British schools in Kuwait: a guide for families

Kuwait has a well-established private school sector in which British-curriculum schools are a long-standing and popular choice, both for expatriates and for many Kuwaiti families.

Regulation

Private schools in Kuwait operate under the oversight of the Ministry of Education (through its private education department), which sets rules on licensing, fees and compulsory subjects. Many British schools also hold a BSO inspection or international accreditation. These reports are the best independent evidence of quality.

Compulsory subjects

British schools teach Arabic and Islamic studies for Arab and Muslim pupils, often alongside Kuwaiti social studies for nationals. Schools fit these around the English National Curriculum in different ways.

Where the schools are

Schools are spread across the metropolitan area, with clusters in Salmiya, Hawally, Mishref and Rumaithiya, and further south around Fahaheel and Ahmadi, where many oil-sector families live. Journeys can be long at peak times, so consider the school run when choosing housing.

Things to check

1. Accreditation and inspection reports, and how recent they are.
2. The share of UK-trained teachers and staff turnover.
3. IGCSE and A-Level results with candidate numbers.
4. Class sizes and the nationality mix.
5. The full fee schedule, including registration fees and annual increases.

See our school checklist and nearby Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Directory: British schools in Kuwait

Our school-by-school directory for Kuwait is being researched. We only list a school once its details have been checked against its own published information.