Age Requirements for UAE Schools: A Guide

With a multitude of curricula on offer in the UAE, it can be confusing to understand which year group your child should be entering into. WhichSchoolAdvisor.com has put together this simple guide to assist families in understanding how the UAE's very diverse education system works in terms of year groups and student age. 

At What Age Do Children Start School in the UAE?

Compulsory education in the UAE is from age 6 years to 18 years (or completion of Grade 12/Year 13). Despite this, it is very common for children to start school at as young as 3 years old (Pre-KG/FS1). This is, of course, the choice of the child’s parents, and the varying norms of a family’s home country often plays a role in the decision.

Can My Child Stay at Nursery Until They're Ready?

UAE nurseries are able to accept children from 45 days to 4 years old, with many Dubai nurseries and early learning centres now also licensed to accept children up to 6-years old, for FS2/KG1 and Year 1/KG2 (for them to do so, they are required to apply for permission from the KHDA, and must have adequate space, resources, expertise and qualified staff in place).

For nurseries in Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates, FS1/Pre-KG (3-4 year olds) is the oldest age group generally permitted in nurseries, according to their licensing. 

Can My Child Be Moved Up or Down a Year Group?

Any decision to move a child to a different year group would require the school to seek permission from the school's education regulator, and would only be considered on a case by case basis (if at all). Dubai's KHDA states the following: "No exceptions to the cut-off dates will be given under any circumstances."

Some parents whose children are due to start school, are born close to the cut off date and are therefore likely to be among the youngest in their class also ask if it is possible to delay their child's entry to school or request that they enter a lower year group.  The answer to this is yes. 

It is possible to request that a child is entered into the year group below his or her age if the parents and the school feel that the child will benefit from being an older child among younger children. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that being an older child within the class is academically and socially advantageous.  Both the school and the parent will need approval from the regulator for such a 'demotion'.  Parents must bear in mind, however, that a demotion is not reversible.  Once a child has been placed in a lower year group, it is not possible subsequently to ask that s/he is promoted to the original age-appropriate group.

Age Requirements in UAE Schools:

The below is as per revisions made in 2021 by the UAE's federal education authority, and is accurate at the time of writing.

For schools with an academic year starting in March, rather than September, the same age requirements apply with a cut off date of March 31 rather than August 31.