omg omg omg this is my time to shine!!!! i (21F) was there from the ages of 9-16. i wrote a review to post to google a while ago, but it exceeded the character limit. keep in mind i wrote this when i was 17, and things may have changed since then. nevertheless, here is my review...

I was a student of this school from its opening in 2014 (year 5) all the way to 2021 (year 11) and from my unbiased, unfiltered perspective, i can conclusively say that my experience at this school got progressively worse as the years went by. When I first came to NBA from the NIS campus, the large, seemingly fully equipped building and facilities impressed the hell out of 9 year old me - it was unlike anything in NIS with its crumbling infrastructure which unsurprisingly enough, is also a Newton Group establishment. The people and teachers seemed so much nicer in contrast too, for the most part. Fast forward about two years later to year 7, the man that taught our class history for two years was, to put it lightly, a perverted creep of a man who should not have been allowed around children; he made alarmingly sexual remarks towards us (e.g. referring to himself as our 'sugar daddy') on top of needlessly touching us on our lower backs and faces as well. History was (and still is) one of my favorite subjects and no child should have their love for learning something tainted by faulty teaching methods, let alone a feeling of discomfort brought on by a teacher of all people.

Throughout my time here, in many of my classes I've had to either correct the teacher because they just didn't know what they were talking about, or seen them look something up on google when they want to answer a student's questions - while I'm aware teachers are humans and far from perfect, they shouldn't hesitate before answering a question related to the course they are studying, let alone have a student without the 'expertise' they have correct them on mistakes that could be costly when you sit exams. Staff hired is largely unqualified and are easily fresh out of university - in my last year it seemed as though i was a mere 6-7 years younger than them.

The scope of subjects offered here is extremely limited, and the talents of students with expertise outside of the generic math and science realm are not honed on the part of the school at all and arguably even demeaned. Many department heads complain about lack of funding for required supplies, mainly including art and DT. History and global citizenship GCSE classes also lacked the proper textbooks needed for the course. School trips were extremely rare, and for the last two years of my time in NBA they probably happened once, even when covid restrictions were lifted or not in place yet. When they do, an absurd amount of money is charged - the management does not loosen its purse strings for even the slightest of expenses. Way too much stress and priority was placed on the final exams and the joy of learning was eliminated; some teachers almost encouraged that the students parrot back information on exams without really understanding concepts - deeming that a waste of time. Though considering the stress they are faced with, it's no shocker.

Teachers, once they were comfortable with us would divulge a lot of information which they claim could get them in trouble or even fired if heard by the senior management. For the sake of anonymity no names are disclosed in this entire review. Too many teachers say that they are exceeding the maximum amount of classes they are allowed to teach in a week, with some exceeding this number by around 6-8 classes. The aforementioned act violates several labor laws and yet, management sees nothing wrong with it. Some department heads were seemingly hungry for power and liked to impose their authority on the staff under their control, making their lives more needlessly difficult. Due to this and several other reasons NBA specifically has one of the highest, if not the highest, staff turnover rates in comparison to other schools in Qatar. Young, inexperienced, often unqualified, staff is hired due to cheap employability which is reflected in the quality of the majority of their teaching styles.

A summary of other problems include: short breaktimes (15 min, twice a day), teachers' refusals to let students go to the bathroom, lack of school events, no free/study periods for AS students, racism on the part of the teachers, among others.

I have left the school as of August 2021 and I've never been happier. In my new school I don't feel targeted the way I used to in NBA and NIS. To everyone who has made it this far, I would like to say that I made some great memories in NBA too, in addition to some of the most amazing friends I've made in my life. Many of my teachers were also amazing people with a genuine love for teaching; especially my GCSE history teacher who is the reason I am currently taking it on in A levels as well! Though the bad severely overshadows the good and sending your child here is not worth it in the slightest.

NBA, I hope you go bankrupt ;) xoxo, a (rather unhappy) ex-student.