Vice Principal - Pastoral

King Faisal School is an International Baccalaureate Continuum School offering three IB programmes to over 1,900 students from the ages of 3 to 18 in the thriving capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. We currently educate boys from 3 to 18 years old and recently opened a girls’ school which currently takes girls across the primary age range but will grow to be an all-through school in the coming years. Last academic year the school was successfully authorised to offer the American Diploma to boys in the sixth form as an alternative to the IB Diploma. 

The school is organised into Pre-School, Primary School and Senior School, each with its own Principal, leadership team and character but very much part of one school offering a seamless and fun journey from entrance to graduation. Many of our current pupils are the sons of former students who have a life-long relationship and love of the school. The school has developed partnerships with quality providers recently including British Aerospace, Rustic Pathways and Boeing. King Faisal School’s entry in the international section of The Good Schools Guide reads “If Saudi Arabia had an Eton, this would be it”. 

Unlike many schools in major cities, KFS is blessed with a very large, spacious and green campus. Our facilities, lying inside the Diplomatic Quarter, are excellent allowing our learners to engage in many exciting opportunities to make the learner profile come to life. Be it in class, extra-curricular activities or educational visits we challenge our students to enable their all-round development as learners and thinkers.

As Superintendent, I work with the individual Principals to provide an overview of the school and its vision for future growth and development. We have exciting plans for the future, a solid funding plan and the backing of a supportive Board. We aim to develop the growth of the girls’ school, curricula and boys’ campus over the coming years. As a not-for-profit school, we are extremely lucky to have the backing and support of the King Faisal Foundation which opens up opportunities and relationships with other educational institutes and businesses in the King Faisal family.

KFS has undergone rapid change in recent years and continues with a development plan to improve in all areas. For September 2020 or sooner, KFS seeks to add two quality candidates to the senior leadership of the boys’ school to help deliver on our plan and promises. Their role is to support the Boys’ Principal in assuring the highest quality of education, both academic and pastoral. These key appointments will help to affect change and drive up the quality of provision in all areas. Whilst an office is provided for each post, the successful candidates will be expected to spend the majority of their time amongst the students, maintaining a positive visible presence, demonstrating independence, people skills and be self driven. Whilst experience within the IB programmes is helpful to your application we welcome applications from enthusiastic, hard-working teachers from all backgrounds bringing a range of skills. 

Teachers at KFS benefit from the support of a knowledgeable and supportive staff from around the world, delightful pupils and a generous all-round package including salaries which are free from income tax, health care, accommodation, annual flights and a reduction on school fees for dependent children in the school.

Continuing Professional Development opportunities for teachers at KFS are many and varied with many of our own teachers highly qualified IB visitors, trainers and workshop leaders. Many of our teachers travel internationally each year for further training taken from a generous staff training budget.

As with all schools it is extremely difficult to sum up KFS in such a short space but I hope that you are able to visit our website, social media and further information in this application pack to encourage you to find out more about working in KFS and Riyadh, we would love to hear from you.

All best wishes,

Mr. J. M. McElhone

Superintendent