Top Affordable UK Schools in Dubai, 2018-2019

Schools 30,000 - 40,000 AED

Sheffield Private School 

Curriculum: UK
Years: FS1 to Year 13
Fees:  21,405 AED to 40,365 AED
KHDA Rating: Good
Location: Al Nahda 

The Buzz: Last year Sheffield rose from an Acceptable rated school to a Good one, with an impressive improvement in 18 different indicators. This year was similarly impressive with a further 16 indicator improvement. Clearly Sheffield is doing something right!

What the KHDA says: The new ratings mean most of post-16 provision and significant parts of Secondary are now considered Very Good.

However, “Arabic as an additional language still remains Weak at Primary and Secondary attainment.

“The principal and senior leaders' close teamwork and clear vision for improving the school have enabled improvement in many areas of the work of the school.

Primary students' science progress is now very good, as is students' achievement in English and mathematics in secondary and post-16. In addition, in post-16, academic achievement is supported by very good learning skills. Plus, very good teaching in post-16 very effectively supports students' outcomes.”

Exam Results: GCSE results in 2018 were the best ever recorded at Sheffield, with Maths A*-B 76%, Biology A*-B 86%, Physics A*-B 81%, English A*-B 63%, and Chemistry A*-B 66%. Students make outstanding progress in English and Maths.

For an updated list of schools which have published their IGCSE results go here, and for those who have published their A Level results, go here

IGCSE and A Level Options: Information not disclosed.

Extracurricular:  Ballet, karate, football, basketball and swimming

Facilities: Astroturf sports field, spacious indoor sports hall and two covered outdoor courts, small swimming pool, a large well-maintained covered pool, and covered adventure playground.

The Pay-Off: Work to do in key areas. Sheffield school is currently rated Acceptable, or lower for Arabic language and Islamic.

What our parent survey says: Parents at Sheffield remain moderately satisfied with almost everything at the school. Highlights include the confidence of parents Sheffield can meet their child’s learning needs, and a high level of satisfaction over academic performance.

What the School says: "The children of our school are not only wonderful but also special; they are the life and soul of our school. Students are enthusiastic, charismatic and charming young people with an appetite for learning and thirst for knowledge. Whilst delivering the British Curriculum to 3 to 18-year-olds, our school focuses on having exceptionally high expectations, encouraging a positive attitude towards learning and supporting the development of metacognition. We are continuously improving the infrastructure and facilities on school site.

“We are proud to say that our school is equipped with qualified and experienced faculty members. We encourage an ethos of creative planning and strive to provide our children with rich opportunities for exploration, investigation and cross curricular learning. Critical thinking and student led learning has made our students exceptionally confident. Continually, we aim to provide an inclusive and enabling environment, which empowers all children to excel."

Read the WhichSchoolAdvisor.com full review: here

To request more information, click here.

The Winchester School Jebel Ali

Curriculum: UK
Years: 1 to 13
Fees: AED 13,543 to AED 30,210
KHDA Ranking: Very Good
Location: Jebel Ali
The Buzz:  The ‘Affordable School’s Star Pupil,’ The Winchester School proves that affordable can not only break through from a Good to Very Good rating, but also offer a slew of courses and facilities and STILL have fees that come in under 31,000 AED!

What the KHDA Says: With 13 indicators up in 2017/18 and much of The Winchester’s report now actually Outstanding, it must only be a matter of time before this school breaks through to the DSIB’s highest ranking.

Islamic and Arabic provision are now mostly Very Good, as is most of teaching within Primary and Secondary phases. Leadership too is rated Very Good, while Foundation and Post-16 are predominantly Outstanding.

Inspectors note, “Students’ attainment and progress are outstanding in the Foundation Stage. Teaching is variable across the school but improving as a result of personalised development opportunities. Relationships are supportive, subject knowledge is strong, lessons are well-planned and resources are well considered.

Curriculum modifications for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those who are gifted and talented, are very good.”

Exam Results: The Winchester School does not publish its IGCSE and A Level results, however, it does, less helpfully, publish a list of ‘Toppers.’

For an updated list of schools which have published their IGCSE results go here, and for those who have published their A Level results, go here

IGCSE and A Level Options: 26 IGCSE options, three Level 3 BTEC courses and 18 A Level

Extracurricular: 26 options with a further 8 focused on Islamic study and 4 covering Arabic language.

Facilities: Classrooms are equipped with ICT and tech, there is a multi-purpose auditorium, sports fields, music rooms, art and craft rooms, science labs, computer labs, library, STEAM labs, BTEC labs, food and nutrition lab, 3D room, air-conditioned Foundation play area, outdoor covered play areas.

The Pay-Off: Winchester, for a UK curriculum school, is big, with almost 4,000 students. There’s only one large playing field for sports.

The WSA Parent Survey: The Winchester School parent survey is as we would expect for a large affordable school,  variable and at times quite markedly so.

39 percent of parents say the school improved their child’s confidence, for example, while a further 15 said it did nothing at all (both choices higher than the national averages)

31 percent of respondents are confident the school meets their child’s learning needs, however an a counterbalancing 31 percent completely disagree.

What the School Says: 

"We aim to provide knowledge for life long skills so that the children are confident, independent learners who can illuminate the outside world. To achieve our aim, the school provides an invigorating and lively learning environment in which teachers and students develop and practice GEMS core values. We aim to develop within each child the desire to know, the ability to find, understand and articulate to be successful in this ever changing and diverse society."

Read the WhichSchoolAdvisor.com full school review: here

To request information, click here.