A REPLICA of a famous Dorset public school is set to be built in the deserts of the Middle East.

Several members of the Qatar royal family have attended Sherborne School in the past and they were so impressed by it they are now funding their very own version.

The new school will be modelled on the historic buildings of the North Dorset establishment, although Islamic tradition means the abbey will not be included.

The pupils will take English-speaking lessons and will even wear the traditional blue uniform worn at 500-year-old Sherborne.

The multi-million pound project is now in its final stages and is being funded by the family of the ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. His son, Crown Prince Tahim, attended Sherborne along with other members of the family.

The former head of languages at £24,000-a-year Sherborne, Dr Colin Niven, will be the academic director at Sherborne School Qatar.

He said Sherborne and two other prestigious schools in the US are being used as models for a new education project in Qatar.

He said: “The Qatar royal family like Sherborne very much.

“Qatar is currently the most prosperous country in the world and they are using their money totally selflessly. The Emir is a very shrewd and benevolent ruler.

“They want to have a school that will set a tone for education at its best – we are trying to set a standard for the whole country to emulate.

“They do consider the British model of education to be the best. It is something we can be very proud to send abroad.”

The school is expected to open in September in an existing school but the replica establishment will be complete within three years on the same site.

An advertising campaign to recruit a further 20 British teachers on tax-free salaries is about to be launched.

Notable Sherborne alumni include Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, novelist John le Carre and Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons.