series, and for its use of technology to create pupil-friendly content.
  • North London Collegiate School Jeju in South Korea won the Safeguarding Award for its initiative to confront suicidal ideas, involving the training to develop skilled intervention of school community members.
  • Rugby School Thailand won the Innovation and Creativity in Learning Award for an augmented reality initiative.
  • Tanglin Trust School in Singapore won the Ethical Values Education Award for embedding the rights of children into the school’s ethos and culture as part of an initiative that has also achieved the Gold Unicef Rights Respecting Schools Award.
  • Western Academy of Beijing in China won the Strategic Leadership Award for an initiative focusing on pupil agency to shape the future of learning at the school.

Dubai College through the years — in pictures

Going grey? A stylist's advice

If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”

Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

GIANT REVIEW

Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan

Director: Athale

Rating: 4/5

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Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

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Bert van Marwijk factfile

Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder

Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia

Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands

Results
%3Cp%3EStage%204%3A%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Juan%20Sebastian%20Molano%20(COL)%20Team%20UAE%20Emirates%20%E2%80%93%203hrs%2050min%2001sec%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Olav%20Kooij%20(NED)%20Jumbo-Visma%20%E2%80%93%20ST%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Sam%20Welsford%20(AUS)%20Team%20DSM)%20%E2%80%93%20ST%0D%3Cbr%3EGeneral%20Classification%3A%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lucas%20Plapp%20(AUS)%20Ineos%20Grenaders%20%E2%80%93%207%E2%80%B3%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Pello%20Bilbao%20(ESP)%20Bahrain%20Victorious%20%E2%80%93%2011%E2%80%B3%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey'

Rating: 3/5

Directors: Ramin Bahrani, Debbie Allen, Hanelle Culpepper, Guillermo Navarro

Writers: Walter Mosley

Stars: Samuel L Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Walton Goggins

Need to know

Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.

Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.

The biog

Age: 59

From: Giza Governorate, Egypt

Family: A daughter, two sons and wife

Favourite tree: Ghaf

Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense 

Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”

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MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If%20you%20go
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A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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New UK refugee system

 

  • A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
  • Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
  • A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
  • To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
  • Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
  • Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi

Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)

Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)

Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)

Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).

Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)

Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)

Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)

Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)

Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia

Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)

Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

The past winners

2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)

2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)

2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

Top financial tips for graduates

Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:

1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.

2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.

3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.

4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.

Mobile phone packages comparison

As You Were

Liam Gallagher

(Warner Bros)

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RESULTS
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Dubai Rugby Sevens, December 5 -7

World Sevens Series Pools

A – Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan

B – United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland

C – New Zealand, Samoa, Canada, Wales

D – South Africa, England, Spain, Kenya

Updated: January 24, 2023, 3:47 PM