Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
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The British International School Riyadh opened in September 1979 as the Riyadh Continental School to provide a British education for expatriate families, with support from the British Embassy and local banks. In March 1981 it was incorporated into the Saudi Arabian International Schools and renamed the British International School Riyadh. The school moved to the Rawdah site in 1982 due to rising student numbers, and in September 1995 it relocated to a purpose-built campus adjacent to the Al Hamra Compound in northern Riyadah. GCSE provision began in 2002 (Year 10) with Year 11 following in 2003, and the Sixth Form opened in September 2004, inaugurated by Prince Charles (now King Charles). From 2020 the BIS network expanded with new campuses and joining affiliations, including Al Saqr and Al Sharq openings, culminating in a large relocation to the Al Waha campus in 2025 as part of alignment with Vision 2030.
BISR is a not-for-profit, seven-campus, co-educational school in Saudi Arabia, serving around 3,000 students aged 3–18 from more than 90 nationalities and employing over 530 staff. The school supports a broad co-curricular programme that includes house events, student leadership, service learning and residential trips. The community is spread across seven campuses, united by a common mission and shared educational philosophy. Active parent involvement through campus PTAs also plays a key role in the school's community life.
Each BISR campus has an active Parent Teacher Association that works to organise events and activities to reinforce the school community and provide extra opportunities for students. The PTA helps give parents a voice to offer fresh insight and contribute to continuous improvement, and it invites involvement from families at the campus level. Parents can contact their campus PTA to get involved, and the PTA pages outline visit and admissions-related information for families considering joining the school community.