Virtual School in Bahrain: Small A Level Sets, the Causeway and Riffa to Zallaq

By Brendaliz Chelangat, Head of Academics · October 2026 · 9 min read

Bahrain’s problem is not a lack of good schools. Manama, Saar and the areas around them have well-established British, American and international schools, and most families find one they trust. The problem appears later, and it is a problem of size. On an island this small, the number of students in any one school who want Further Mathematics, Computer Science or a third science at A Level can be very small indeed. This guide is about that arithmetic, about families in the south of the island and those who cross the causeway, and about the university routes that start from Bahrain.

The small-cohort problem

Every school builds its sixth-form timetable from what enough students want. Four students choosing Further Mathematics, three choosing Computer Science and two choosing Economics with Physics cannot all be served, and a head of department who says so is being honest, not unhelpful. The student then drops a subject they need or takes one they do not. A live group drawn from Bahrain, the wider Gulf, East Africa and beyond turns three interested students into a class with a specialist teacher. The student stays at their school for everything else, including the friendships, sport and pastoral care that a school does best, and takes the missing subject with us in the afternoon.

Riffa, Awali, Zallaq and the south

Riffa families, Bahraini and expatriate, often find that the school they want is a drive north towards Manama or Saar at rush hour. Further south, Awali grew up around the oil company, and Zallaq and Sakhir are a long way from most international campuses. For families in these areas, live online teaching does two jobs. It can supply a single subject alongside a nearer school, which is the most common use. And for an expatriate family who has confirmed its own position, it can run a full timetable from home. Bahrain is on UTC+3, the same as Nairobi, so a 9:00 lesson is 9:00 in Riffa, Sunday to Thursday, and every lesson is recorded.

Causeway families

Some families live in Bahrain while a parent works across the King Fahd Causeway in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, and others move between the two countries during a career. For their children, continuity is the main need: the same syllabus, the same exam board and the same teachers, whichever side of the causeway the family is living on that year. Both countries share the same clock as Nairobi, so the timetable does not change either. A Cambridge or Pearson Edexcel programme built in Bahrain continues unchanged in Al Khobar or Dhahran, and exam entries can be made in whichever country the family is in at the time. That saves a family from restarting a qualification halfway through.

Bahraini families: adding, not replacing

For Bahraini students the local school remains the base. It keeps Arabic, Islamic studies and the national record, and it is where most of the day belongs. What we add is targeted: IGCSE English, Mathematics and the sciences for a student aiming at an English-taught programme, or AS and A Level subjects their school cannot timetable. Cambridge IGCSE Arabic and Islamic Studies can also be taken where a family wants them on an international record. Because the rules for homeschooling and online schooling can differ for Bahraini citizens and expatriate residents, this alongside arrangement is the one we recommend for Bahraini families. Lessons run in the afternoon, after the school day, and every one is recorded.

Universities at home and abroad

A student finishing A Levels in Bahrain can apply locally and abroad in the same season. In Bahrain that might mean the University of Bahrain, Bahrain Polytechnic or RCSI Bahrain for medicine; abroad, UCAS, the Common Application or universities elsewhere in the Gulf. IGCSE and A Level are widely used in Bahrain’s private schools and are accepted by universities in Bahrain and abroad, but each university sets its own requirements. If a certificate needs to be recognised for university or government purposes, ask the university or the Ministry of Education about equivalency before subjects are chosen. Private candidates sit exams through British Council Bahrain, and centres are confirmed per family, per session.

The legal position, and when the local school is right

Bahrain’s education law makes basic education compulsory. The rules for homeschooling and online schooling are not set out in detail and can differ for Bahraini citizens and expatriate residents. Expatriate families commonly use international online schools, especially for IGCSE and A Level. Check your own situation with the Ministry of Education, and if your child may later move to a Bahraini school, ask about equivalency and transfer requirements before you start. Smartious claims no approval from the Ministry. And the local school is very often right: if it runs the subjects your child needs, keep it and keep us out of it. We would rather tell you that at the assessment.

Bahrain’s schools are good; its sixth-form sets are small. A live subject teacher solves that arithmetic without anyone changing school, keeps causeway families on one programme in two countries, and leaves the university choice open at home and abroad. Wherever you are on the island, book an assessment, and we will start with the subjects your child’s school can and cannot offer, then tell you honestly whether you need us.

Frequently asked questions

What time are live classes in Bahrain?

Bahrain is on Arabia Standard Time (UTC+3), the same as Nairobi, so a 9:00 lesson is 9:00 in Manama and Riffa. Classes run Sunday to Thursday and every lesson is recorded.

Can my child take one A Level with you and stay at school?

Yes, and it is the most common arrangement in Bahrain. The school keeps everything else, and the missing subject runs live with us in the afternoon.

We may move to the Eastern Province. Does the programme continue?

Yes. The syllabus, exam board, teachers and timetable stay the same, and Saudi Arabia shares Bahrain’s time zone.

Is online schooling allowed in Bahrain?

Basic education is compulsory, and the rules for homeschooling and online schooling are not set out in detail and can differ for citizens and residents. Check with the Ministry of Education.

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