British International School, Riyadh

British International School, Riyadh is a fee-paying international school located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It caters for English-speaking boys and girls aged 3 to 18 and follows the National Curriculum of UK.HistoryThe school was established in September 1979, with the support of the British and Dutch Embassies to meet the educational needs of the growing expatriate community. In March 1981, it was endorsed and incorporated into the Saudi Arabian International Schools under arrangements made by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education.The school started with just 212 pupils who were taught in a large villa. Due to its popularity, it expanded rapidly and in 1982 moved to a new site in the city's Rawdah district. By September 1995, a larger campus was necessary and new school buildings were built in the south-eastern corner of the Al Hamra Compound, near Exit 9 of the Airport/Al Kharj Highway.In 2006, another site was opened in a compound called Salwa. Pupils from the Salwa branch of the school visit the main Al Hamra campus on special days, such as the school's sports day, Greek day and House day. In 2008, a sixth form building was opened. As well as the expected educational facilities, the site houses a Starbucks café (a sixth form privilege).HousesThere are five houses at BISR, each named after a famous British explorer of Arabia. They are: Lady Anne Blunt (Green) Charles Doughty (Red) William Palgrave (Yellow) Joseph Pitts (Blue) The houses compete against each other trying to earn the most house points (rewarded when doing something good) the house with the most points will win the house cup.