Horizon English School (HES) is a long-established UK curriculum Primary-only school located in the heart of Jumeirah/Al Safa. After having been rated Very Good for three years, HES finally reclaimed the KHDA Outstanding rating in 2018-19 which it had held previously in 2012 to 2015.

The Story so Far...

Purely a primary school, Horizon English School (HES) achieved an Outstanding rating from the KHDA in 2018-19, after three years at Very Good.  Having initially operated as a standalone school, it was purchased by an Indian run, UAE-based school group (Al Najah Education).  

In a significant change of ownership in March 2021, it was announced that HES has been acquired by the Cognita Group. The school is Cognita's second in the UAE. The first, The Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai, opened its doors to students in September 2021. Both schools offer the English National Curriculum. The group has subsequently added Ranches Primary School and Horizon International School (the latter also owned by Al Najah) to its UAE portfolio.

Clearly Cognita has made a choice in terms of the quality of schools it wishes to own or develop, and the purchase of HES would seem to underline how highly regarded it is by its new owners.

UK-based Cognita was established in 2004 and opened its first overseas schools, in Spain and Singapore, in 2007. At the end of 2020, the group had 82 schools in 11 countries, educating 55,000 students across 9 different curricula. The connection between Horizon English School and Cognita was underscored by the appointment of David Baldwin as Managing Director, Middle East for Cognita. Mr Baldwin served as Principal of Horizon English School between 2013-2015. 

And with the recent appointment of Horizon English School Principal, Ian Wallace, to the position of Director of Education for the Cognita Group, the first significant change for the school since the change of ownership is the appointment of new Principal, Mr. Nick Hart, who took over the leadership of the school in August 2023.

Ranked highly on the WhichSchoolAdvisor.com list of the Best Primary Schools in Dubai - based on Parent Feedback - parents (and their children) are clearly extremely happy.

Recent comments from February 2023 (prior to the change of ownership and Principal summarised the school as follows:

The school is commended for its happy and positive atmosphere, with both teachers and students displaying high energy. Fun activities and ideas contribute to an engaging learning environment.  The teaching is praised for its innovation and the passion of the teachers. The senior leaders are described as young, motivated, and hardworking, although some parents note they may lack the wisdom of more experienced leaders.  The absence of a homework policy is appreciated, but some parents express concerns that this might not adequately prepare students for secondary school.

Parents praise the school's inclusion team and how it supports children with special needs, making the school a welcoming and comfortable place for all students. Inclusion is at the heart of the school, fostering compassion and empathy among students. Children with complex needs are integrated, creating a stronger school community.

Horizon's strengths are acknowledged in the areas of physical education, performing arts, and inclusion, contributing to a holistic educational experience. Parents emphasise the importance of the school's staff, facilities, and culture as key reasons for their satisfaction and the school is celebrated for its child-centered approach, which supports both students and families. Children are described as happy, confident, and appropriately challenged.  The school's strengths lie in its strong sense of community, focus on well-being, and the creation of a safe and happy environment for students. Strong leadership is highlighted as a key asset of the school.

Overall, Horizon English School appears to excel in creating a positive, inclusive, and child-centered educational environment, though there may be room for improvement in areas such as preparing students for secondary school and addressing class sizes in some instances. Parents value the sense of community and well-being fostered by the school.

Over 190 parents have responded to the WhichSchoolAdvisor.com school survey - and almost all are entirely positive with an  an overall rating of 4.6/5 - a 92% positivity rating - find out more about what makes this school so popular in Buzz.

Horizon English School is a member of the British Schools Middle East (BSME) network and was first established in 1989. The school currently caters to just over 1,000 children, an increase of around 50 compared with the 2017-2018 academic year. Children come from a variety of backgrounds and some 70 nationalities, but the largest overall nationality group is from the United Kingdom.

The school employs 78 full time teachers, largely from the UK, 48 teaching assistants and a small number of learning support assistants.  The school claims class sizes of between 19 and 26 and the teacher to student ratio has remained at a creditable 1:14. According to the 2022-23 KHDA report, Teacher turnover is at 6%, is well below previous years and evidence of how settled the school staff have become. On average, international schools in the UAE expect a turnover of around 20-22% each year.

What does the school feel like? Get the Horizon English School Experience here!

What about support for students of Determination and those with Gifts and Talents?

Horizon English School is said to welcome students with SEN needs. The school has "excellent identification procedures" that ensure that the needs of students with special educational needs and disability (SEND) are addressed early. Some 99 students are supported by the SEN team in the current academic year.  According to the latest KHDA inspection report, the provision and outcomes for students of Determination is Outstanding.

What about the curriculum?

The school teaches the English National Curriculum  offering the Early Years Foundation Stage in FS1 and FS2.  Classes are taught in English with a number of core subjects including Maths, Science, Islamic Studies, Music, I.C.T., P.E. and swimming.

In October 2022, Cognita, announced launched the Cognita ENRICH ME programme for all of its schools in the United Arab Emirates. 

Designed exclusively to empower students enrolled at the Cognita family of schools in the Middle East, that include the Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai, Ranches Primary School, Horizon English School and Horizon International School, the Cognita ENRICH ME programme is said to combine everything that enriches students’ lives from sport to music and the arts, with expert coaching provision to provide unparalleled opportunities in football, swimming and academic excellence. The inclusive programme allows the four schools to expand their curriculum and provide an even higher quality learning experience to the 4,000 students they have enrolled, as well as developing high-performing students to achieve professional results. 

What about the facilities?

Horizon English School is located on a prime and very spacious plot of land in Al Safa - close to Safa Park and the Gulf News offices, but in a relatively quiet residential area.  Early plans to build a Secondary school on the site (one which would have been in considerable demand) have since been withdrawn.

In June 2021, the first signs of Cognia's commitment to Horizon English School were announced - a comprehensive USD 3 million programme of improvements to the school's facilities and resources.

A particular focus is the upgrade of Horizon’s IT infrastructure and Ed-Tech, in alignment with Cognita’s standards, including the implementation of a one-to-one device programme for students. Other significant improvements include the installation of a FIFA-standard hybrid/natural grass football pitch, refurbished netball and tennis courts - and widespread upgrades of shared-learning areas, classrooms and corridors. A brand new ‘fresh-air’ conditioning system will ensure the highest quality of air and a significant upgrade to the fire-safety system is also being undertaken.

What the Inspectors Say

For the academic year 2018-19, Horizon English School received an Outstanding rating after three years at Very Good, a return to the rating it had held for the previous three years from 2012 to 2014.

Following a decision by the KHDA announced in September 2019, when it was decided that all Dubai schools rated Very Good or Outstanding were no longer participate in a full DSIB inspection annually, the 2018-19 inspection report is the most recent to be issued.  The impact of the Covid 19 pandemic meant that all inspections were cancelled from March 2020 to September 2021.  HES received its first full post-pandemic inspection in November 2022 and was again awarded the Outstanding rating.

Overall, the DSIB Inspectors found the school Outstanding in almost every possible area, with not a single performance measure rated lower than Good.  Even Islamic Education and Arabic saw improvement to Good across five measures and Very Good for progress for Arabic as a Second language. 'Curriculum Adaptation' (previously rated Very Good) was also awarded Outstanding.

As we record in our Horizon English School EXPERIENCE , the team have ambitious plans to improve Arabic attainment.

In terms of the strengths of the school, the DSIB inspection team found these to be:

• The clear vision, exceptional leadership and highly effective daily management of the school
• The inspiring FS curriculum
• The inclusive ethos and high-quality care and support which enable students to flourish and develop positive self-esteem
• Teachers’ detailed understanding of students’ learning needs and their personalised approaches to teaching. 

In terms of areas of improvement, the inspection team had only one specific area of focus and recommended that HES should:

• Raise progress and attainment in Islamic Education and Arabic.
• Sustain outstanding levels of achievement by ensuring that the more able students are given appropriately challenging work.
  

  If you would like to read the full KHDA inspection report - and we strongly recommend that you do so in order to understand the reasons behind the ratings and the recommendations - please go here.  

The Buzz

The WhichSchoolAdvisor.com Parent Survey received positive responses from 210 parents, one of the highest levels of feedback of any school in the city. Parents who completed the survey gave the school an overall rating of 4.6/5 - an approval rating of 92%.

78% of children enjoy attending school 'a tremendous amount' - well above the UAE average of 56%. An even higher percentage of parents (88%) are satisfied with the academic performance of the school, with a low 16% feeling that their child requires additional tuition outside school (compared with a UAE average of 29%).   

Communication and the school's disciplinary policies and implementation are also evident strengths of HES. The vast majority of parents (86%) have never considered moving their child to another school and a whopping 93% said that they would recommend it to other parents.

If there is one 'niggle' among parents, it is the usual one of school fees.  But even this contentious issue resulted in only 5% feeling that the school fees do not represent value for money, whilst 56% of respondents agreed that they did represent value for money and the remaining 39% believed that they partially did so.

If you are a parent or teacher at Horizon English School, please share your experience with other potential members of your community by completing our Survey here.  

In a new initiative by the KHDA, the DSIB inspectors evaluated 'The quality of wellbeing provision and outcomes' which was found to be very high (the top of four ratings).

The inspection team found that:

• Leaders have prioritised wellbeing development. The school has a clear vision and direction which is led by the school principal and the governing body. Senior leaders are well informed and have been proactive in the development of a ‘flourishing framework’. The well-being improvement plan is detailed, specific, and measurable. Wellbeing development efforts can be seen across the life of the school. Leaders recognise the need to ensure processes are embedded thoroughly before further expanding or extending the well-being curriculum.
• Systems are in place to care for, guide, and support all members of the school community. Highly-qualified and experienced staff members are accessible and active in providing training for wellbeing. The school is making use of various surveys to support the identification of students and trends. This could be extended by increasing the regularity of surveys and ensure the whole school can participate. Teachers embed wellbeing strategies in their lessons.  All members of the staff are trained to support wellbeing. 
• Moral education, awareness events, and other activities have been drawn together to form a single wellbeing curriculum. This approach has been highly effective for teaching social and emotional skills. Extensive extracurricular offerings further enhance wellbeing promotion. Students show an understanding of safe and healthy living and recognise the importance of healthy eating, sleep, drinking water and e-safety. Parents and students comment on a sense of belonging that they feel welcomed by the school and cared for by the staff.

Our View

There is no question that the team at Horizon English School has worked incredibly hard to achieve the Outstanding rating again.  The demands from the KHDA in terms of standards have increased every year, and the leadership continues to raise standards across all areas of the school.  The leadership team - and indeed the entire staff - deserve to be congratulated for this achievement.

We at WhichSchoolAdvisor.com have always been fans of HES.  This is a very friendly and welcoming environment for Primary age children, and one that we can most definitely recommend.  HES now joins Dubai English Speaking School, GEMS Jumeirah Primary School, Jumeirah English Speaking School Al Safa, the Primary section of Jumeirah English Speaking School Arabian Ranches and Kings School Dubai as an Outstanding Primary School.

What about Fees?

Tuition fees (exclusive of an annual Medical Fee) for Horizon English School range from AED 40,863 in FS1, AED 48,967 in FS2 to AED 55,177 per year from Years 1 to 6.  Parents have in the past complained [to us] of additional 'optional' fees that are not really optional, so we advise parents to do their own due diligence here.

The school teaches up to the end of Key Stage 2. Many students move on to Dubai College (DC), Dubai English Speaking College (DESC), and The English College, Dubai - three highly regarded schools in the UAE - for Secondary education.  It will be very interesting to see what Cognita will do to ensure that it retains the students from HES, particularly as Royal Grammar School Guildford in Dubai is now open to Year 8 and Horizon International School is fully open to Year 13. 

This school is in a Best School by parents ranking

Horizon English School 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:

• #2 in Best Schools in the UAE
• #1 in Best Premium Schools in Dubai
• #1 in Best Premium British Schools in Dubai
• #1 in Best British Schools in Dubai
• #1 in Best Primary Schools in Dubai
• #2 in Best Schools in Dubai

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