Global English School Review
The story so far...
Global English School (GES) Al Ain is a private K-12 school located in Manaseer, Al Ain. The school was established in 1982 by Global Educational Solution.
The school currently caters to more than just under 980 students with approximately 73 teaching staff. The teacher: student ratio is 1:13.
There is a mix of over forty different student nationalities with the main ones Egyptian 17%, Sudanese 17%, Filipino 11% and UAE nationals at 12%. The largest teacher nationality is Filipino.
What about the curriculum?
The school follows a mixed British curriculum with kindergarten students following the Montessori educational approach and secondary school students following IGCSE, A and AS level. Classes are all taught in English apart from Arabic studies as set by the Ministry of Education. The school initially provided an Indian CBSE based curriculum. The curriculum changed in 2006‐2007 to the Cambridge IGCSE. The Montessori system of education was adopted in the Kindergarten in 2008‐ 2009.
What about the facilities?
The school has over 60 classrooms with internet access and audio visual equipment. School facilities include a library, ICT lab, renovated Biology, Chemistry and Science labs, a language lab, play area, basketball court and volley ball court. Resources are now deemed to be Acceptable by ADEK though "The school lacks sufficient high-quality ICT equipment for students, and some teaching areas are cramped and limit interactive learning".
A significant programme of investment has taken place with the addition of a new Learning Resource Centre which will incorporate the library and will include a number of study rooms, primarily for senior students, who will be able to conduct research and study when they are not timetabled in a class. The LRC will provide access to technology for study purposes through online digital resources and the Librarians will be trained to develop research skills with the upper school and to liaise with class teachers from the Junior School to ensure that Library lessons support learning in the class.
In addition, classrooms have been upgraded to "Smart classrooms" with e-beam, smart boards with high-speed internet connectivity. A new canteen is also being added, and once construction is complete, there will be improvements in the playground facilities including a dedicated football field with an artificial turf surface, improved basketball surface, increased shaded areas and the development of green areas.
A new Multi-Purpose Auditorium (MPA) is also under construction which will be a welcome addition to GES. This air-conditioned facility will allow students to continue their sporting and physical education programmes during the heat of spring and summer. The MPA will also provide a venue for performing arts with the development of a Creative and Performing Art Programme to support students.
What the inspectors say
Following several years rated Weak, GES finally achieved an Acceptable rating in the 2017-18 inspection round. Whilst this is still below the minimum Good rating that all UAE schools are targeted to achieve, an improvement to Acceptable is clearly a good sign. The school retained the Acceptable rating in the first post-Covid 2021-22 inspections.
If you would like to read the current 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
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What about fees?
Total fees for the KG are relatively affordable, starting at AED 13,135 for KG1 and rising to AED 19,825 in the upper section from Grades 10-12.
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