Reviews

This is a detailed review explaining why we decided to remove our son from Northview International School in Umm Qarn, Qatar, within the first four weeks of the 2023-2024 school year.

We had chosen Northview because of it’s casual and nurturing learning atmosphere and good facilities. We were impressed with principle at the time, who was very friendly and approachable. This extended to all the teachers and administrators we met when applying for my son’s admission.

During the application process, we had some concerns about his placement level. He just barely made the age cut-off for KG2 (which is equivalent to kindergarten in the American system). After they tested and recommended him for KG2, we explained our concern that he might not be developmentally ready for that level. However, my wife was assured by the KG Coordinator over the phone that he would excel at that level, and if he didn’t, he would receive extra support.

Unfortunately, this ended up being untrue. To start, our son was not happy going to Northview. The KG2 teacher he had seemed inexperienced and overwhelmed. Furthermore, we were shocked to learn that not only did his teacher feel he was not ready for KG2, but there was no support for him as explained there would be by the KG Coordinator.

When I spoke to the KG Coordinator about this, she first tried to claim it was we who wanted him that level. When I corrected her, she explained there was no room in KG1 for him. I didn’t see any alternative but to move my son to a different school. When I told her this, the KG Coordinator softened her position and offered to temporarily put him in one of the KG1 classrooms until we could have a meeting with the school admissions administrator and herself about how to proceed. Even though it was not my intention, it appeared like the possibility of losing revenue is what motivated the KG Coordinator to make room for my son in KG1.

Unfortunately, moving my son to KG1 did not help him. Even though the KG1 teacher seemed more much experienced and capable than the KG2 teacher my son had, she still had her hands full with an overcrowded classroom. This seemed to be true for all of the KG1 classrooms that school year. The rooms were small, and with so many children in there, it was too loud and chaotic for a conducive learning environment. It got so loud in there with all the children playing at normal child volume levels that I couldn’t even hold a conversation with the teacher because we could barely hear each other. As a result, my son was still anxious about going to that school each day.

When we finally had our meeting with the admissions administrator and the KG Coordinator, our view of Northview soured irrevocably. My wife had asked why the KG Coordinator assured us our son was ready for KG2 and where was the support he was supposed to receive in the classroom. However, the KG Coordinator’s answers just enraged us. She lied directly to our faces, saying she never recalled saying anything that my wife heard her say on their phone meeting about him being ready for KG2 and receiving support.

When we pressed further, the coordinator would just revert to repeating that it is the general policy of the testers to recommend students who are close to the age cut-off, such as my son, to be placed at the lower grade level. This was clearly untrue because we had physical evidence in the form of his acceptance letter stating he was accepted for KG2. However, by this point, it didn’t matter. My wife and I were simply disgusted with this person’s behavior. We left the meeting and enrolled our son in a different school. Immediately, everything changed for the better.