Top School Awards Postponed to 2021

Which Media, owners of WhichSchoolAdvisor.com and the organisers of the SchoolsCompared.com Top School Awards 2020, are moving the UAE's annual education awards to 2021 in the wake of the Covid 19 corona-virus pandemic.

The SchoolsCompared.com Top School Awards 2020 had been planned to showcase the extraordinary achievements of schools and teachers in the year of Dubai Expo. In 2019 the SchoolsCompared.com Top School Awards were presented to an audience of more than 850 educators drawn from schools across the UAE.

Announcing the decision, David Westley, co-founder of The Top School Awards, said: "No one will forget the impact of the awards in 2019 and their capacity to celebrate our amazing teachers and schools. Recognising what all our schools and teachers do for families across the UAE has never been more important - but this celebration will now, quite rightly, take place in 2021. This decision has not been an easy one - and we left it as late as possible before making it. "

James Mullan, co-founder of the Top School Awards confirmed:

"The role that schools and teachers play in the UAE - and what they achieve for parents and children, deserves recognition. This is exactly why we created the Awards. This celebration of schools and teachers will be even more important in 2021 as we all put Covid 19, hopefully, behind us.

“Our schools have transformed themselves during this pandemic into pioneers in distance learning - something that even months ago no one would have thought possible. We will have even more to celebrate in 2021 - watch this space."

In 2019, Awards were presented in the following categories:

Outstanding contribution to education in the UAE
Winner: H.E. Dr Abdulla Al Karam

School principal of the year, 2019
Winner: Sasha Crabb, Victory Heights
Finalists:
• Catherine Dando Dubai English Speaking School (DESS)
• Simon O’ Connor Jumeirah College
• Rachel Higgins GEMS Jumeirah Primary School
• Mark Leppard MBE British School Al Khubairat (BSAK)

Best school in the UAE, 2019
Winner: DESC and DESS
Finalists:
• American School of Dubai
• Brighton College Abu Dhabi
• British School Al Khubairat (BSAK)
• Cranleigh School Abu Dhabi
• GEMS Modern Academy
• Jumeirah Primary School (JPS) and Jumeirah College (JC) [Joint nomination]
• Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) Primary & Arabian Ranches [Joint nomination]

British curriculum school of the year
Winner: British School Al Khubairat
Finalists
• Dubai English Speaking College (DESC)
• Cranleigh Abu Dhabi
• Dubai British School Emirate Hills
• Dubai English Speaking School (DESS)
• Jumeirah College

International Baccalaureate school of the year
Winner: Raha International School
Finalists
• Dubai International Academy - Emirates Hills
• GEMS World Academy Dubai
• Greenfield Community School
• Jumeira Baccalaureate School
• Uptown School

Best American curriculum school of the year
Winner: American School of Dubai
Finalists:
• Clarion School Dubai
• West Yas Academy Abu Dhabi

Indian curriculum school of the year
Winner: GEMS Modern Academy
Finalists:
• Ambassador School and Kindergarten, Dubai
• Delhi Private School
• The Indian High School (Senior Campus)
• The Millennium School

Arabic Blended curriculum school of the year
Winner: Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys
Finalists:
• American School of Creative Science, Dubai
• Next Generation School, Dubai
• School of Research Science
• Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Girls

IB Blended curriculum School of the Year
Winner: Jumeirah English Speaking School Arabian Ranches
Finalists:
• American Community School of Abu Dhabi
• Deira International School Dubai Festival City
• GEMS Dubai American Academy
• Nord Anglia International School
• Repton School Dubai

Best Primary School
Winner: Dubai English Speaking School
Finalists:
• GEMS Jumeirah Primary School
• Horizon English School
• Jumeirah English Speaking School - Jumeirah
• Kings’ School Dubai
• Victory Heights Primary School

Best Nursery
Winner: Aga Khan Early Learning Centre
Finalists:
• Children’s Oasis
• IDEA Early Learning Centre
• Little Land Nursery
• Yellow Brick Road Nursery

Best post-16 education
Winner: British School Al Khubairat
Finalists:
• Dubai College
• Dubai English Speaking College (DESC)
• Jumeirah College
• Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) Arabian Ranches
• Repton Dubai
• Sunmarke School

Best school for technical education
Winner: Dubai English Speaking College
Finalists:
• British School Al Khabairat (BSAK)
• GEMS Wellington Academy - Dubai Silicon Oasis
• Greenfield Community School
• Sunmarke School Dubai

Best new school
Winner: Safa Community School
Finalists:
• Cranleigh Abu Dhabi
• Dubai Heights Academy
• Kent College
• Nord Anglia International School Dubai
• Ranches Primary School

Best school for music
Winner: Nord Anglia International School Dubai
Finalists:
• American School of Dubai
• Brighton College Abu Dhabi
• Cranleigh Abu Dhabi
• GEMS Music Hub at GEMS World Academy

Best school for theatre and the performing arts
Winner: Cranleigh School Abu Dhabi
Finalists:
• American School of Dubai
• American Community School, Abu Dhabi
• Dubai English Speaking College (DESC)
• Nord Anglia International School Dubai
• Raha International School Abu Dhabi

Best school for art
Winner: Brighton College Abu Dhabi
Finalists:
• British School Al Khabairat
• Nord Anglia International School
• Jumeira Baccalaureate School
• Jumeirah College
• Raha International School
• Springdales Dubai

Best school for sport
Winner: Dubai English Speaking College
Finalists:
• Dubai College
• British School Al Khubairat
• Jumeirah College (JC)
• Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) – Arabian Ranches

Best school for child progress and value add
Winner: Jumeirah College
Finalists:
• British School Al Khubairat (BSAK)
• Dubai English Speaking College (DESC)
• Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) - Arabian Ranches
• Repton School Dubai
• The English College

Award for outstanding use of technology
JOINT Winners: Fairgreen School and Jumeirah English Speaking School – Arabian Ranches
Finalists:
• GEMS Dubai American Academy
• Hartland International School
• Repton School - Abu Dhabi

Best international initiative
Winner: Riverston School Dubai
Finalists:
• Dubai English Speaking School (DESC) and Dubai English Speaking School (DESS)
• Dubai International Academy - Emirates Hills
• Fairgreen International School
• Nibras School
• Raha International School
• Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys

You can find more on the 2019 awards, here.