Every Child is Known. Every Child Belongs.
Specialist learning support is not an add-on at GFH Alia National School—it is part of who we are. For more than 20 years, we have supported children with diverse learning profiles through personalised teaching, inclusive classrooms, and evidence-informed practice.
✓ 20+ Years of Specialist Experience
✓ American Curriculum
✓ WASC Accredited
✓ IQM Centre of Excellence
✓ ABA Expertise
✓ Individual Education Plans
GFH Alia National School follows an American curriculum, combined with the Bahrain Ministry of Education syllabus for Arabic, Islamic Studies, and Social Studies. The school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and also holds the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) and ASDAN accreditation.
Who We Support
We welcome families of children with a wide range of learning profiles. If your child learns differently, this is a school that has spent more than twenty years understanding how to help.
Autism
ADHD
Learning Difficulties
Developmental Delays
Speech and Language Needs
Executive Functioning Difficulties
Social Communication Needs
Behaviour Support Needs
This is not an exhaustive list. Admissions decisions are based on whether the school can appropriately meet each child’s educational needs.
A Continuum of Support
Every child receives the level of support most appropriate to their current educational needs. Support is flexible and individualised, and it moves with the child. These are not separate schools. They are one continuum of support within GFH Alia National School.
Inclusive Mainstream Education
Many students thrive in mainstream classrooms with the right support around them.
- differentiated teaching
- classroom accommodations
- Individual Education Plans
- Learning Support consultation
- teacher collaboration
- progress monitoring
Resource Programme
For students who benefit from more structured teaching while remaining connected to mainstream school life. Placement is reviewed regularly.
- IEP-based learning
- individualised instruction
- small-group teaching
- curriculum adaptations where appropriate
- specialist Learning Support
- communication support
- executive functioning support where appropriate
Partial Mainstream Programme
Students may learn across both Resource and Mainstream environments according to their Individual Education Plan. Timetables are individually designed, with flexibility at the centre.
- academic subjects
- specialist lessons
- art
- music
- physical education
- library
- assemblies
- school activities
- extracurricular programmes
Transition School Readiness Programme
Prepares young learners who are not yet ready for full classroom participation. Students transition into Early Years or another appropriate educational pathway when ready.
- communication
- social interaction
- play skills
- behaviour regulation
- independence
- classroom routines
- attention
- early learning behaviours
- group participation
- school readiness
How Learning Support Works
Support begins with a conversation and is shaped around your child. Every step is collaborative and honest.
1
Parent conversation
2
Review of reports
3
Observation and/or assessment
4
Placement recommendation
5
Individual Education Plan
6
Ongoing review
The Individual Education Plan
Every student receiving Learning Support has an Individual Education Plan (IEP): a clear, living document that guides teaching and moves with the child.
- identifies strengths
- identifies needs
- sets measurable goals
- guides teaching
- identifies accommodations where appropriate
- identifies curriculum modifications where appropriate
- measures progress
- is reviewed regularly
Each IEP is developed collaboratively with parents, teachers, Learning Support staff, and specialists where appropriate.
Inclusion in Action
Children who need support at Alia are not separated from school life. They learn alongside their peers whenever appropriate, with the support brought to the student rather than the child taken away from everything else. Participation is encouraged across all aspects of school life. Inclusion at Alia is not a policy statement. It is how the school is built, and has been for twenty years. Every child is known, and every child belongs.
Behaviour and Wellbeing
Alia takes a positive, evidence-informed approach to behaviour and wellbeing, grounded in Positive Behaviour Support.
- understanding behaviour as communication
- proactive strategies
- support for emotional regulation
- predictable routines
- collaborative planning
- partnership with families
The goal is always to understand and support, never to punish.
Working Together
The strength of Alia’s provision is not a program. It is people who pay attention, working together around each child. Progress and wellbeing are watched as one, because for a child who finds school hard, the two cannot be separated.
- parents
- class teachers
- Learning Support teachers
- SENCO
- Head of Learning Support
- therapists where appropriate
- external professionals where appropriate
School Highlights
20+ Years Supporting Diverse Learners
American Curriculum
WASC Accredited
IQM Centre of Excellence
ABA Expertise
Inclusive Classrooms
Individualised Learning
Learning Support at a Glance
- Learning Support enquiries: Speak to our Learning Support team
- Admissions process: How to apply
- Fees: Fees and financial information
- Location: Block 910, West Riffa, Kingdom of Bahrain
- Contact: +973 17737377 or admin@alianationalschool.org
- Visit: Book a campus tour
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my child need a diagnosis?
No formal diagnosis is required to start a conversation. You may have a diagnosis, or only a sense that something is harder for your child than it should be. Either way, we are glad to talk.
How is support decided?
Support begins with a conversation, a review of any reports, and observation or assessment where helpful, leading to a placement recommendation and an Individual Education Plan.
What is an Individual Education Plan?
A clear, living plan that identifies your child’s strengths and needs, sets measurable goals, guides teaching, and is reviewed regularly.
Will my child learn in a mainstream classroom?
Wherever appropriate, yes. Many students thrive in mainstream classrooms with differentiated teaching and support, and students learn alongside their peers whenever appropriate.
What is the Resource Programme?
A more structured setting for students who benefit from individualised, small-group teaching while remaining connected to mainstream school life. Placement is reviewed regularly.
What is Partial Mainstreaming?
An individually designed timetable where a student learns across both Resource and Mainstream environments according to their Individual Education Plan.
What is the Transition School Readiness Programme?
A programme that prepares young learners who are not yet ready for full classroom participation, developing communication, social, play, and early learning skills before they move into Early Years or another appropriate pathway.
Can support change over time?
Yes. Support is flexible and individualised, and placement is reviewed regularly, so it changes as your child changes.
How often is progress reviewed?
Individual Education Plans are reviewed regularly, with parents, teachers, and Learning Support staff.
Can outside therapists be involved?
Yes. The team works with external specialists and professionals where that is in the child’s best interest.
What happens during admissions?
Admissions begin with a conversation, a review of reports, and observation or assessment where helpful. Admissions decisions are based on whether the school can appropriately meet your child’s educational needs.
Let’s Start the Conversation
Every child is unique. We’d be pleased to listen, answer your questions honestly, and help you decide whether GFH Alia National School is the right educational environment for your child.
GFH Alia National School 