Chinese School Dubai will open in Mirdif in September 2020. The school will offer the prestigious Hangzhou Number 2 High School Curriculum. Although clearly aimed at the growing number of Chinese students in Dubai, the school will also be open to other nationalities.

The Chinese School Dubai has been awarded a Good rating in the KHDA's 2022-23 inspection round - the highest rating possible on first inspection. The report can be found under the Inspection Reports tab. An update to the review will take place in due course.

The story so far.

Chinese School Dubai (CSD) is the first Chinese national curriculum school to offer full-time KG to Grade 12 education outside China.  Located in the heart of Mirdif, the school currently offers classes up to Grade 7 and operates on a non-profit basis.

The school is the first overseas Chinese school to get financial support from the Chinese government. Its teachers are directly recruited by the Hangzhou Education Bureau. The senior leadership team from China was initially joined by 37 new teachers from both Hangzhou and Dubai. This figure has now expanded to 56.

The school is mainly focused on serving the Chinese community in the emirate, creating an additional 2,000 places in the private education sector once it is fully operational, but CSD will also offer places to students of other nationalities.  It was expected to open with approximately 200 students in September 2020 and by late 2022, this figure had grown to over 450. There were around 250,000 Chinese in Dubai leading up to the Expo.  There continues to be considerable interest from Chinese companies to come to the UAE..

His Excellency Li Xuhang, Consul General, announcing the opening of the school, said:

"The establishment of the first Chinese national school is a win-win project undertaken by China and the UAE, which aims to promote bilateral relations and cultural exchanges. Not only does it meet the increasing demand from the existing diversified communities in Dubai, but it will also attract talent from China and other regions to study, work and live in Dubai."

The Hangzhou Number 2 curriculum model has been developed over the past 120 years and focuses on high-level learning, innovation and helping pupils develop an international vision. The original school in the Chinese province of Zhejiang was founded in 1899 by American Christian missionary W. S. Sweet and has gained a prestigious reputation. 

The original school was listed as one of the Key Middle Schools of Zhejiang Province in 1978 and was appointed as a First-Class Key Middle School in 1995 by the Zhejiang Education Committee. It was also the first school to be officially recognized as a First-tier Model School of Zhejiang Province. The school serves as one of three permanent venues of Harvard Summit for Young Leaders in China and has twinning relationships with school in ten countries including Providence Day School, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, Morley Senior High School, Norland, Western Australia, and the Einhard Gymnasium, Aachen, Gernany.

In the ranking of China’s high schools ranked by the China Research Center in Washington, USA in 2013, the school ranked fifth.

Founding Principal of Chinese School Dubai, who joins the Dubai school from the "home" school in Zhejiang, Yin Liping,said: "Chinese School Dubai will inherit the tradition and advanced education concept of Hangzhou No. 2 High School, providing the children of overseas Chinese in Dubai with basic Chinese education of high-quality."

In terms of its Vision, the school adheres to the principle of 'all for students' and strives to cultivate future qualified citizens with Chinese hearts, international vision and humanistic accomplishments.

What about the curriculum? 

Apart from an enriched Chinese national curriculum, students are offered both English and Arabic as second languages, Islamic studies, moral education and UAE studies based on the UAE national curriculum.

Initiatives at the school in Zhejiang which might provide a sense of the direction of the Dubai school include the establishment of the Olympic College and the Future Science and Innovation College and a focus on special scientific management, and strong resource guarantees, aimed at guiding students to develop high-level Learning, forming a deep academic foundation, excellent core literacy, and a strong sense of innovation.

There is no doubt that Chinese School Dubai will have a strong academic focus in line with the original school, where the number of admissions to Tsinghua University in Peking University has remained at around 10% annually.

Students joining Fudan Jiaotong University are around 15%, Zhejiang University at around 30%, and 985 college admission rates above 80% annually. Dozens of graduates are admitted to world-renowned universities such as Harvard University, MIT, Oxford University, and Cambridge University every year. 

What about the facilities?

The school's facilities are described as "state of the art". The campus is expected to be of an extremely high specification with impressive use of technology.  For example, to maintain social distancing class groups will be split between two physical rooms - 1 group of students with the teacher whilst the second group will have live streamed/live interaction/live feedback of the same lesson in a second room. 

There is no doubt that the opening and development of the Chinese School Dubai continues to be watched with considerable interest.

What the inspectors say

The Chinese School is among a small number of international schools in Dubai, which, in addition to teaching in its native language, also offers English and Arabic as compulsory second languages.

The school's first KHDA inspection where it received the highest Good rating, indicates that not only is this a Good school, but in many aspects, a Very Good one!

With the exception of one rating, all ratings for Chinese, English and Mathematics were awarded Very Good.  Arabic as a second language achieved largely Good, as did Science.  Students' personal and social development, and innovation skills, were also awarded Very Good. 

In terms of the strengths of the school, the inspectors found these to be:

• The exemplary personal and social development and very strong learning skills of students
• The highly effective policies and procedures to ensure the security, health, safety and well-being of the school community
• Strong relationships with parents and the wider community that enhance the education of students
• Very effective teaching, particularly in the primary phase and in mathematics

In terms of areas of improvement, the Chinese School Dubai should:

• Improve the inclusive education provision across the school.
• Enhance the curriculum in science to develop students’ investigative, thinking, and extended writing skills.
• Improve the curriculum in Islamic Education and raise students' attainment to acceptable, as a minimum.
• Raise students' attainment in Arabic in the middle school to good as a minimum.

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

The Buzz

Perhaps unsurprisingly, WhichSchoolAdvisor.com has not received any feedback to its Parent Opinion Survey. 

If you are a parent or teacher at the Chinese School Dubai, please share your opinions and experience with other potential members of your community and complete our Survey.

The KHDA has introduced a new performance standards for the 2022-23 inspections which has its focus on 'The quality of wellbeing provision and outcomes'. At the Chinese School Dubai, this was adjudged to be at a high level.

The inspectors found that:

• Wellbeing is an increasing priority, with a nurturing culture prevalent in the school. The Principal and the wellbeing team have established a clear vision, underpinned by action and improvement plans. Surveys are administered and data analysed from all stakeholders in a comprehensive approach. Students are empowered to excel, motivated to engage, communicate confidently, and exhibit high levels of empathy throughout the school. 
• Staff training has commenced to foster better understanding of potential wellbeing concerns. The teachers serve as primary supports, alongside the head of wellbeing and the clinic nurse. Students' comprehension of wellbeing is emerging; however, students know how to seek assistance when required. Staff wellbeing levels are high. There are regular care initiatives to explore alternative work methods. Parents convey satisfaction with the school's prompt communication, as well as pride in belonging to the school community.
• The school employs various strategies to explore and cultivate wellbeing further. Meditation and wellbeing exercises form part of the morning routine complemented by wellbeing activities during break times. Classroom representatives are chosen to guarantee a clean and secure environment, with students maintaining tidiness and discipline. Students make decisions regarding their safety, healthy lifestyles, and physical development. They exhibit leadership in and outside of their classrooms. Students display tolerance and optimism. 

What about the fees?

Fees  range from AED 25,000 to AED 28,000 for KG to Grade 6 and AED 30,975 for Grade 7.  These fees are seriously subsidised by the Chinese Government on a non-profit basis and fall into the very affordable range.

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