Doha College received the highly prestigious distinction of being the first ever to be awarded the status of HPL World Class School in the world.
The journey started two years ago, when HPL was first introduced at Doha College. High Performance Learning is an educational philosophy which identifies cognitive performance characteristics as well as values, attitudes and attributes that can be developed in school to enable more students to achieve highly.
HPL provides a framework which school leaders can adapt to transform learning – actively involving students and their parents in the learning journey and presenting schooling as a quest for cognitive success.
The impact that HPL has had at Doha College is quite evident: the ethos pervades all layers, the attributes that make an excellent learner are clear, and the 2017 examination results have been the best in the school’s history.
Professor Deborah Eyre, who developed the HPL philosophy, praised the school for their commitment. She said that achieving this award is a considerable milestone in the school’s quest for continuous improvement.
Doha College is now a valued senior member of the growing High Performance Learning family of schools, and we look forward to their ongoing engagement as we strive in our global quest to ensure high performance for the many, not the few.’
Neil Thomas, Vice Principal of Doha College and one of the passionate drivers of the HPL philosophy, said they are very proud to be the first school in the world to have achieved the HPL World Class School Award.
He said that it has been amazing to see how their teachers have embraced the challenge of introducing and embedding HPL into every aspect of school life, which he said is a reflection of the calibre of staff and students, as well as a sign of the fantastic support from the parent community.
While we are incredibly proud to have gained the award, our challenge now is to continue developing High Performance Learning within the school so that our students can continue to grow personally and further expand their passion for learning.’
The school was inspected by HPL Assessor Jeremy Reynolds, who spoke to students, parents, the Leadership Group, the Head Boy and Girl, observed lessons and had a tour of both Al Waab and West Bay campuses. He was impressed by the way the students articulately spoke about the value of HPL.
Uzma Zaffar, Acting Head of Primary and an instrumental player in the implementation of HPL, added that the approach has made them ‘lift the lid on learning’ as it has been woven into the fabric of Doha College.
HPL has led to the redesigning of the way in which we teach, assess and plan. Our students are at the centre of everything we do, and through HPL they have become independent learners who analyse their thinking as well as challenge themselves to take risks.’
Doha College has offered outstanding education to the community of Qatar for nearly 40 years, and will expand to a 10-form Primary and Secondary School in two prime locations in Doha – Al Wajba and West Bay – with the building of its new state-of-the-art campus in 2020.
To find out more about High Performance Learning, visit dohacollege.com.
