Nord Anglia International School Abu Dhabi becomes the seventh school in the Middle East and the third in the UAE to be opened by the international school group.

The story so far...

Nord Anglia International School Abu Dhabi (NAIS Abu Dhabi), which will welcome its first students in August 2023, although promoted as a new school, is, in fact, a reincarnation of a school, Nord Anglia International American School, Abu Dhabi that was originally due to open in 2017 on the same site.  

On opening, it becomes the second Nord Anglia school in the capital alongside The British International School Abu Dhabi (BISAD), the third in the UAE, with sister school Nord Anglia International School Dubai (NAIS Dubai) having opened in September 2014, and the 84th school in the Nord Anglia Education Group.

The new school will initially open from FS1 (3+ years of age) to Year 8 (14+), adding Year 9, 10 and 11 through organic growth and Year 12 (Lower Sixth Form) in August 2026.  The school will be fully open across all year groups in August 2027, with its first cohort of A Level students graduating in July 2028.

The capacity of the school is a sizable 2,500 with current expectations that approximately 300 students will join the new school at the start of the 2023-24 academic year.

According to Nord Anglia, the school's educational offering will be based on its Six core educational pillars:

• Academic excellence,
• World class teachers,
• The Nord Anglia Family,
• Our Social Purpose,
• Exceptional Learning Experiences,
• Advanced Learning Environments.

The school will be led by Liam Cullinan,

who brings a wealth of international, and local experience having been head of Secondary at Nord Anglia International School Dubai, and Executive Principal of Nord Anglia's British International School Abu Dhabi, which he will continue to oversee.  Mr Cullinan is both remarkably liked and respected in equal measure both in the schools he has led, as well as within the wider industry.

Discussing the school in May 2023, Mr. Cullinan said that "the new school had been designed with modern education needs in mind, blended with a unique Abu Dhabi identity". 

Mr. Cullinan outlined the philosophy which is at the heart of the school's design and curriculum. 
“This is a school that has been built for the specific needs of the current generation of young people; we’re building a school that’s empowering young people to create change. We have a responsibility as teachers and educators to build an environment that does that. We need to understand the pace that education is moving at and the need to offer a space and opportunity to learn”.
“Being based in Abu Dhabi gives us a real opportunity for collaboration as it’s a place that celebrates identity and diversity. Not only do we want to celebrate the diverse community here, we also want to create a place that encourages children to flourish and think outside of the box when it comes to learning, creating and exploring. We learnt a lot from Covid, not least the importance of human connectivity; now we are a global family and globalisation is something all of our children need to adapt to”.

Earlier, in February 2023, the school announced the appointment of a key additional leadership role - that of Mr. Michael Connor as Head of Primary.

With close to 20 years in education, Mr. Connor is transferring from within the Nord Anglia Group - and does not have too far to move from Nord Anglia International School Dubai!  His previous position was Deputy Head Teacher - a role to which he was appointed in July 2020, having previously served as Assistant Head Teacher, after joining NAIS Dubai from Kings' School Dubai in 2016.  His main responsibilities have included curriculum design and modification, teaching and learning and assessment as well as the development of the STEAM curriculum with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

And in a further staffing coup, the school announced in early June that Callum Brooks, Director of Sport at Repton Dubai for 13 years is moving to NAIS Abu Dhabi .  It seems evident that there is going to be very significant focus on sports within the school and a strong new competitor in the Abu Dhabi schools sports scene. 

What about the curriculum?

NAIS Abu Dhabi will follow the National Curriculum for England, offering the Early Years Foundation Stage for its youngest students, leading  to IGCSE for those in Years 10 and 11, followed by AS and A level examinations in Years 12 and 13.  The school says it will offer "up to" 25 A' Levels. This is not quite a firm commitment, but should it actually reach that number it will be able to offer flexibility in what students can study.

According to Mr. Cullinan, “one aspect of education at the school will include ensuring lessons are designed around the interests of pupils to ensure they remain engaged. We’re going to look at a child’s interests and ensure the curriculum is tailored around them”.

The school does not currently plan to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB Diploma), despite this being the school leaving qualification at sister school BISAD.  NAIS Dubai, whilst originally offering the IB Diploma only, subsequently introduced A Levels also, based on demand from parents and students.  It will be interesting to see whether the Abu Dhabi school later goes down this two stream route.

According to the school “At the forefront of this experience will be educational technology, as “the key to building the leaders of tomorrow”, as well as a personalised approach to learning to empower students to “map out their own academic journey from early years”.

The Nord Anglia schools are known for their broad curriculum offering in both technology and performing arts, including their associations with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Juilliard School of Performing Arts.

Given this is a new school, it will take time for the school to become competitive in the local school sports competitions, but it will not be for want of trying. Parents can expect to find a broad range of sports activities, together with a range of extra-curricular activities. 

What about academic achievement?

With the Nord Anglia group known for their schools' academic focus, NAIS Abu Dhabi says:

“Guided by outstanding British and international teachers, your child will get exceptional academic results that open doors to higher education across the globe. One in two Nord Anglia students go on to study at one of the world's top 100 universities, including Cambridge, Stanford, and Imperial College London.”

Certainly, the Dubai school has been among the top performing schools for both IB Diploma and A Level results, although the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic affected its outcomes, together with all other UAE schools. By the time the first cohorts of IGCSE and AS/A Level students complete their examinations, normality will have returned fully to the process, enabling comparisons with pre-pandemic achievements to take place.

You will find details of results for IB Diploma and A Levels in 2022 by following the links. 

What about the facilities?

Set on a site of over 44,000 square meters, the new, 37,500 square meter purpose-built building  will provide state-of-the-art facilities.  These will include over 112 large classrooms - 20 specifically designed for Early Years students - a 'World class' library, 12 state-of-the-art science labs, a state-of-the-art dance studio, six music rooms, five specialist art rooms, media rooms, and a large technology and maker space.

There are also three separate Early Years, Primary and Secondary libraries – the latter two connected by a spiral staircase – designed for each age group.

The Early Years and Primary libraries have been designed to stimulate young, creative minds and spark imaginations. Drawing inspiration from nature and the underwater world, the open working areas and spaces in the primary library are designed to promote active learning and encourage children to explore. The Secondary library offers a more contemporary, sophisticated space providing a glimpse into the business world, and helping to instill a sense of responsibility.

Sports facilities will include two sports halls including a multi-purpose hall with performance facilities and retractable seating for an audience of 450, a well-equipped gym, and a dedicated football field with a running track, a large multi-purpose sports field, a padel tennis court, and three swimming pools including an indoor swimming pool, a second designed for 3-4 year old learners and an Olympic-sized roof-top pool.   

The Buzz

With a recognised name in the UAE, Nord Anglia can reasonably expect that there will be some demand for its new school.  Clearly, it has determined that a UK curriculum school is more likely to succeed (and to build on their known strengths) than the originally planned US curriculum operation. 

However, the school's location on Reem Island puts it in close proximity to several other highly regarded international schools including Repton Abu Dhabi, whose main campus (from Year 2 to Year 13) opened in 2018 and is already rated Outstanding by ADEK. Very Good rated GEMS World Academy Abu Dhabi relocated its campus in 2021 and started its expansion to Grade 12 when it will become one of only two full IB curriculum schools in the capital.

Given its size, this is also a school that will take time to fill up. Even today Nord Anglia Dubai has only reached 2,30o students, 300 short of the capacity there. While this could mean parts of the school feel empty, Nord Anglia are not new to this game and are versed in how to use space well.

What about the fees?

ADEK approved fees at the new school range from AED 65,000 in FS to AED 89,000 in Year 8.  However, the school is offering discounts for founding families resulting in a reduction in fees to AED 55,250 in FS  rising to AED 72,250 in Year 8.

Full details of fees for all opening year groups can be found here.

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