Parent & Student Handbook

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to Advanced Learning Schools and to the 2026-27 school year. Whether your family has been with us for many years or this is your first September at ALS, I am glad you are here.

This handbook is our side of a conversation. It sets out how the school works: what we believe about learning, how we communicate, what we expect of our students and of ourselves, and what you can expect of us. Please read it with your child, keep it to hand through the year, and tell us when something in it is unclear. A handbook that sits in a drawer helps nobody.

I am originally from Ireland, and this is my third year at ALS. I have worked in international schools for thirty years, in Germany, Norway, Brazil and now Saudi Arabia, and for twenty of those years I have led schools as a principal or director, nearly all of them IB World Schools. What that time has taught me is simple to say and hard to do: children flourish when the adults around them, at home and at school, want the same things for them and work together to get there. That partnership is the thread that runs through every page that follows.

ALS is a Saudi school with an international outlook, licensed by the Ministry of Education and accredited to the best international standards. Our students are secure in who they are, and they leave us ready to study, work and lead anywhere in the world. That is the promise we make to you, and this handbook is part of keeping it.

I look forward to a good year together.

Our Vision

Advanced Learning Schools prepare global citizens to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world, while honoring their own cultural heritage and identity.

Our Mission

Advanced Learning Schools offer a high-quality education in a safe and caring environment, with a commitment to life-long learning and digital citizenship, while inspiring students to become creative, compassionate, and analytical thinkers.

Our Core Values (CREM Framework)

These values guide every aspect of governance, decision-making, and practice at ALS. They are embedded in our policies, curriculum, community interactions, and strategic direction, reflecting both our local cultural context and our commitment to global citizenship.

An International School in a Saudi Context

Advanced Learning Schools is an international school that operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Education. The two halves of that description belong together. Our licence, our curriculum approvals and our reporting all sit with the Ministry, and Saudi identity, Islamic values and the Arabic language are the foundation on which the school is built. On that foundation we offer an internationally minded education, which is what Vision 2030 asks of the Kingdom’s schools: young people who are secure in who they are and fully prepared to study, work and lead in a connected world.

That world is arriving in Riyadh. The Kingdom is becoming one of the great meeting points of the world, with international companies opening their regional headquarters here, global events being hosted here, and colleagues, students and visitors arriving from every continent. The children in our classrooms today are the future leaders and shapers of this society: the people who will run its institutions, build its enterprises, teach in its universities and represent it abroad. The Kingdom’s ambition rests on their being able to do so on a global stage, with confidence and skill.

The skill involved is cultural literacy: the ability to understand people whose language, customs and assumptions differ from one’s own, and to work with them well. It shows itself in three settings. Socially, it is the ease with which a young person can welcome a guest, make a friend or hold a conversation across a difference in background, with courtesy and without losing themselves. In business and public life, it is the capacity to lead teams drawn from many countries, to negotiate with partners who see a problem differently, and to represent the Kingdom well while doing so. Academically, it is the readiness to meet international standards, to read widely, to weigh evidence and argument from many sources, and to hold one’s own in a university seminar or a research team anywhere in the world.

International-mindedness at ALS begins at home. The IB describes it as understanding one’s own language, culture and history first, and from that secure base learning to understand others. In practice, our students study the Kingdom’s language, heritage and faith with pride, alongside an international curriculum taught in English, and they learn to listen carefully, ask good questions and explain their own views to people whose experience differs from their own. A child who can do that leaves us better equipped, not less certain of who they are.

Our teachers come from Saudi Arabia and from many other countries. Every one of them is appointed to the same standards, works within the same respect for the

Kingdom’s culture and values, and shares the same commitment to our students. The range of backgrounds in our classrooms is deliberate: it is part of what an international school offers, and it gives our students, day by day, the very experience of working with different perspectives that cultural literacy is built on, while remaining firmly rooted in their own.

Safeguarding, respect for local context and family engagement are not only international best practice; they reflect values embedded in Saudi educational policy and Islamic teaching. Families can therefore expect:

• Education grounded in Islamic values and respect for Saudi culture;
• Safety and wellbeing as foundations, not afterthoughts;
• Clear communication in English and, where needed, Arabic;
• Consistency with Ministry of Education requirements;
• Partnership that honours the family as the primary educator.

Accreditation and International Standards

Advanced Learning Schools is licensed by the Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is an IB Continuum School, authorised by the International Baccalaureate to offer the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA), one of the principal accrediting bodies in the United States, and by the Council of International Schools (CIS), the leading accreditation body for international schools worldwide.

International BaccalaureateCouncil of International SchoolsMinistry of EducationMiddle States Association

These are not distinctions we award ourselves. Each body holds ALS to published international standards and verifies our practice through a full accreditation cycle every five years, with a self-study, site visits, interviews with students, parents and staff, review of policies and practice, and follow-up reports in between. Accreditation matters to us because it is the assurance, to every family, that the education their child receives at ALS is measured against the best international standards and found to meet them, and that the school is committed to continuous improvement rather than to standing still. Families are welcome to ask what these reviews found, what they recommended and how we responded.

Advanced Learning Schools is governed by its Board of Trustees and led by the Superintendent. The school is organised into three sections, each with its own leadership team: the Primary School (KG to Grade 5), the Girls’ Secondary School (Grades 6 to 12) and the Boys’ Secondary School (Grades 6 to 12). The Business Manager leads the services that support all three, including finance, human resources, IT, transport, facilities and security, and the Admissions Manager leads admissions; both report to the Superintendent.

Each section is led by its Principal and its School Leader. Together they are responsible for the section as a whole: its teaching and learning, the wellbeing and conduct of its students, and its daily life. They are supported by the section’s Vice Principal, programme coordinators and counsellors.

The diagram shows the leadership structure of each section only. The many teachers and support staff who make up each team are not shown, and it is not a guide to who to contact: your first point of contact is always your child’s teacher, and the section on raising a concern sets out who to turn to after that.

We have adopted the Learner Profile created by the International Baccalaureate (IB) as a guide here at ALS. All members of the ALS community strive to be:

At Advanced Learning Schools, we believe that a child’s education flourishes best when home and school work hand in hand. Our relationship with families is built on mutual respect, open communication, and a shared commitment to student success . These rights and responsibilities are an expression of our CREM values — Care, Responsibility, Excellence, and Making a Difference — which guide everything we do as a learning community.

The Three-Leg Partnership Model

Education works best when three things are strong and aligned:

• The Family Leg — values, character, habits and expectations shaped at home. This is where it begins.
• The Student Leg — the child's readiness, engagement, curiosity and willingness to take responsibility for their learning.
• The School Leg — quality teaching, clear communication, feedback and support.

Remove one leg and the stool falls over. A child whose family prioritises education, sets routines, expects effort and models respect learns faster and achieves more, whatever the school; a child in a supportive family but a weak school will not thrive; and a child with both, who has not learned to engage and take responsibility, will plateau. At ALS we build this model deliberately, and we invite families not to "support the school's work" but to be equal partners in it.

Parents’ Rights

• To be treated with care and respect by all members of the school community.
• To receive timely and accurate information about their child’s academic progress, wellbeing, and school life.
• To have concerns listened to and addressed responsibly through transparent communication.
• To expect that the school upholds the highest standards of safeguarding, professionalism, and educational excellence.

Parents’ Responsibilities

• To support the school’s mission, values, and policies, modelling responsibility and respect for staff and other families.
• To ensure their child’s regular attendance, punctuality, and readiness to learn each day.
• To engage positively with teachers and leadership, using designated communication channels (e.g., Toddle, email).
• To encourage their child’s independence, resilience, and personal responsibility as learners, empowering them to make a difference.

School and Teachers’ Rights

• To work in a safe, respectful, and professional environment where their expertise is valued.
• To set high expectations for students and to implement consistent policies that promote excellence .
• To communicate boundaries clearly with families and to have those boundaries respected.
• To expect parents’ support in reinforcing shared expectations at home.

School and Teachers’ Responsibilities

• To provide a high-quality, inclusive education that nurtures each student’s potential with care and dedication.
• To maintain open, respectful, and timely communication with parents, modelling responsibility in all interactions.
• To create a safe, caring environment that promotes wellbeing, academic progress, and character development.
• To model integrity, fairness, and professionalism while striving for excellence and encouraging students to make a difference in the world.

Partnership in Practice

Partnership is not a transaction ("you send your child, we teach your child, you pick up your child"). It means:

• We communicate early, in plain language — not when a pattern has already become a problem, but early on, when you can still help shape habits.
• We see your child as a whole person , and ask about wellbeing, home context and what matters to them outside school.
• We listen when you bring concerns. Your knowledge of your child is expertise we respect.
• We follow through on what we say.
• We acknowledge that disagreement happens , and model grace and good intent.
• We stay consistent. "One ALS" means how your child is treated, assessed and communicated with does not depend on which classroom door they walk through.

This is not a soft or permissive partnership. We maintain high standards, hold boundaries and expect parents to support school expectations at home. We do all of this as partners.

Respect Between Home and School

The respect between families and staff at ALS is one of the things that makes the school what it is, and one of the things parents tell us they cherish. Disagreement is a normal part of any partnership, and there is nothing disrespectful about telling us plainly that you are unhappy; what matters is how it is done, and children watch closely how the adults around them treat one another. In practice:

• We respect the rights and dignity of every individual in our community: every student, every parent and every member of staff. That respect is mutual, and it is the foundation of everything that follows.
• We meet parents individually, not in groups. Every child's circumstances are confidential: we will not discuss other students with you, and we will not discuss your child with anyone else.
• Our teachers are available during the school day and will do their utmost to return calls and messages within 48 hours on working days. Please allow that time before following up.
• Outside school hours, in the evenings, at weekends and during the holidays, our teachers are with their own families, and we protect that time for them. A message late in the evening asking for a meeting first thing the next morning puts a teacher in an unfair position. If it can wait until the next working day, please let it wait: an email sent on a Friday evening will be answered on Sunday or Monday, and one sent in the holidays when school resumes. If something cannot wait, call the campus office.
• The official channels are Toddle and email for teachers, and the campus office by telephone for the school. Keeping to these channels keeps communication professional, creates a record we can refer back to, and protects every family's privacy. WhatsApp is not an official channel. If a teacher has chosen to share a personal number with you, that is a matter for them, but it does not replace the official channels, and school matters should still come through Toddle or email.
• The school will never share an employee's private telephone number without their consent, and we ask the same of you. A number or email address a teacher has given you is given in trust: please do not pass it on to anyone else, whether another parent, a relative or a WhatsApp group, without the teacher's agreement. Under the Kingdom's Personal Data Protection Law, contact details are personal data, and sharing them without consent may amount to a breach of the law; it is certainly a breach of trust. We extend the same courtesy to you and never share your details without your permission.
• Parents' WhatsApp groups can be a warm part of school life, but they are not a source of truth about the school. A half-heard remark can become a "fact" by the evening that nobody checked. If you hear something that concerns you, please ask us directly; we would far rather answer the same question twenty times than have twenty families worried about something that is not so.

Respect runs in both directions, and we hold ourselves to it first. Our teachers and staff are expected to treat every parent with courtesy and dignity: to listen without judgement, to explain decisions plainly, to answer within the time we have promised, and to remember that no one knows a child better than the family that raised them.

For almost every family the next part will never apply, but it must be said. Dignity, courtesy and respect are expected of everyone on our campuses, towards everyone: staff, students, other parents and visitors. Aggressive, threatening or rude behaviour towards any of them will not be tolerated; there is zero tolerance for it at ALS. This includes raised voices, insulting or demeaning language, threats of any kind, intimidation, physical aggression, filming or recording people without their agreement, and messages whose tone would not be acceptable face to face. If a conversation becomes hostile, the member of staff will bring it to a close and a senior leader will offer a calmer time to continue. A parent who is threatening or rude will be asked to leave the campus, and is not welcome back until the matter has been resolved with the Principal or the Superintendent. The school reserves the right to withdraw a parent's permission to be on campus, with communication thereafter in writing through the Principal's office. Our staff are entitled to work without fear, just as our students are entitled to learn without it.

Readiness and Responsibility

At ALS, we believe that readiness to learn begins long before a student steps into the classroom. Families play the first and most vital role as educators and communicators, shaping the routines, expectations, and values that guide each child’s approach to school.

We ask that families actively support their child’s readiness by ensuring:

• Rest and alertness – establishing healthy sleep routines so students arrive well-rested and able to concentrate.
• Punctuality – arriving at school on time so that learning begins smoothly and without disruption.
• Presentation – wearing the correct uniform and following appearance expectations, reinforcing respect for self and community.
• Preparedness – bringing the necessary books, materials, and resources needed for full participation.
• Mindset and responsibility – approaching each day with focus, curiosity, and a willingness to engage.

None of these habits occur by chance. They emerge through the routines established at home—from bedtime and breakfast, to the conversations and encouragement a child receives before leaving for school. Families set the tone that makes effective learning possible.

Attendance alone is not enough; what matters is engagement and readiness, and the belief that education is a shared effort between home and school.

Three settled findings from educational research inform this partnership:

• Home outweighs school (Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003). What happens at home has more influence on a child's learning than what happens at school, consistently across decades of research.
• Family engagement lifts achievement (Henderson & Mapp, 2002). When families are actively involved in their child's learning, achievement, attendance and behaviour all improve, across every socioeconomic, language and cultural background.
• The strongest approach is one-to-one (Education Endowment Foundation, 2021). A parent working one-to-one with their own child on their own learning has a significant, consistent impact, documented across ten countries.

Very little in education research is genuinely settled. This is one of the few things that is.

Connection to CREM Values

These daily habits also reflect our school’s core values of Care, Responsibility, Excellence, and Making a Difference (CREM). When families establish strong routines, they demonstrate care by partnering with the school, responsibility by honouring expectations, excellence through consistent preparation, and making a difference by modeling the discipline and integrity needed for lifelong learning.

Your Role in Your Child's Learning: Mindset Matters

Parents are the most important educators in a child's life, not because you teach subjects but because you model how to think about learning, failure and improvement. If you focus on grades, your child will ask "How do I get an A?" If you focus on improvement, they will ask "What feedback can I use?" Grades matter; what you emphasize shapes how your child approaches learning. Students with a growth mindset, the belief that ability develops through feedback and effort, perform better than students who believe ability is fixed, and the mindset children develop is largely shaped by what their parents emphasise.

Phrases that build a growth mindset: "That's a challenging problem. Let's think about how to approach it." "You didn't get it right. What did you learn?" "What feedback did your teacher give? How will you use it?" "Mistakes are how we learn."

Phrases that build a fixed mindset: "You're so smart. You got an A!" "Why did you get a lower grade than your sister?" "You're just not a maths person." "This is too hard. Stick to what you're good at."

The same applies to the questions you ask about school. Instead of a grade-focused question, try a learning-focused one:

• "What grade did you get?" becomes "What feedback did you get? What did you do well?"
• "Is that a good grade?" becomes "What will you do with that feedback?"
• "You got a lower grade than last time." becomes "What did your teacher say about this work? What are you getting better at?"
• "Let me check your grades." becomes "Show me the feedback. What are you working to improve?"

Asked this way, your child learns that mistakes are information, that feedback is useful rather than threatening, and that they have the power to improve. We recognise that many families come from, or live in, cultures where grades are highly emphasised, and that is understandable: education is a path to opportunity. We care about performance too; it improves through feedback and effort, not through anxiety about grades. The grades your child gets matter. The feedback they receive matters more. The mindset you help them develop matters most of all.

The ALS daily schedule is Sunday through Thursday, with classes running from 7:30am to 2:30pm. Each section and grade level has designated times for class periods and breaks. See the “Attendance” section below for more details.

School gates open at 7:10am. Classes begin promptly at 7:30am.

School Academic Calendar

The school academic calendar, with term dates, holidays and the events of the year, is published on the ALS website and is kept up to date through the year. Dates are added and occasionally changed during the year, and Toddle carries the same calendar, so please check it before making travel plans: the online calendar is the definitive version.

Emergency Closures and Procedures

On rare occasions the school may have to close, open late or send students home early at short notice: severe weather, a directive from the Ministry of Education, or an incident on or near a campus. When that happens, the school will contact parents by SMS and Toddle, and those channels are the authoritative ones; please do not rely on messages passed between parents. Every campus has an emergency plan, and students and staff practise fire evacuation and lockdown procedures each term. In an emergency, please do not come to the campus unless the school asks you to: the roads and gates must stay clear for the emergency services, and students are released only to a parent or authorised adult once it is safe to do so.

We value our parents' input and involvement, and whenever you have a question or concern we encourage you to make an appointment to come and see us. The school communicates with the community in the following ways:

During the school day, all communication regarding student arrivals, departures, or other needs must be communicated through the school office. Student mobile phones are not permitted on campus (see Mobile Phones on Campus); a student who needs to make a call may do so from an office phone.

We would rather hear a concern early than learn of it late. We want the same thing you do: a child who is happy, healthy and safe, and who is learning well. Where we differ, it is usually about how to get there, not where we are going, and a calm conversation resolves almost everything. Where a concern needs to go further, the path is clear and every step is open to you.

• The teacher. Start here, through Toddle or email, or by arranging a time to meet. Teachers know your child and the classroom best, and most concerns are resolved at this stage.
• The Principal of your child's section. Please put the concern in writing, with what has already been discussed and what you are hoping will happen next.
• The Superintendent , in writing through the Superintendent's Office. The Superintendent will review how the matter has been handled and respond in writing. This is the final stage within the school's leadership.
• The School Board. If you believe the school has not dealt with your concern fairly, you may ask, in writing through the Superintendent's Office, for the Board to consider it.
• The Ministry of Education. Families always retain the right to take a concern to the Ministry, whose regulations the school works within.

Two fuller procedures are published on the school intranet and website: the ALS Complaints Procedure, for the general operation of the school, and the IB Programmes Complaints Procedure, for concerns about the delivery, assessment or integrity of the PYP, MYP or DP. The IB procedure is separate because the IB requires every IB World School to have one: such concerns are judged against the IB's own standards and assessment regulations, and worked through at school level before they reach the IB. For an IB programme matter the route runs from the teacher to the Grade Level Leader (PYP) or Subject Lead (MYP and DP), then the relevant IB Coordinator, before the Principal and, where applicable, the Superintendent.

We ask you to follow these steps in order, for good reasons:

• The person closest to your child has the fullest picture and can usually put things right the same day. A concern that skips the teacher arrives with half the facts missing.
• More often than not, a concern turns out to be a misunderstanding or a miscommunication. Cleared up early and directly, it takes minutes; left to travel, it can take weeks and a good deal of goodwill.
• It is fair. Everyone deserves the chance to work through a concern directly with you, and to respond, before it goes over their head.
• Each stage builds on the last, and every family is treated in the same way.

Some families take a concern straight to the Ministry. That is your prerogative, and the school will always cooperate fully. In almost every case, though, it is simpler and quicker to resolve the matter with the people who know your child, and a formal process is a heavy way to settle what a conversation could have. Please talk to us first.

Whichever step you are at, you can expect:

• To be listened to with care and courtesy;
• To have your concern treated in confidence and shared only with those who need to know;
• A clear response and to be told what happens next; a formal written complaint is acknowledged within five school days and answered in writing;
• That raising a concern in good faith will never disadvantage your child, in grades, standing or any other way;
• That where we have got something wrong, we will say so and put it right.

Students in the MYP and DP may raise a concern themselves, and we will make sure their voice is heard in a way that suits their age.

The one exception to the path above is a concern about a child's safety. Please bring that straight to the Principal or the Designated Safeguarding Lead, without delay; the safeguarding pathway always takes priority.

Every child has the right to feel safe: at school, on the way to and from it, and online. Safeguarding at ALS is everyone’s responsibility. Every member of staff is trained to recognise and report concerns, and the school works to its Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, to the Kingdom’s Child Protection Law and to international standards. That law protects children at school as well as at home, treats physical harm and words that humiliate or degrade a child as abuse, and requires anyone who becomes aware of abuse or neglect to report it. Each section has a Designated Safeguarding Lead and an alternate, and their names and photographs are displayed in each section and at the campus office. If you are ever worried about a child, yours or another’s, tell the Designated Safeguarding Lead or the Principal the same day. You do not need to be certain, and you will never be asked to investigate.

Bullying and Falling Out

Not every negative interaction is bullying. Children fall out. They argue, leave each other out for an afternoon, say something cruel and regret it, and most of the time they sort it out, or sort it out with a little help. None of that is pleasant, and none of it is bullying. Research going back to Dan Olweus’s first studies in the 1970s defines bullying by three things together:

• The harm is deliberate, not accidental or thoughtless;
• It is repeated, or the child on the receiving end has good reason to fear it will be;
• There is an imbalance of power, in size, age, numbers, confidence or social standing, so that the child on the receiving end cannot easily make it stop.

The distinction matters because the two need different responses. A falling-out needs adults who help children repair it; bullying needs adults who stop it, protect the child being harmed and change the behaviour of the child doing it. ALS has zero tolerance for bullying in any form, physical, verbal, social or online. Every report is taken seriously, recorded and followed up, and the parents of every child involved are told.

We choose our words with care. We talk about bullying behaviour, not about “bullies” and “victims”, because a label follows a child long after the behaviour has stopped, and because the child who bullied last term is quite often the child being bullied this one. Both are children, and both need the adults around them to hold a line and keep the door open.

Bullying rarely happens in private. Most incidents have an audience, and research on the roles children play finds that when a classmate steps in, the behaviour usually stops within seconds, while silence and laughter keep it going. Standing by is not neutral: it tells the child being harmed that nobody minds, and it tells the child doing the harm that it works. That is why bullying hurts the whole community, not only the children directly involved, and why we teach students that watching and doing nothing is a choice. We expect our students to be upstanders, to say that something is not acceptable, to walk away with the child who is being targeted, and to tell an adult, and we ask you to say the same at home.

How ALS Responds

Our approach is restorative practice and discipline with dignity. When one child harms another, the first questions are what happened, who has been affected and how, and what must happen to put it right. The child who caused harm faces what they did, hears its effect and makes amends; the child who was harmed is given a voice and a say in the outcome. Consequences are certain, proportionate and applied without humiliation, as the Child Protection Law requires, so that the behaviour changes and the child’s dignity survives. This is not the soft option. Evaluations of restorative approaches in schools find that children who have been harmed mostly want two things, for it to stop and to feel safe again, and that agreements reached this way are largely kept, with fewer repeat incidents than punishment on its own produces. Where restorative steps are refused or the behaviour continues, the Code of Conduct applies in full.

What We Ask of Parents

• Tell us early and tell us directly. A child who confides in you needs you to bring it to the teacher, the counsellor or the Principal, not to carry it alone and not to raise it in a parents’ group. Bring the facts as your child told them, and let us establish the rest.
• Leave the response to the school. However strong the feeling, a parent must never approach, message or confront another child or another family about an incident, at school, outside it or online. It is the surest way to turn a manageable situation into an unmanageable one, it frightens children, and the school treats it as a serious breach of our respect expectations.
• Look for repair, not revenge. Reviews of anti-bullying programmes find that what changes behaviour is a whole school working with parents, clear consequences and close supervision; a single punishment demanded by an angry adult changes nothing. Ask us what will change and how we will know. Do not ask us to hurt a child.
• Remember who is watching. Children learn how to handle conflict from the adults around them. A parent who stays calm, listens to both sides and trusts the process teaches their child to do the same. A parent who shouts, threatens or seeks revenge teaches something else entirely, whatever the words say.
• Hear the other possibility. Almost every child is, at some point, the one whose behaviour has hurt another. If we tell you that this is your child, we are not calling them a bad child. We are asking for your help.

Online and Outside School

Much of what worries families now happens away from the campus, on phones and social media, in the evenings and at weekends. The school will always act on online behaviour that affects a student’s safety or wellbeing at school, and will support any family who brings such a matter to us. What the school cannot do is monitor, police or discipline what happens on private accounts outside school hours. That responsibility belongs to parents, and the strongest protection a child has online is a parent who knows what their child does there and talks with them about it. Almost every social media and messaging app sets a minimum age, usually 13 and for some 16 or 18. A younger child with an account has one because an adult allowed it, so checking that your child meets the age limit, knowing which apps they use and setting the privacy controls are a parent’s responsibility, not the school’s, and the school cannot resolve disputes that begin on platforms our younger students should not be on. Where online behaviour may be a criminal matter under the Kingdom’s Anti-Cyber Crime Law, which treats online defamation and the misuse of camera phones to invade privacy as crimes, we will say so and help you reach the right authority. Please do not screenshot and circulate other children’s messages or images among parents: it spreads the harm, and it may itself break the law.

Photography, Social Media and Personal Information

The school photographs and films students only with the written consent given at enrolment, and we ask families to show the same care. Please do not photograph or film other people’s children at school events without their parents’ agreement, and never post such images online. Class lists, timetables, contact sheets and notices around the school contain other families’ personal information and must not be photographed or shared. The mobile phone expectations in the Code of Conduct apply here too.

The curriculum at ALS puts the student at the centre of learning and sets out to develop the whole child: intellectual, physical, emotional and creative. Through exploration, discovery and experimentation, students build the writing, verbal, computational and analytical skills they need to meet a variety of challenges, and the problem-solving and decision-making skills that serve them, their families and their community.

International Baccalaureate Organization (IB) We are an IB World School. We are authorized to offer the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme. For more information regarding the IB, please visit their website at the address: http://www.ibo.org

Primary Years Programme (PYP)

The IB Primary Years Programme, for students aged 3 to 11, focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. Its most distinctive feature is the six transdisciplinary themes: issues of global significance that matter to all of us, through which students learn within the subject areas and beyond them. The themes are:

• Who we are
• Where we are in place and time
• How we express ourselves
• How the world works
• How we organize ourselves
• Sharing the planet

These transdisciplinary themes help teachers to develop a programme of inquiry that requires a high level of involvement on the part of the students. The inquiries are substantial, in-depth and usually last for several weeks. Assessment is an important part of each unit of inquiry as it both enhances learning and provides opportunities for students to reflect on what they know, understand and can do. The teacher's

feedback to the students provides the guidance, the tools and the incentive for them to become more competent, more skillful and better at understanding how to learn.

Middle Years Programme (MYP)

The IB Middle Years Programme, for students aged 11 to 16, provides a framework of academic challenge that encourages students to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world, and become critical and reflective thinkers. The programme consists of eight subject groups integrated through six global contexts that provide a framework for learning within and across the subjects. Students are required to study their mother tongue, a second language, humanities, sciences, mathematics, arts, physical & health education and technology. In the final year of the programme, students also engage in a personal project, which allows them to demonstrate the understandings and skills they have developed throughout the programme. The MYP sets clear exit criteria for each subject group at the end of MYP 5 (Grade 10).

The programme is based around six 'global contexts’: fairness and development, globalization and sustainability, personal and cultural expression, scientific and technical innovation, orientation in space and time, identities and relationships. They are not taught as separate courses but as themes reflected in every subject through its statement of inquiry. The service and action component requires students to study and perform community studies and service throughout the programme.

Diploma Programme (DP)

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme is a two year comprehensive and rigorous academic program for academically ambitious students in Grades 11 and

• The IB Diploma Programme is highly regarded at universities worldwide.

The DP curriculum contains six subject groups together with a core made up of three separate parts. Students study six subjects selected from the subject groups. To be eligible for a full IB Diploma, students must study three subjects at higher level (courses representing 240 teaching hours), and the remaining three subjects at standard level (courses representing 150 teaching hours). Each subject course is completed over a two year period. Students sit external exams in May of their Grade 12 year.

All three parts of the core -- Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) -- are compulsory and are central to the philosophy of the Diploma Programme:

• An independent, in-depth research project resulting in an Extended Essay of 4000 words. ALS students begin this project at the beginning of Grade 11 and submit their final paper by the end of Grade 11.
• A Theory of Knowledge course and essay, which addresses the questions: What do we know and How do we know?
• A Commitment to the ALS, Riyadh, and international communities through Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) projects. Over the course of two years, students are required to fulfill the required number of service hours that encompass all three of these areas.

For more information on the IB Programmes, please refer to the IB Website www.ibo.org and for subjects offered by ALS please click HERE.

Arabic, Islamic Studies and Social Studies of the Arab World

Arabic is studied by every student at ALS from KG to Grade 12, as a first language for Arabic speakers and as an additional language for others, and Islamic Studies is part of the programme in every grade, with Social Studies of the Arab World (SSAW) from Grade 4 to Grade 12, in line with Ministry of Education requirements. These subjects are taught within the IB programmes, count towards the ALS diploma and are reported alongside every other subject. The Language Policy sets out how we support every student’s languages, including English as an additional language.

Few things matter more to a child's year than the class they are in, and few decisions we make receive more care. Placement is a professional decision made by the school, and this is how it is made.

How classes are formed:

• In the final term, your child's current teachers record how each child learns, how they work with others, who brings out the best in them, and any support they need.
• Grade-level teams build draft classes, balancing each against the criteria below, so that no class is harder to teach than another.
• Learning support, counselling and the programme coordinators review the drafts against the needs of individual children.
• The Principal approves the final lists, which are shared shortly before the start of the year because enrolment changes over the summer. Students who join during the year are placed on the same basis.

What we balance:

• Boys and girls in our KG to Grade 3 classes, which are mixed (from Grade 4, boys and girls are taught in separate classes), and personalities, maturity and leadership in every class;
• Academic attainment, learning needs and learning styles, so that no class carries more than its share and every teacher can both support and challenge;
• Social dynamics, for a conducive learning environment: friendships that help a child learn, relationships that do not, and room for new friendships to form;
• Language and support needs, spread across classes so that every child who needs extra attention receives it;
• The recommendations of your child's current teachers, who know how your child works and with whom.

Why we do it this way:

• A balanced class is better for every child in it. An unbalanced one is harder to teach and less rewarding to be in, and the effect lasts all year.
• It is fair. Every child is placed by the same criteria, by the people who know them best, and no family's wishes count for more than another's.
• It helps children grow. Learning to work alongside a variety of people is part of a good education, and a child who moves beyond one friendship group usually gains more than they lose.
• Our teachers are appointed to the same standard and are committed to every child in front of them. Asking for a teacher by name puts that teacher in an impossible position and has no bearing on the decision.

A good social group is not the same as a good learning group. Research on classroom grouping, including the large British classroom studies led by Peter Blatchford, Peter Kutnick and Ed Baines, draws a clear line between the two: children who sit together because they are friends do not automatically work well together, and the groups that learn most are put together, and taught, for that purpose, with a mix of abilities, temperaments and skills. Friendship helps with some tasks, but friends also find it easier to drift off task, harder to disagree with one another, and quicker to settle into fixed roles, with one child leading and another following; a class built around a friendship group tends to repeat those patterns all year. Placing a child with classmates they do not yet know well is not a way of setting old friendships aside. Friends still see each other every day: at break and at lunch, in clubs and activities, on trips and at grade-level events, and outside school. It is also an opportunity in its own right: a chance to make new friends, to be known by more teachers and more classmates, and to feel at home in the whole of the school community rather than in one small corner of it.

Parents cannot request a particular teacher, and we do not take requests for a child to be placed with or away from particular classmates; classes built around requests quickly lose their balance. What we do welcome is information: if there is something about your child's learning or wellbeing we should know before classes are formed, write to the Principal by the end of the school year, marked confidential. We will read it carefully, though we cannot promise a particular outcome.

Once classes are published, not every child will be with all of their friends, and a few will be disappointed in the first days. Please give it time. A child who is upset because a friend is in another class is usually fine within a fortnight, and often better for the new friendships that follow. The first two weeks of the year are a settling-in period, and we do not consider or discuss changes during that time. If a concern remains after that, raise it with the teacher and then the Principal in the usual way.

Placement decisions are final. We will always listen, but we will not be making changes. A class is not a collection of individual placements: moving one child means moving another, and we will not unsettle a child who has settled in order to do it. A change is unsettling for two classes, two teachers and the children in them, and for the school as a whole. Changes are made only in exceptionally rare cases, where the

school itself identifies a clear educational or wellbeing need, and never in response to pressure. Every family's situation is unique, and we respect that. The final decision on every placement rests with the school; it is not a matter for negotiation, however it is proposed.

Every teacher at ALS is here to help every learner. Good teaching is differentiated: teachers plan for the range of children in front of them, scaffold the work, adjust the pace and check understanding, so most children who find something hard are helped in the classroom without any formal arrangement. Beyond the classroom, each section has counsellors for social and emotional wellbeing, support for students learning English as an additional language and, in the secondary schools, career and university guidance.

Learning support is different: it is for students with a recognised, diagnosed learning need, and we want to be very clear about its limits. ALS is licensed by the Ministry of Education as an international school, and that licence allows us to support students with mild to moderate learning needs. Provision for acute or complex needs requires a separate licence as a special education institution under the Ministry’s published regulations, which ALS does not hold: we are not authorised for it, and we are not staffed for it. That is a matter of law, and of honesty about what we can do well. Where a child’s needs go beyond it, whether that is clear at admission or emerges later, we will say so plainly and early, and where ALS is not the right school for a child we will help the family find one that is.

Two words matter here. An accommodation changes how a student accesses the curriculum and its assessments: extra time, a reader or a scribe, a quiet room, assistive technology, work broken into steps. It does not change what is learnt or the standard by which it is judged. A modification changes what a student is expected to learn or how their work is graded. ALS provides accommodations, and provides them willingly; ALS does not modify the curriculum, the learning objectives, the assessments or the grading, because under Saudi law that requires a licence we do not hold. The Inclusion Policy sets this out in full, and the school does not routinely permit shadow teachers.

Support begins with a referral. Start with your child’s teacher, who sees your child every day and will tell you what they see; the teacher, or you, can then refer your child to the section’s learning support team or counsellor. The team reviews the referral with the Principal, gathers evidence in class over several weeks and, where a need is identified, draws up an individual education plan setting out the accommodations to be used in lessons and in assessments. Where a diagnosis is needed, the school will ask for an evaluation by a licensed educational psychologist

and tell you what it must cover; reports are valid for three years. We work closely with families throughout: no plan is made or changed without you, support is reviewed with you regularly, and everything is confidential and shared only with the staff who need to know.

Assessment at ALS is a constructive process: it helps students improve their learning, helps teachers refine their teaching, and enables parents to follow their child's progress and support it.

What Assessment Is Really For

Grades tell you what your child can do right now. Feedback tells you what happens next, and how your child responds to feedback determines whether they improve. At ALS we don't assess students in order to assign grades; we assign grades to give you a snapshot of where they are. A student can take a test, get a grade and nothing changes: they have simply been measured. Specific feedback, acted on while the learning is fresh, is when learning actually happens, which is why we give it quickly. Good feedback at ALS is:

• Specific — not "good work" but "Your analysis of the theme is strong here. Next time, add evidence from the text."
• Actionable — your child knows exactly what to do with it.
• Timely — returned within 48-72 hours, not weeks later.
• Used — class time is built in for students to respond to it.
• Connected to criteria — your child understands how it relates to what they are learning.

ALS Principles of Assessment

• Provide information about how students learn and determine their acquired knowledge and skills.
• Highlight students' strengths and evaluate learning needs.
• Align learning outcomes with IB subject-specific goals, objectives, concepts, and skills.
• Act as a feedback mechanism for curriculum development.
• Conduct assessment at every grade level and in every subject Include a range of formative and summative activities applicable to the year and/or course.
• Establish clear success criteria known and understood in advance.
• Encourage reflection and self/peer evaluation.
• Analyze teaching and learning to identify areas for development.
• Showcase student abilities and facilitate differentiated teaching.
• Provide timely feedback to parents on their child's performance

Roles and responsibilities

Students’ responsibilities:

• Have a clear understanding of the knowledge, skills, and concepts being assessed and the assessment criteria.
• Be aware of the weightage assigned to each assessment within the overall assessment scheme.
• Be informed about the expectations and deadlines for assessments.
• Understand the consequences of not meeting the set deadlines.

Teachers’ responsibilities:

• Clearly communicate assessment criteria and expectations to students.
• Provide clear and timely feedback regarding assessment outcomes.
• Student performance will be utilized as feedback to initiate curriculum development or changes in its delivery.
• Employ a variety of assessment tools for evaluating student progress.
• Seek to balance assessment deadlines in consideration of students' workload and time commitments.

Feedback is provided within a 48-72 hour working window, while students can still act on it. For criterion-rich tasks (DP Extended Essay, Internal Assessments, major summatives), interim feedback (whole-class notes, annotated exemplars, coded comments) is provided within that window, with full written feedback within two weeks of submission. Lesson time is built in for students to respond to feedback, revise work or apply it to their next task.

School’s responsibilities:

• Monitor a master calendar to ensure an even distribution of assessment tasks with appropriate notice for students.
• Keep records of achievement on Toddle.

Monitoring and Measuring Progress

The ALS academic team (teachers, coordinators, and administration) closely monitors students’ progress during each term through formative and summative internal assessments that are aligned with the IB criteria, curriculum requirements, and learning objectives of each program.

Formative assignments vary in length and complexity and are conducted in class or assigned as homework. They include oral discussions, quizzes, short tests, short presentations and open-ended tasks. Teachers record some of these (major) formative assignments to inform best-fit judgment for their student’s achievement levels.

Summative assignments are the main tools for assessing the students’ learning outcomes at the end of an instructional unit.

Teachers are expected to have 1-2 graded tasks each week depending on the frequency of the class. Additional work may be given throughout the term, and at the discretion of the teacher may not be graded. All graded tasks must be entered into Toddle within 3 working days.

Progress may also be measured using external benchmarking assessments like MAP testing and PSATs to inform teaching and learning, inclusion and student learning support programs.

MYP and DP teachers regularly review and internally standardize assessments through a collaborative moderation process.

Students are encouraged to have self and peer evaluation and reflect on their own academic progress; based on the feedback of their teachers, they develop their own personalized learning plans moving forward.

Assignments and Homework

The purpose of homework at ALS is to:

• Extend learning
• Reinforce new skills and concepts
• Prepare students for new tasks
• Consolidate previously learned skills and knowledge
• Enable students to revise effectively
• Establish independent habits of study
• Perform independently assessed tasks

The type of homework assigned, and the length of time expected for students to spend on homework vary from grade level to grade level, and the individual needs of the students. Parents are encouraged to speak with the classroom teacher concerning issues related to homework.

Homework is mostly formative (practice and feedback, usually not graded); some assignments are summative and contribute to grades as evidence of learning. Teachers will make clear which is which. Homework should be completed independently, so that the teacher's feedback fits the student's real needs; a child who brings work back with questions tells the teacher far more than a perfect piece completed by an adult

at home. Work missed through an excused absence can be made up; for unexcused absences, teachers are not obliged to offer the same opportunity. For full detail, see the Assessment Policy online.

Reporting

• End-of-Semester report cards
• Regular parent-teacher conferences
• Regular parent-student-teacher communication
• Progress reports (when necessary)
• PYP three-way conferences

The school fulfills all Ministry of Education requirements with regard to reporting.

What Reports Are For

A report contains three things: an achievement indicator or grade, showing what your child can do right now; feedback for next steps; and progress over time. Most parents look first at the grade because it is easiest to see. We invite you to give equal attention to the other two: look at the grade to get oriented, read the feedback carefully (this is the real information), look for growth across the term, ask your child whether the feedback matches what they notice, and help them set a target for next time. A child who understands feedback knows that improvement is possible and that they have agency in their own learning.

If a grade is not what you expected, or you want to understand the evidence behind it, ask to see examples of your child's work and discuss them with the teacher. Every grade is backed by evidence, in every programme, and you have a right to understand how it was reached.

Use of AI in Learning

The school recognises that Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly part of the learning landscape. At ALS, we encourage students to see AI as a resource to enhance understanding, support research, and stimulate inquiry. However, students must not use AI to complete assignments on their behalf, to plagiarise, or to undermine authentic learning.

• The responsible use of AI is guided by the school’s Academic Integrity Policy , which is also a core principle of the International Baccalaureate (IB).
• Parents are encouraged to discuss with their children the appropriate and ethical use of AI, reinforcing the values of honesty, responsibility, and respect for intellectual property.
• Any misuse of AI will be addressed as an academic integrity issue.

Artificial Intelligence in Secondary Learning: A Guide for Parents

Your child is learning to think. AI tools exist in their world now, and we are teaching students to use them responsibly and honestly. Our principle is simple: we think with our students, not for them. As an IB school we value inquiry, agency and authentic learning, and authentic learning means wrestling with difficult ideas, making mistakes and revising. That struggle is not a problem to solve; it is where real learning happens.

• Primary school: we do not use generative AI. Students develop foundational thinking and problem-solving without it.
• Secondary school: with teacher guidance and clear guardrails, students may use AI as a thinking partner, but only when it genuinely supports learning.

What AI can do, used well: help your child think through a problem from several angles; act as a tutor that asks clarifying questions and tests reasoning; support research into complex topics; help organise thinking and break large tasks into steps; challenge your child to explain and defend their ideas.

What AI cannot do: write the assignment, or any part of it; do your child's thinking for them; be trusted for citations or sources, which students must check and evaluate themselves; remove the productive struggle that builds understanding; be used without acknowledgement to the teacher.

When AI generates an answer, your child may feel satisfied, but they have not grappled, failed and revised, and have not built the understanding that comes only from doing so. The IB Learner Profile values thinkers. AI can be a tool in your child's thinking; it can never be a substitute for it.

Achievement Indicators for Grades K-5 (PYP)

Final Achievement Grades for Grades 6-12 (MYP & DP)

In MYP, the criteria-based final evaluation per subject is decided according to teachers’ Best-Fit judgment supported by evidence.

How Grades Are Determined: Professional Judgement Based on Evidence

The 1-7 scale above is not a score out of seven, a percentage or a ranking against other students. It is a description of what your child can currently demonstrate, based on multiple pieces of evidence, and it is not fixed: a student who is a 5 this term can be a 6 next term. Teachers do not average marks. They weigh the full body of evidence across the term, with the most recent and most consistent evidence counting most, so that a student who struggled in September but has improved all term is graded on their current capability, not their early stumbles. One poor assessment does not determine a grade; improvement is built into how grades are decided. "Professional judgement" describes a precise process:

• The criteria are public. Your child is assessed against published IB criteria descriptors. The IB decides what matters, not the individual teacher.
• Evidence is gathered over time : assessments, observations and work samples across a unit or term, never a single test.
• Evidence is matched to the descriptors. Does this work show concepts applied in familiar situations (a 5) or in varied situations (a 6)?
• The overall picture is judged : which descriptor best describes the student's capability across all the evidence?
• Consistency is checked. Subject and grade-level teams moderate student work so that a 5 means the same thing whichever teacher awarded it.

Professional judgement therefore means a trained educator's reasoned synthesis of multiple pieces of evidence against published criteria, checked with colleagues. It is not a guess, a feeling or a single performance, and the reasoning behind it is always open to your questions.

PYP Assessment

Assessment in the PYP is an ongoing process of gathering, analyzing, reflecting, and acting on evidence of student learning to inform learning and teaching. It involves various approaches, strategies, and tools.

The PYP Exhibition: In their final year of the Primary Years Programme, students are expected to carry out an extended, collaborative inquiry project, known as the exhibition, under the guidance of their teachers and mentors. The exhibition, a key part of the PYP assessment model, represents a significant event in the life of both the school and student as it synthesizes the essential elements of the program and allows the students to participate within the whole school community.

MYP Assessment

All 4 criteria will be assessed in each Semester.

If a student receives an incomplete (INC), it means that the student has not completed an assignment/assessment.

Successful completion of the MYP Personal Project is a requirement of promotion to the Diploma Programme.

DP Assessment

The DP is rigorous, and final external examinations matter. But the internal assessment your child completes across the two years matters significantly too: teachers give targeted feedback on it, students revise and improve, predicted grades reflect both achievement and trajectory, and the final grade reflects two years of growth rather than a single exam day. The aim is not to pass an exam but to build deep understanding; exams measure that, and feedback and improvement are what create it.

• Students in Grades 11 and 12 receive a grade for Semester 1 and Semester 2.
• ALS Final Exams: In May-June of Grade 12, those students not taking the IB exams will have final exams set by the school in each subject.

Cumulative Exams:

• Grade 11 students will take a cumulative exam at the end of each semester. The grade 11 cumulative exam in semester 2 covers all of the content learned in Grade 11.
• Grade 12, mock and semester exams cover the content studied in Grades 11 and 12.

Graduation: Teachers are to submit final grades before graduation. Students must complete all graduation requirements before the graduation ceremony to be eligible to participate.

IB DP Core (Extended Essay, CAS, TOK):

Completion of the IB DP Core ‒ Extended Essay, CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service), and TOK course ‒ are ALS graduation requirements.

Grade 11: A comment regarding student’s completion of the Extended Essay will be added to the report card. Insufficient progress may result in promotion on probation, and impacts a student’s ability to meet graduation requirements.

Grade 12: If the Extended Essay is not submitted, graduation is at risk.

For further information about DP grading per subject area, please refer to the DP Handbook.

If You Have Questions About Assessment or Grading

Start with the teacher: ask to see the evidence behind a grade ("Which work led to this grade? Which criteria descriptor does it match?"). Teachers expect and welcome these questions, and will acknowledge emails within 48 hours on working days. If the matter is not resolved, contact the relevant IB Coordinator, who can explain policy and practice, and then the Section Principal. For concerns specifically about IB programme implementation, assessment fairness or academic integrity, parents may also use the IB Programmes Complaints Procedure on the ALS website. Raising a concern never affects your child's grades or standing.

General Objectives

At Advanced Learning Schools, the aim is to build a shared understanding to ensure a safe and secure learning environment in which every student has an opportunity to achieve. To this end, the school aligns its Code of Conduct and Attendance policies with Ministry of Education regulations and local laws. The purpose is to promote regular attendance, maintain a consistent and optimal learning environment, and ensure that students and parents are aware of their responsibilities.

Why It Matters

Learning only happens when students are present. Even excused absences interrupt instruction and progress. When absences accumulate, they not only jeopardize academic success—they also raise concerns about student wellbeing. That’s why consistent attendance is not simply encouraged—it’s expected.

Absence Types

For an absence to be considered excused, required documentation must be provided within 5 days . After 5 days, attendance reporting to the Ministry of Education is locked and cannot be changed.

Attendance Escalation Framework (Per Term)

Excessive absences, even for excused reasons, may impact progress and promotion to the next grade level.

Our aim is to resolve issues early and respectfully. Escalation to the Ministry is a final step, not a first response—but one we are obligated to take when attendance concerns remain unaddressed.

School Calendar and Vacation Arrangements: The school calendar is distributed to all parents in advance of the start of the school year. We expect parents to schedule vacations and family trips to align with the designated school breaks. Families who choose to take their child out of school before it is officially closed for breaks, or return after school has reopened, must understand that such decisions will have an impact on the student's education and is considered as an unexcused absence.

Attendance Records: Students and parents have access to daily attendance records, and receive attendance notifications, through the school’s learning platform (Toddle). The school administration maintains records of attendance which are reported on school-issued progress reports and the MOE yearly transcript.

Tardiness: Teachers take attendance promptly at the beginning of each class, and students will be considered tardy if they arrive inside the classroom after the start of class period. Students who arrive late for the first class of the school day must report directly to the office for an admittance slip. Chronic tardiness is addressed by the school’s Student Guidance Committee for further action (which may include warning, written pledge, after-school guidance sessions, parent meeting, and/or deduction from the behavior grade).

The school’s Student Guidance Committee regularly reviews the attendance reports and follows up with teachers, students, and parents when needed. The committee may recommend additional actions be taken for chronically tardy students.

Arrival after 9:00am Arrival after 9:00am is considered a serious late arrival, rather than ordinary lateness. By this time, the student has missed at least 90 minutes of teaching, including morning routines, lesson introductions, core instruction and potentially assessments or other essential learning. Late entry also disrupts the learning of other students.

Where arrival after 9:00am is unavoidable and foreseeable, a parent or guardian must request approval from the Principal or Vice-Principal and provide 24 hours written notice . In an emergency or other genuinely unforeseeable situation, the parent or guardian must contact the school before 9:00am , or as soon as reasonably possible.

We understand that emergencies happen; this is about partnership, not inflexibility.

A student arriving after 9:00am must:

• Enter through the main reception and must not go directly to class;
• Be signed in by a parent, guardian or authorised adult, unless alternative arrangements have been approved in advance;
• Provide a reason for the late arrival;
• Meet with the Principal or Vice-Principal, when required, before joining the school day; and
• Complete any reasonable arrangements made for missed learning.

Documented emergencies, significant medical circumstances, transportation failures and other exceptional circumstances approved by the Principal may be exempted from proceeding to the Attendance Escalation Framework.

Permission to Leave School During the School Day Students must remain on campus throughout the school day unless permission to leave has been approved in advance by the Principal or Vice-Principal.

• Routine appointments or non-emergency situations must be scheduled outside of school hours to avoid disrupting learning.
• Parents must provide the office 24 hours’ written notice of appointments or early pickup requests.
• To avoid disruption to classes, students may only be excused during class in cases of emergency. If students must be dismissed for an approved appointment during school hours, parents must arrange pickup during the 1st or 2nd break.
• Students who are ill must be seen at the school clinic for care. If warranted, parents will be contacted and the school nurse will approve sign-out.
• Frequent requests for a student to leave early is treated as an attendance matter and addressed through the Attendance Escalation Framework.
• Students who leave school without permission will be subject to disciplinary actions.

Work Missed During Absences:

Excused Absences: It is the student’s responsibility to determine the missed work and make sure that it has been completed within the same number of days as the absence. Time extensions may be made for special circumstances, at the discretion of the teacher. Absent students should check Toddle to collect any assignments or lesson information, and contact teachers to clarify or request updates.

If a student needs to make up an assessment or in-class assignment, the time should be arranged with the teacher upon return, and be held outside of the regular class sessions. Assessments are not allowed to be taken prior to absence.

Unexcused Absences: Teachers are not obligated to provide learning materials for unexcused absences. It is the student's responsibility to acquire and complete any missed assignments at the teacher's discretion. Students are not permitted to make up assessments that were missed during an unexcused absence, resulting in a grade of zero/no credit.

Semester & End of Year Exams: Exam make-up sessions are scheduled after the end of each semester for those with excused absences. If a student is unable to take the end of year final exam during the originally-scheduled time or the make-up time, the student will be required to complete the exam during teacher in-service days before the start of the next school year.

Excessive absence also affects assessment. A student who misses class misses assessments, leaving fewer data points to demonstrate learning against the criteria. Where attendance leaves insufficient evidence for grading, the report may show "NA / Not Assessed (insufficient evidence)" rather than a fabricated grade.

Expectations of the Student Regarding Attendance:

• Students are expected to attend school, including every lesson, and to arrive on time and prepared for each class.
• Students missing assignments or assessments due to excused absences must provide documentation within the required timeline. Upon return from an excused absence, the student is responsible for scheduling missed assessments with the teacher.
• All ALS students are required to attend school until the last day of the academic year.
• All grade 12 students are expected to be present until their final exams/DP exams have been completed. This applies to both Diploma and Non-Diploma candidates.

Expectations of the Parent Regarding Attendance:

• Parents play a vital role in promoting punctual and regular school attendance.
• Parents must contact the office before or on the morning of their child’s absence, and ensure that medical notes are received within the required timeframe.
• Parents are to make every effort to schedule appointments outside of school hours.
• Parents are expected to avoid requesting early pickup of students except in case of emergency.
• Parents are expected to cooperate with the school regarding attendance and attend meetings when requested.

Behavior Management

At school, students develop social, communication, and self-management skills. At ALS, we believe in guiding students to take responsibility for their behavior based on the principles of “treating others the way we would like to be treated,” self-reflection, and putting right any hurt or damage their behavior may have caused.

We have high behavior standards for ourselves and for our students. Students are expected to cooperate with school staff in promoting positive behavior. Consequences for poor behavior are suited to the developmental stage of the student, and the level and frequency of the behavior.

Minor difficulties with student behavior may be managed in the classroom by the teacher. Repetitive or more severe difficulties with student behavior will be addressed by the school administration, and may involve the teachers, parents, School Counselor, and the school’s Student Guidance Committee. Behavior concerns are logged in writing and any disciplinary actions are documented by the school administration. Any extreme or repetitive behavior violation may result in referral to external agencies and will put at risk the student’s continued enrollment at ALS.

Mobile Phones on Campus

Research has shown that mobile phones are very problematic in school — distracting from the teaching and learning taking place, and introducing privacy concerns. In addition, all communication with and about students during the school day must be routed through the appropriate Principal’s office to ensure clear and consistent communication channels with parents.

Student mobile phones are banned on school grounds at all times.

If any student is seen with a phone, even if they are not actively using it, they will be asked to turn it off and it will be confiscated and handed to the relevant Principal’s office.

1st Offense: Confiscation until end of school day, guardian contact 2nd Offense: Confiscation until end of school day, guardian contact, warning that next time the mobile phone will only be released to a guardian 3rd Offense+: Confiscation, mobile phone only released to a guardian

Using any device to record audio or images of students or staff is a violation of the school’s Code of Conduct. If a student is suspected or observed to have used any device to record, the device will be confiscated and only released after a meeting with the student’s guardian.

If a student has a legitimate need to keep a mobile phone during the school day, a

parent may request for it to be submitted to the school office until the end of the school day.

Tutoring Policy

At Advanced Learning Schools, our teachers are dedicated to supporting students’ learning needs within the school environment. For clarity:

• Teachers employed under ALS sponsorship and residency permits are not permitted to engage in any form of employment outside the school. This includes private tutoring, which is not allowed under local labor and residency regulations.
• Parents are encouraged to communicate directly with teachers and school leadership if their child requires additional support. ALS is committed to providing the necessary interventions and resources within the school setting to ensure each student’s success.
• Families are asked to respect this policy, which reflects both legal requirements and our shared commitment to safeguarding professionalism, equity, and student wellbeing.

To graduate and earn the Advanced Learning Schools International High School Diploma, the following requirements must be met:

• Throughout Grades 9-12, a student must earn 26 high school credits (see below).
• To be promoted from one grade level to the next, the student must demonstrate adequate progress toward meeting graduation requirements. See Promotion & Retention Policy.
• Successful completion of MYP Personal Project, Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay & CAS are requirements for the ALS Diploma.

For further details about graduation requirements and diploma pathways, please refer to the DP Handbook and the Careers Handbook.

Available Credits:

Grades 9-10

Grades 11-12

Subject Distribution Requirements: In addition to the graduation requirements mentioned above, students must earn a total of 26 credits during Grades 9-12, and the subjects must fulfill the following distribution at minimum:

Students who attend other schools for any of Grades 9-12 will have their transcripts reviewed by the College Counselor and Principal. Consideration and application of credits is at their sole discretion.

Grades 6 - 12

Academic Probation

• Students failing any course will receive a mid-semester progress report.
• At the end of semester 1, parents of students failing any course will be informed in writing.
• DP students failing any course at the end of the year will be required to take a makeup exam. Students who do not attend or do not pass the makeup exam risk promotion or graduation. Promotion
• Students who pass all subjects (with a 3 or above) will be promoted to the next grade level.
• Students who fail two or more courses (with a 2 or below) risk promotion to the next grade level.
• Students cannot be promoted on probation more than once in consecutive years. Retention
• Students may be retained if they fail two or more subjects.
• Students may be retained if they fail the same subject for two consecutive years.
• Students may not repeat any grade level more than once.

Students must maintain progress toward meeting graduation requirements. Only Grade 12 students who have fulfilled all coursework and graduation requirements will be permitted to participate in graduation ceremonies.

Activities, Clubs and Sport

Learning does not stop at the classroom door. Each section offers after-school activities and clubs across sport, the arts, service and academic interests; the programme changes each term and is published on Toddle with sign-up dates. Inter-school sport, trips, the PYP Exhibition, the MYP Personal Project, DP CAS and school events are all part of the year. Students who take part are expected to attend regularly, keep up with their schoolwork and follow the same standards of behaviour as during the school day. Trips require written parental consent, and the school’s usual safeguarding standards apply.

Assemblies

ALS holds several assemblies throughout the year. The assemblies provide opportunities for students to demonstrate leadership and celebrate learning and achievement. Guest speakers and parents are welcome on specific occasions and/or theme assemblies.

Birthdays/Special Occasions

Classes may occasionally celebrate together to mark a special event or a classmate's birthday. Each school section manages such celebrations based on the age of students

and scheduling needs. Such occasions must therefore be arranged through the classroom teacher or appropriate Principal’s office in advance.

Books and Supplies

Grades K-5: Students will receive books in school. These books will be used in class and sent home when needed. At the end of the year, students may keep their books at home. A supply list will be provided to parents during the first week of school. Parents should purchase the supplies and send them to school. All supplies will be stored in the classroom. Grades 6-12: Textbooks or e-books are issued to each student. Students are responsible for bringing their own supplies, and for the maintenance of the supplies provided by the school (and, if necessary, their replacement cost).

Clinic, Medication and Illness

The school operates onsite clinics which provide emergency first aid treatment. The Clinic is NOT to be used to treat non-emergency conditions.

In order to facilitate the emergency nature of our Clinics the following will apply:

• Student MUST have a note/pass from Classroom teacher to visit clinic (aside from breaks)
• No more than TWO (2) students are allowed in the Clinic at a time
• Students must leave the Clinic immediately upon the instruction of the Nurse
• The Nurse will determine if the student needs to return to class or be sent home, and will communicate directly with parents if pickup is required.

We encourage parents to have their own medical insurance to cover the costs of medical care that may be related to any accident that occurs.

Medication: the school does not give students medicine of any kind without written parental authorisation. If your child needs medication during the school day, including inhalers and allergy pens, bring it to the clinic in its original packaging with the completed medication form, and the nurse will store and administer it. Students may not carry or share medicines.

Illness: please keep your child at home when they are unwell, and until they have been free of fever, vomiting or diarrhoea for 24 hours; a child with an infectious condition returns when a doctor confirms they may. Tell the clinic about any medical condition, allergy or change in your child’s health, and keep your emergency contact numbers up to date: in an emergency the school needs to reach you within minutes.

Food (Snacks, Lunch, Canteen, Food Delivery)

Students may NOT have food or drinks delivered to school. If there is a unique reason, permission must be sought at least one day in advance from the relevant Principal. Deliveries will be rejected at the gate and sent home.

For the protection of students with allergies, ALS is a nut-free environment.

All students are encouraged to bring a healthy lunch from home: fruit, vegetables, protein and whole grains rather than sugary cereals, cakes, sweets and soft drinks, which do nothing for concentration. If sugar is one of the first three ingredients on the label, please leave it at home.

Canteen service: Canteen service is available for students in grades 4-12, and is optional. Payment must be in cash or a physical card ; no mobile devices may be used for payment.

Lockers & Cubbies

Cubbies are provided for K-5 students, and lockers are provided for students in Grades 6-12. Backpacks must fit inside the space provided; wheeled bags are discouraged. Students are responsible for securing their personal belongings. One locker key is issued to students in grades 6-12, and must be returned at the end of the year. Lost keys will incur a replacement charge of 500 SAR.

Parent Access to KG Classrooms

To support a smooth transition to school and help students develop independence, relationships and a strong sense of classroom community, parents are asked to drop their children off at the designated classroom entrance and allow them to enter independently. This is especially important during the first weeks of school as children establish routines and adjust to their new learning environment.

Parents should not enter or remain in KG classrooms during the school day unless invited by the teacher or school administration. This helps maintain consistent routines and provides students with a calm and focused learning environment.

School Uniform

All students K-12 are expected to wear full school uniform (uniform shirt, pants, and jacket) at all times unless permission has been given for other clothing. School uniforms are available from the school Administration building.

All students are required to wear safe, fully-closed, appropriate footwear for school.

Students must be groomed appropriately for school — with long hair tied back, and without nail polish or makeup.

Student abayas must be removed and kept in the student’s locker or bag upon entering school grounds.

The Principals may designate “Spirit Days” and have the authority to establish a particular mode of attire for those special days or a part of those days. Students who choose not to participate in the particular mode of attire for those special occasion days are required to follow the regular School Uniform expectations above.

Repeated violations of our school uniform may result in students being asked to return home to change and not being allowed on campus.

Visitors and Campus Security

All campuses have controlled entry. Visitors, including parents, report to reception, sign in, read and sign the safeguarding declaration, and wear a visitor badge while on site, accompanied by a member of staff. Students may be collected only by a parent or by an adult the parent has authorised in writing, who may be asked for identification. Please carry your ID when you visit, and do not be offended if a member of staff asks who you are: they are doing exactly what we ask of them.

Important school policies may be found in full on Toddle and on the school website, including:

A. Academic Integrity Policy B. Admissions Policy C. Child Protection Policy D. Language Policy E. Inclusion Policy F. Assessment Policy

Parent Agreement Forms

The policies, laws and research referred to in this handbook are listed here so that families can read them in full.

ALS policies and procedures

All ALS policies are published on the policies section of the school website and on Toddle. Those referred to in this handbook are:

• Academic Integrity Policy
• Admissions Policy
• Assessment Policy
• Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
• Inclusion Policy
• Language Policy
• ALS Complaints Procedure
• IB Programmes Complaints Procedure
• School Academic Calendar

Accrediting and authorising bodies

• Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — the school’s licensing authority; its Systems, Regulations and Policies page publishes the regulations for foreign schools and for special education programmes.
• International Baccalaureate — authorises ALS to offer the PYP, MYP and DP.
• Council of International Schools — international accreditation.
• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools — accreditation (United States).

Saudi law referred to in this handbook

• Child Protection Law, Royal Decree M/14 (1436H / 2014) — Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers.
• Anti-Cyber Crime Law, Royal Decree M/17 (1428H / 2007) — Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers.
• Personal Data Protection Law, Royal Decree M/19 (1443H / 2021) — Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).

Research referred to in this handbook

Partnership between home and school

• Desforges, C. and Abouchaar, A. (2003). The Impact of Parental Involvement, Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievement and Adjustment: A Literature Review . Research Report 433. London: Department for Education and Skills.
• Henderson, A. T. and Mapp, K. L. (2002). A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement . Austin, Texas: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
• Education Endowment Foundation (2021). Parental engagement. Teaching and Learning Toolkit . educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk

Mindset, feedback and learning

• Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success . New York: Random House.

Class placements and classroom grouping

• Blatchford, P., Kutnick, P., Baines, E. and Galton, M. (2003). Toward a social pedagogy of classroom group work. International Journal of Educational Research , 39(1–2), 153–172.
• Baines, E., Blatchford, P. and Kutnick, P. (2017). Promoting Effective Group Work in the Primary Classroom (2nd edition). London: Routledge.

Bullying, bystanders and restorative practice

• Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do . Oxford: Blackwell.
• Hawkins, D. L., Pepler, D. J. and Craig, W. M. (2001). Naturalistic observations of peer interventions in bullying. Social Development , 10(4), 512–527.
• Morrison, B. (2007). Restoring Safe School Communities: A Whole School Response to Bullying, Violence and Alienation . Sydney: Federation Press.
• Curwin, R. L., Mendler, A. N. and Mendler, B. D. (2008). Discipline with Dignity (3rd edition). Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD.
• Anti-Bullying Alliance (UK). Guidance on the language of bullying. anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk

Mobile phones in school

• UNESCO (2023). Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in Education – A Tool on Whose Terms? Paris: UNESCO.