Brighton College made its Dubai debut in September 2018, sharing a 'super campus' with newly launched IB curriculum Bloom World Academy. The school offers a UK curriculum based syllabus. The two premium schools share a host of equally premium facilities.

The story so far...

Brighton College Dubai (BCD) opened in September 2018 and is co-located with sister school Bloom World Academy with the two premium schools being built adjacent to each other, and sharing some of the facilities. 

In 2022, Bloom Education announced its intention to  expand on the campuses' shared facilities in the next academic year in building a ‘Centre for Performing Arts’, which will include a theatre, dance, drama and art studios.

Brighton College Dubai offers a Foundation to Year 13 British curriculum (Year 13 opened in September 2022) and follows the UK public school internal organisation of Pre-Prep (Foundation Stage), Prep School (Years 1-6) and Senior School (Years 7 to 13).  The school opened its Sixth Form (Year 12) in September 2021, completing its full range of year groups with the addition of Year 13 in August 2022.  The current student roll at the school is just under 800. 

WhichSchoolAdvisor.com understands that the College intends to expand their FS1 provision and has earmarked space for this purpose. Ahead of this initiative, in February 2023, Brighton College Dubai announced the launch of the Bright Start programme which has been especially designed to help young children transition into starting school.

Over a 10-week period, in the run-up to starting Foundation Stage, children will be invited to attend the school environment twice a week with their parents or carers. During these sessions, children will learn to familiarise themselves with the school environment, build relationships with staff, and grasp an understanding of the routines and expectations. Some sessions will also allow for children to attend without parents present for short periods of time, with the aim of ensuring that the school's newest students begin the start of the academic year feeling secure, happy and confident.

The programme also supports the early identification of students and their needs, ensuring the appropriate support is in place for the start of the academic year. In addition to supporting the children, Bright Start also offers additional support to parents run by the school counsellor and experts in the field of early child development. 

Although a relatively new school, in its fifth year of operation, Brighton College Dubai has clearly established itself as a favourite with parents who are impressed by the school's leadership, teachers, culture and overall quality. Happiness is an noun used frequently by parents, teachers and students.

Comments to WhichSchoolAdvisor.com include:
"Very strong leadership with clear focus and ambition."
"The older than average age of the teachers compared to other UAE schools. This means more experience, and many are parents themselves, with children at the school. So much more empathy, part of a community. It’s a very happy place!"
"It’s small and has a homely, personal and welcoming feeling. The school has a culture of kindness and this resonates throughout everyone in the school."
"Amazing teaching; Safe happy school"

It is not only parents who have positive comments to offer.  We have also received feedback from teachers:

"Brighton is a happy school. I find the relationship between leadership and parents amazing, it is very rare, they involve parents in almost everything. They also listen, the school offers activities. So far I have had a great experience at Brighton College Dubai."
"What a community feel there is in the school. I hadn't realised that it would be such hard work building up a new school in Dubai but that it would be such a rewarding experience. Everyone is in this together and it is truly a team goal to ensure that the school is successful and that the pupils are happy and make great progress. I enjoy coming to work every day."
and students: 
"Personally, I am very impressed with Brighton. It has changed the way I study for the better and made me feel comfortable in participating in class because all students are very close."

For more about feedback from parents at Brighton College Dubai go to The Buzz.

Owned by Abu Dhabi-based Bloom Education in the UAE, Brighton College Dubai is the third school to carry the highly-regarded UK public school name, having followed Brighton College Abu Dhabi and Brighton College Al Ain - both schools rated Outstanding by ADEK - the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge. Bloom also owns the Mindchamps Nursery.  Internationally, there are colleges in the UK (the original school), Bangkok and Singapore.

It seems that Brighton College Dubai is also successfully following the strong performance of its sister schools - with an achievement of the highest first inspection rating of Good from the KHDA in the 2021-22 academic year - an outcome that has been consolidated in its first British Schools Overseas inspection in Autumn 2022 where BCD achieved the highest Outstanding rating across all performance areas.
In the 2022-23 KHDA inspections, BCD was awarded an overall Good rating, with many improvements to Very Good. 

Brighton College UK is one of the most academically successful co-educational schools in the UK, and is also one of its most progressive, including a gender neutral commitment to uniforms. While the former is very much a promise, the latter just does not fit the UAE's cultural norms. 

That relativism is clearly something Brighton College Dubai is comfortable with: It is the same story with other Brighton branded schools around the world. What remains true across its network is the commitment to bring out the individual and his or her true strengths from each Brighton student. Many schools claim to do this of course, but without that strongly progressive philosophy implemented as it is in the UK, the claim perhaps lacks some of its original bite.

BCD says its community is underpinned by a profound belief in the values of curiosity, confidence and kindness.  The College strives "to create a family-orientated, respectful and vibrant community, for all of our pupils, which will impart or provide:
• A love of learning for its own sake.
• A foundation of knowledge and body of skills with which to understand and question the world we live in and to prepare them, through an innovative approach to education, for the world which they will inhabit in the future.
• An awareness and appreciation of the spiritual dimension in our lives.
• An enthusiasm for the world beyond the classroom – in particular, sport, music and the performing arts.
• A respect for difference in others and a recognition that the efforts and achievements of every individual in our community are valued equally."

Maintaining the links to Brighton College Dubai is an important for all three UAE schools, and was marked by Brighton College Dubai in November 2022 when its first cohort of Sixth Form students from had the opportunity to take part in an international trip to the founding school in Brighton, United Kingdom. 

Highlighting the strong international ties between the two schools, the trip was designed to give Dubai-based students the opportunity to experience academic and pastoral life at the UK school, and the chance to take in the culture and sights of the country where many plan to attend leading universities. The 13 sixth formers experienced a varied itinerary of workshops, and had the chance to experience university admission guidance and career guidance sessions from subject experts at the british College.

Head of Sixth Form at Brighton College Dubai, Joe Hall said: “Taking our pupils to Brighton College in the UK was in many ways like a trip home for all of us. We are very fortunate to be part of the wider Brighton College family and experience the tradition and opportunity that this provides for our pupils. As teachers, we work closely with our colleagues in the UK to ensure that our academic standards remain high."

Essentially, Brighton College Dubai strives to turn out well-educated, respectful and intellectually curious men and women who are ready to step forward in life taking a full, active and positive role in the UAE and the wider world.

Currently, some 800 students come from 37 different nationalities with the highest proportion being British (at 50%) followed by Emirati and American students. Students are supported by 72 (mainly British ) teachers and a further 25 teaching assistants. Staff turnover, at 17%, is below the average in UAE  international schools of 22-24%. 

A teacher:student ratio of 1:11 is very much on the low side (suggesting average class sizes of 22 - around the average for Premium schools in the city).

The school is led by Simon Crane who took over the role of Headmaster in February 2020 on a permanent basis, from his previous position at the Abu Dhabi school.  In addition to bringing a focus on kindness within the school community and commitment to academic rigour, Mr. Crane is also responsible for ensuring a balanced portfolio of co-curricular pursuits which fully embody the ethos of Brighton College.   

As a Brighton College parent as well, Mr Crane is said to fully understand the impact an authentic Brighton College education can have on students. He was instrumental in guiding Abu Dhabi students to achieve exceptional academic results.  Mr Crane was also instrumental in Brighton College Abu Dhabi achieving the ADEK rating of Outstanding in 2018-19 which it retained in 2021-22 in the first post-Covid inspection. 

What about the curriculum?

Brighton College Dubai follows its own Brighton College curriculum based on the English National Curriculum in the pre-Prep, Prep and Senior sections, incorporating the International Primary Curriculum (an internationally adapted version of the Key Stage One and Two curricula for the ENC) in the Prep stage. Senior school students study International GCSE and A-levels.

The International Primary Curriculum supports a cross-curricular approach, "links to out-of-school experiences and to other daily activities, helping children appreciate the role that these aspects of learning play in their everyday lives. It is a comprehensive, thematic, creative curriculum, with a clear process of learning and specific learning goals for every subject. It also develops international mindedness and encourages personal learning. Pupils interests are sparked due to the relevance of the units, the enquiry approach and the skills that they learn."

The Brighton College curriculum aims to inspire lifelong learning and is said to combine the best of both a traditional and innovative education. Innovation in teaching and learning based on sound pedagogy and educational philosophical reasoning is a goal so that teaching and learning can be a platform for well purposed change but not just for change’s sake.

The College aims to achieve this goal through:
➢ providing a versatile environment appropriately furnished to support a blended learning approach to teaching and learning styles,
➢ research supported curriculum programmes that involve pupils in understanding their own learning preferences,
➢ staff depth of knowledge about the individual that allows maximum support and motivation to learn.
➢ high expectations of both the teacher and the learner related to their approach and attitude to learning to ensure that they can be their best selves.
➢ opportunities for an enquiry-based approach to open up children’s curiosity, interest and learning through the exploration of ideas.
➢ promoting open mindedness where pupils are given the possibility of seeing that their ideas have value, and that others have different ideas that have value too.
➢ developing adaptable learners who realise that they do not always have to be right but are able to problem solve and find alternative solutions.
➢ promoting critical thinking which encourages pupils through purposeful questioning to make reasoned judgements that are well thought through and logical.
➢ encouraging confidence without arrogance through developing and celebrating success and learning through positive experiences.
➢ developing international mindedness which promotes a sense of the pupil’s own nationality and culture whilst at the same time developing a profound respect understanding for other nationalities and cultures.
➢ a constant questioning of, reflecting on and modifying of our own practice.

In addition to the traditional subjects offered, students start to learn Arabic from FS1, offering both Arabic A and Arabic B. From FS1 to Year 5, all students study Arabic and French, and in Years 6 and 7, add Spanish to the other two languages.  FS1 students have 20 minutes per week of Arabic, whilst in FS2 this increases to 60 minutes. Students in Years 8 to 10 choose between Spanish or French, and Arabic. 

There is also a broad focus on Creative and expressive arts which are given ample time in Years 7 to 9 to allow students to develop their appreciation of these subjects, which can in turn improve and develop creativity, thinking skills and independence when transferred into the traditional academic subjects.

Further evidence on the school's focus on the arts is underlined by the opportunity, in December 2022, for students to take part in an immersive one-day mixed media drawing course with contemporary British Fine Artist, Ian Murphy. Throughout the workshop, Ian Murphy gave the Brighton College students an in-depth account of his artistic journey and the inspiration behind the powerful, tonal drawings and atmospheric, mixed-media oil paintings of architectural places that have garnered him international acclaim. Students were guided through a range of techniques characteristic to Murphy’s work and had the opportunity to create several artworks of their own in the style of the artist. 

Humanities are taught through Brighton’s innovative 'Story of Our Land' course in Years 7 and 8, which uses the framework of UAE history to explore historical, geographical and philosophical themes over the two years before splitting to focus on more core skills in preparation for GCSE. Arabic, Islamic and Social Studies form an integral part of the curriculum in the Senior School.

The Year 10 and 11 curriculum aims to prepare students for the greater challenges of studying A-levels in the Sixth Form. Most students do nine GCSEs and will study the core subjects of English literature and English language, Mathematics and the three Sciences. In addition, students choose four further optional subjects from a wide range of humanities, languages, creative, practical and expressive subjects.

In the Sixth Form (Years 12 and 13), which opened in September 2021, most students take three or four A-levels over the two years, usually dropping the fourth subject for Year 13. 

A key appointment to the leadership of the college is the Founding Head of Sixth Form, Joe Hall. Previously Head of Sixth Form at Brighton College Al Ain, Mr. Hall's appointment is a reflection of his extensive knowledge and experience in establishing a highly successful and outstanding rated Sixth form in the UAE, as well as living and breathing the Brighton College ethos. 

Commenting on his role as Head of Sixth Form at Brighton College Dubai, Mr. Hall, said: “To be at the helm of launching Brighton College Dubai’s highly anticipated Sixth form is very exciting and our mission is to emulate the outstanding success that its sister schools in both Abu Dhabi and Al Ain have achieved. My expertise lies in setting up and establishing sixth forms and building an environment that cultivates kindness, as well as helping pupils flourish and go on to achieve their best. I am very much looking forward to nurturing Brighton College Dubai’s Sixth form pupils so they can reach their full potential and go on to studying at leading universities around the world. I also want to make sure they have all the skills and character required not just to survive, but to thrive in the mid 21st century world.”

The College ensures that there is a holistic approach to all aspects of students' education, including the promotion of healthy lifestyles through an active ‘sports for all’ PE curriculum which enables all students from FS1 to Year 9 to have one PE and one swimming lesson per week.  The College's philosophy for Sport is based on participation and enjoyment, believing that students are more likely to achieve their potential whether as an elite performer aspiring to represent their country, or as an individual who just wants to play for their school if they are involved and happy.

Healthy bodies are promoted through regular topics related to healthy eating and healthy bodies, a healthy menu from the school meal providers, talks from the nurse, focus on handwashing and cleaning teeth.

In a further step towards supporting all round mental and physical health, in April 2021, the College announced, in response to the global conversation about COVID 19-induced mental health issues, that it would cultivate a positive narrative around mental health by introducing mental health and wellbeing studies in to the curriculum when it launches its Sixth form in September 2021.

Based on the PERMA Model, a scientific theory of happiness, all Sixth form students study the Brighton Charter which has been built into the curriculum to teach students about character development in areas such as leadership and resilience. It also teaches transferable skills such as public speaking, presentation skills, problem solving, interview techniques and information and media literacy. Students learn about positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishments, and how to apply these to their lives.

Mr. Wells, who was responsible for the implementation of the mental wellness curriculum, commented: “As part of the Brighton Charter we will develop mental health awareness, mental health first aid and a positive psychology amongst pupils. A huge part of my role will be supporting Brighton College sixth form pupils beyond the curriculum and academic studies, and supporting them with character development and how to adapt and be prepared for a post-COVID world. We need to prepare our pupils, now more than ever, to be able to stand out in a world where more and more of us will in essence become freelancers as employment patterns change due to the pandemic. Transferable skills, communication skills and confidence have never been more important to learn alongside a core curriculum.”

The curriculum links well to the recent initiative by the KHDA to include a new performance standard - The Quality of Well-being Provision and Outcomes in inspections from 2022-23.  

An addition to the core curriculum, a range of co-curricular activities are offered which encourage active games, sports disciplines and training and mindfulness. football, rugby, netball, cricket, swimming, tennis, dance and gymnastics among others.

What about Students of Determination and those who are Gifted and Talented?

Brighton College Dubai is committed to an inclusive approach, ensuring that every student, regardless of their individual learning profile, has every opportunity to be truly independent and choose their own path. All students are supported through carefully tailored programmes of study, advice and support when needed. 

They are supported by the Inclusive Education Action Team with experience and qualifications in diagnostic assessment, mentoring, Masters of SEN, CELTA, TEFL and leadership. The team comprises of a Head of Inclusion, SENCO, EAL Teacher and two Learning Support Assistants. The College works closely with The Developing Child Centre in Dubai. At the time of the KHDA inspection in March 2022, 37 students had been identified with SEN requirements

The College says it welcomes students from a wide range of backgrounds, some of whom speak English as an additional language. .Teachers therefore consider the needs of pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) when they plan their lessons. There is a particular focus at the College in developing literacy across the curriculum. High quality speaking, listening, reading and writing opportunities are integrated within lessons and extra-curricular activities, where appropriate

Students who are more able are challenged regularly with extension activities in the classroom. They can be nominated for ‘The Sheikh Zayed Group’ which provides special inspirational classes and a mentor for each student. There are also critical thinking, creative thinking and problem solving Co-curricular activities as well as examination preparation activities through which students can extend themselves. 

The 2022-23 KHDA inspection report indicates an improved inspection rating of Good for the Provision and Outcomes for Students of Determination.

Inspectors found that the 99 students of Determination identified by the College were provided with Good levels of support. Inspectors commented that "Provision for students of determination is well-resourced, led by a qualified staff and monitored effectively by the Inclusion Governor. The admissions policy and inclusion action plan ... reflect the school’s strong commitment to inclusion, and this is increasingly clear in everyday practices".

What about academic achievement?

The College uses progress measures from the GL tests for ongoing assessment of students, together with an internal progress measure from BCD's own internal systems.  

The College has now had two cohorts of students who have taken their I/GCSE examinations, and will have the first cohort of A Level students take their examinations in May/June 2023.

Brighton College Dubai shared its second set of I/GCSE results for 2022 with WhichSchoolAdvisor.com, informing us that a cohort of 18 students (compared with 9 in 2021) sat a total of  164 examinations.  29% of exam entries were awarded Grade 9, whilst 50% were awarded A* (grades 9-8), and 72% entries were awarded A*-A (grades 9-7).  87% of entries achieved A*-B (grades 9-6) and 96% of entries achieved A*-C (grades 9-4).  The overall pass rate for students was 96%.

Following on from their first set of successful I/GCSE Maths results in August 2021, the College announced the impressive results of its early entries (students taking the examinations ahead of the normal entry dates for their ages/year group), which included four Year 10 students and one Year 8 student, all of whom achieved the top Grade 9 (A*) grades after sitting the examinations in January 2022. The achievement of Year 8 student, Ibrahim, received the top grade at the tender age of 12, having sat the exam three and a half years ahead of the usual schedule.

In August 2021, Brighton College Dubai announced its first set of I/GCSE results for its cohort of nine students who were entered for a total of 75 examinations.  In common with all UAE students, no examinations were sat due to the Covid 19 pandemic, and the results were, therefore, based on teacher assessed grades.  55% of all entries were awarded an impressive Grade 9-8 (A*), with 29% awarded Grade 9, 69% Grade 9 - 7 (A*-A), 81% Grade 9-6 (A* - B), and 99% Grade 9 - 4 (A*-C).  The entire cohort achieved Grade 9 to 8 in Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Physical Education and 100% Grade 9s achieved in Art. .

Brighton College is one of several schools who monitor and publish their 'value added' results which is a comparison of the actual grades achieved against predicted grades arrived at through benchmark tests taken by students on entry to the college.  With a positive score of 1.92, this means that students achieved, on average, nearly two grades above the original predicted grades.

Highest  achieving students celebrating top level grades included Head Girl, Madeleine Cranitch, was awarded nine Grade 9s/A*, Ross Bannerman, who achieved six Grade 9s/A*s, and two Grade 8s/As, Alice Farrow with four Grade 9s/A*s and three Grade 8s/As and Emirati student Lora Atatreh, who achieved six Grade 9-8/As, two Grade 7s/Bs, and one Grade 6.

In terms of external examination results, for reference, 79.84% of Brighton College UK grades were A* to A  in 2017 at A' Level. Dubai College, the UAE's most academically successful school in terms of examination results, scored 66.8% A* to A.

“Brighton College is the UK’s top co-educational school, renowned for combining academic excellence with a wealth of extra-curricular opportunities, all underpinned by a deep commitment to the individual needs and enthusiasms of each boy or girl.” Richard Cairns, Principal, Brighton College UK

According to BCD, outstanding academic results are a recurring factor of a Brighton College education. In the UK, Brighton College, over the last five years, its students  have achieved results that place it in the top 1% of all schools in England.

In the UAE, Brighton College Abu Dhabi says it has "established itself as one of the leading 3-18 British Curriculum schools in the Middle East, achieving the best A-level results in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi" though this has been disputed by the British School Al Khubeirat.

What about the Facilities?

Announced as part of a "super campus", Brighton College Dubai forms one half of a 4,000 strong student community - when it and the school it shares a space with reach capacity.  Brighton College Dubai stands adjacent to is the 2022 launched IB curriculum Bloom World Academy; both schools share some facilities.

The campus is planned to include a Centre of Excellence for Arabic Language, Culture and the Arts, an institution "dedicated to the development of intra-cultural exchange, facilitate both teacher and student development, as well as promote a deeper understanding of the rich Arabic history and traditions."  Parents have expressed some frustration at the failure to complete some of the promised facilities.

The combined development was given a value of more than $75m (AED275m) according to media reports, with the campuses built across a 10-acre site, with two Ground plus 3 floor buildings spread across 89,000 square metres of space. Shared facilities include a 600 seat auditorium that will be used for large events, as well as a running track.

Facilities include large, airy classrooms, incorporating the latest educational technology and including a Creative Learning Centre to enable teachers to deliver inspirational lessons using the latest educational technology. Features also include what the school describes as "Stunning music and art facilities." In addition, spacious purpose-built playgrounds and outdoor learning environments which include innovative resources and equipment are provided.

Sports facilities include a large and fully equipped sports hall, a 25m swimming pool and shallow practice pool, football pitches and hard courts, tennis courts, full size 400m athletics track and a full-size rugby pitch. Brighton College Dubai also has a fully fitted out Fitness Suite inside the college,open to students and parents.

What the inspectors say

Originally due for their first KHDA inspection in 2021, the postponement of inspections as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic meant that the first DSIB inspection of Brighton College Dubai took place in March 2022.

With both the Brighton Colleges in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain rated Outstanding by ADEK's inspectors (the highest possible rating), there was presumably some pressure and expectation that the Dubai branch would also do well in its first KHDA inspection, and indeed it did - achieving an overall rating of Good. 

Whilst WhichSchoolAdvisor.com has been assured by the KHDA that a higher rating of Very Good or even Outstanding is achievable on first inspection, no Dubai school has ever been awarded higher than a Good rating.

BCD followed up the initial Good KHDA inspection rating with a further Good - with many improvements to Very Good - in the 2022-23 inspection round.

In the 2022-23 inspection, in terms of Student Achievement, there were a host of improvements to Very Good for English (across the school), Maths (in FS and Primary) and Science (across the school). Learning skills also improved to Very Good in the FS and Primary sections.

In common with many UAE schools, Arabic and Islamic Studies have clearly been more of a challenge.  However, the recent inspection saw improvements to Good or Acceptable in seven of the sixteen ratings. although Arabic as a first language remained Weak.  This will clearly be an area of particular focus for improvement. 

There were also a number of improved ratings for Teaching and Assessment - now rated Very Good for both measures in FS and for Teaching for Effective Learning in Primary, - with all other ratings retaining the Good rating.

The second key performance standard that contributes, together with Teaching and Assessment, so directly to Student Achievement - that of the Curriculum - also saw significant improvement, achieving Very Good ratings across the board for Curriculum Design and Implementation.

Students’ personal and social development, and their innovation skills are clearly a strength of the school, with upgraded ratings to Outstanding for Personal development, whilst their Understanding of Islamic values and awareness of Emirati and world cultures, and Social responsibility and innovation skills, all improved to Very Good.

Similarly, The protection, care, guidance and support of students is a further area of strength, with Health and Safety, including Child Protection and Safeguarding, achieving an Outstanding rating, whilst the Care and Support of students across the school improved to Very Good.

With respect to the final key performance standard of Leadership and Management, the five ratings varied from Good to Outstanding. The two key ratings of Parents and the Community (rated Very Good) and Management, staffing, facilities and resources (rated Outstanding) are notable. 

In terms of the strengths of Brighton College Dubai, these were adjudged by the inspectors to be:

If you would like to read the full inspection report - and we strongly recommend that you do so in order to understand the reasons behind the ratings and the improvements proposed by the inspection team - you will find it here.

In addition, the College was also inspected at the start of the 2022-23 academic year by a team from British Schools Overseas - the UK Department of Education's international accreditation process designed to indicate compliance with the UK Government's requirements for schools offering the English National Curriculum. The College announced its membership of the Association of British Schools Overseas in October 2022 and released the report in November reflecting an inspection outcome of Outstanding across all performance standards.

Under the eight categories of the BSO inspection, Brighton College Dubai was awarded an Outstanding rating for:

• Attainment and progress in English, maths and science,
• The rich, varied, highly engaging curriculum,
• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment, 
• The social and cultural development of pupils, 
• Welfare, health and safety, parent partnerships and relationships, 
• Early years provision,
• Sixth-form provision, 
• School leadership and management.

You can read the full BSO inspection report here.

The Buzz

A significant 150 responses have been received from BCD parents to the WhichSchoolAdvisor.com Parent Survey, with the College achieving an overall score of 4.2/5. This is an approval rating of 84%.

A massive 73% of students have a tremendous sense of belonging to the College whilst 72% enjoy going to school a tremendous amount.  Interestingly, 52% of children attending the school had moved to Brighton College Dubai from another school in the UAE and a huge 86% of respondents were totally satisfied with the academic performance of the school.   Despite this, 19% of parents felt additional external tuition would be required for their child - a symptom of parental ambition rather than any failing on the part of the College, we suspect. 60% of parents were extremely confident that BCD could meet the specific learning needs of their child (compared with a UAE average of 34%).  An overwhelming 87% of parents would unreservedly recommend the school to other parents.

Brighton College Dubai has further grounds to be happy with the feedback from parents to the survey. Communication and disciplinary policy and implementation were also highly rated - both over 80% satisfaction.  Even one of the most contentious issues - that of whether school fees represent value for money - received positive feedback and were totally felt to do so by 63% of respondents, whilst a further 26% partially agreed.  Given that the fees are among the highest in the city, BCD is evidently delivering the quality that parents expected.  Only 11% of respondents disagreed with our statement.  

If you are a parent, teacher or senior student at Brighton College Dubai, please share your experience and opinions with other potential members of your community by completing our survey here.

The College also organises a Friends of Brighton volunteer group of parents which aims to assist the College in a variety of ways. Regular meetings allow the Friends of Brighton and senior College staff to discuss and plan future events and initiatives. As a Friend of Brighton, parent work closely with College staff to enhance its community profile and fundraising activities.

Parents are also said to be an important part of the partnership with the College. They are regularly informed about their child’s learning and EdTalks and workshops related to subject topics are organised by a range of speakers. Parent Reps for each class meet regularly to talk with the school leadership team.

And in a new inspection standard included in the DSIB inspection 'The quality of well-being provision and outcomes' was deemed to be at a High level (the second highest rating), supporting feedback from parents, teachers and students to WhichSchoolAdvisor.com.

The inspection team found that:

• Leaders promote the importance of kindness in the school’s vision, and this underpins almost all aspects of the school’s wellbeing provision. There are regular reviews of the happiness and satisfaction of all stakeholders. These are analysed, and the information is shared with governors. However, there is no designated governor responsible for oversight of wellbeing. Day-to-day routines and resources are well-managed and support well-being effectively. Strong support is provided from the well-run house system.
• Students and teachers are cared for in meaningful ways. Teachers are highly supportive and know their students very well. Students in turn are very confident in their abilities to access advice when it is needed. The ‘Sunshine Committee’ helps to support the well-being of all teachers. School leaders give this work a high priority. The school actively seeks the views of all stakeholders in ensuring that wellbeing provision is effective.
• The school purposefully plans for and implements a range of balanced curriculum and programme approaches to develop the wellbeing of student. Parents report that their children are happy in school, and students say teachers are very supportive. Healthy eating is promoted effectively. Supervisory and security staff members ensure that students are safe at school. The medical staff and school counsellor are available for any emotional or physical support that may be required. Many extra-curricular activities help to promote the positive attitudes toward daily exercise and healthy living.

Our View

There has been considerable debate and discussion over the past several years about the financial sustainability of premium priced schools, and the arrival of schools with a heritage in their home country that may or may not transfer successfully to the UAE.  Certainly, the majority of new school openings in recent years have been towards the more affordable range.

Bloom Education's decision to open not one but two Premium priced schools in Dubai was brave, and one that had to be made on the fundamental understanding that the schools would be able to deliver the quality of education that parents paying such fees must demand. 

Of course, the fact that Brighton College Abu Dhabi and Al Ain had already established such strong reputations was clearly a major benefit, but Brighton College Dubai still needed to prove its worth.  Based on the parental and inspectors feedback so far, we would say that it has more than done so. 

Yes, there is work to be done in terms of the delivery of Arabic and Islamic Education, and areas for improvement in a number of other areas - which is only to be expected given the age of the school and only its second inspection outcome.  But based on the prior achievement of Bloom Education's schools, there is little doubt in our mind that Brighton College Dubai will continue to improve on the delivery of an education that its parents and students already value highly.

What are the fees?

Ultra Premium. Brighton College Dubai has KHDA approved fees between AED 64,000 for FS1 and AED 107,000 for Sixth Form pupils. 

That said, fees have been reduced AED 55,550 in FS1 to AED 91,400 for Year 13 in the 2022-23 academic year; all fees remain below the full KHDA approved figures. 

There will be an increase in fees for 2023-24, with FS1 fees at AED 57,500 whilst Year 13 fees will increase to AED 95,250.

A one-time non-refundable/non-transferable application fee of AED 525 inclusive of VAT is payable at the time of application.

Tuition Fees do not include individual use laptops/tablets/computers, uniform, food services, transport, examination fees or extra-curricular activities outside school hours.

The College offers families with two or more children a sibling discount. This is 5% for the second child and third child, 10% for the fourth child, 15% for the fifth child and subsequent children.

This school is in a Best School by parents ranking

Brighton College Dubai is a Best of school, a ranking determined by parent surveys on the site. It can be found in the following Best of rankings:

• #35 in Best Schools in the UAE
• #20 in Best Premium Schools in Dubai
• #15 in Best Premium British Schools in Dubai
• #11 in Best A Level Schools in Dubai
• #18 in Best British Schools in Dubai
• #26 in Best Schools in Dubai

Are you looking for a place for your child, and want help from our school consultants? If so, click on the link below, and we will forward your request for information to the school or schools of the same type that we are confident have availability. This is a free service for our readers. Request Information