New Schools with Availability: Our Picks
September is fast approaching and oops... you're yet to settle on a school for your child. It was on your to-do list, but choice can be overwhelming and suddenly you feel as though you've run out of time. Is it too late? Are all the good schools full already?
Thankfully not, this is Dubai after all, the city of choice and abundance. You still have options, and with a range of interesting new schools opening in the city, there are still spaces available for your child. Here are some of our top picks of new and new-ish schools to consider in Dubai.
Durham School Dubai
Curriculum: English National Curriculum (UK)
Location: Dubai Investment Park (DIP)
Availability (2022-23): FS1 – Year 8
Opening: September 2022
Annual Fees: 54,000 - 87,000AED (discounted fees 38,340 - 51,300AED)
Durham School Dubai is the third international branch of one of England's longest established day and boarding schools, Durham School. The original school is an institution of great prestige and historic importance; founded in 1414 and re-founded in 1541 by King Henry VIII. While the Dubai campus is a far cry from this historic UNESCO World Heritage Site, it does aim to retain the same traditional British values and educational ethos.
Principal Mark Atkins, told us:
“We are offering a traditional British education. We will make sure we get the basics right: science, reading, writing, good manners and discipline, proper dining. Once you've got the basics in place, you're giving children all the tools they need to be successful.”
Appeal: Durham School Dubai is likely to appeal to families seeking a British style education with an academic focus. For parents feeling exasperated by excessive technology use in primary schools and hoping for a focus on the traditional fundamentals, Durham School Dubai is well worth a look.
Bloom World Academy
Curriculum: International Baccalaureate (IB)
Location: Al Barsha South Dubai
Availability (2022-23): Pre-K – Grade 9
Opening: September 2022
Annual Fees: 50,000 - 78,000AED (discounted fees 40,000 - 72,000AED)
Bloom World Academy is the first home grown school brand to be developed by Abu Dhabi-based Bloom Education, who are best known for the Outstanding-rated Brighton Colleges in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain (as well as the highly regarded but as yet ungraded Brighton College Dubai).
Bloom World Academy is already making waves with its bold USPs of a flexible school day (the first to offer a 9:00am start), a customised education plan for each child and monthly parent meetings.
Principal John Bell explained:
"Every child should have personalised attention, which sounds idealistic, but it is entirely practical as well. We build the learning journey around the child, we make communication a priority with monthly parent meetings, whether it's online or in person. We set targets to keep children on track for age related expectations, and we stretch targets. We assess if children are performing above expectations, or if a child is struggling, we do things differently. At Bloom World Academy, this level of communication and planning will be for every child.”
Appeal: Bloom World Academy will likely appeal to families rejecting the standardised ‘exam factory’ approach to education, who are seeking an environment where their child’s individual interests and abilities will be seen, understood, and developed.
Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai
Curriculum: English National Curriculum (UK)
Location: Tilal Al Ghaf / Sports City Dubai
Availability (2022-23): FS1 - Year 7
Opened: September 2021
Annual Fees: 75,000 - 114,000AED (discounted fees 63,750 - 82,450AED)
Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai opened its doors in September 2021 and despite the short time it has been operating, the school gives the impression of being much more established. It has gained a strong reputation and loyal community of families and looks to be growing in 2022-23.
The original RGS Guildford, established in 1509 and one of the most academically successful all-boys schools, is consistently ranked as one of the top schools in the UK at both A Level and GCSE. RGSG Dubai aims to likewise be a "beacon of excellence for British education and one of the finest international schools in the world."
Principal Clare Turnbull told us of the connection between RGS Guildford and RGSG Dubai:
"At the Royal Grammar School Guildford we always want to be part of the most dynamic and forward thinking global education environments. At the heart of our school in Dubai, we have the same core values and learning habits and we share also the same robust and well planned programme of character education."
Appeal: Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai will appeal to families seeking British style education with a focus on academic excellence. RGSGD aims to provide the highest quality educational experience, and many of the school's families report experiencing exactly that.
Citizens School
Curriculum: English National Curriculum (UK)
Location: City Walk, Dubai
Availability (2022-23): FS1-Year 6
Opening: September 2022
Annual Fees: 45,000 - 65,000AED (36,000 - 52,000AED)
Blenhiem Schools, part of the leading UK education group Chatsworth Schools has joined forces with Al Zarooni Emirates Investments to open Citizens School Dubai. This new British curriculum school is set to be far from ordinary; the team behind this project say it will be resolutely non-selective and inclusive, with a focus on global mindedness, child wellbeing and choice.
The school is set to be double the size of other schools in the same catchment area and has been designed to support children of all abilities and support needs and to encourage student collaboration and flexible learning experiences.
Anita Gleave, Founder and CEO of Blenheim Schools provided context for the school’s vision. She said:
“We won't have classrooms; we’ll have dynamic learning spaces. We won't have teachers; we’ll have mentors. We won't have a traditional day."
Appeal: Citizens School Dubai will likely appeal to families hoping for an individual and inclusive approach to learning, with a focus on child happiness. This school is aiming to be far from standardised, with a focus on experiences and individual achievement rather than ‘results’.
Emirates National Schools Dubai
Curriculum: International Baccalaureate (IB) & US Common Core
Location: Khawaneej Dubai
Availability (2022-23): Pre-K - Grade 6
Opened: September 2021
Annual Fees: 25,000 - 45,000AED (fee discount of 7% - 25%)
Emirates National Schools Dubai is the sixth school in the UAE to open within the ENS group and the only campus in Dubai at present. The Dubai school's spacious ultra-modern campus has a state of the art theatre, swimming pool, air conditioned domes for year-round outdoor sports, and IT and robotics labs.
The school currently predominantly caters to Emirati children but is open to children of all nationalities and is staffed by an international team of educators.
Principal Andreas Swoboda told us:
"We are truly a close knit community at ENS; our parents work hand in hand with our teachers to support the education of our children. We have a fantastic team of young enthusiastic teachers from all over the English speaking world, from Ireland from the UK from the United States from South Africa. I'm very proud of the knowledge and skill they exude and apply on a day to day basis for the betterment of our students."
Appeal: Emirates National Schools Dubai will likely appeal to families seeking an international education with top grade facilities, underpinned by UAE culture and values.
