Set up to create a school that mirrored the more traditional UK public (meaning private) school (including a boarding option), there is no mistaking Repton Dubai. Located just off the main Dubai-Sharjah highway, the school with its turrets and cloisters resembles a popular fictional school. Having now secured an Outstanding rating from the KHDA for the sixth time, Repton has confirmed that excellence is truly embedded in a school that always set its targets high.

Repton Dubai has again been awarded an Outstanding rating by the KHDA's DSIB inspectors in the 2022-23 inspection round. The report can be found under the 'Inspection Reports' tab. An update to this review will take place in due course.

The story so far...

Launched in 2007, Repton School Dubai, located in Nad Al Sheba, is currently home to over 1,770 students, three times as many as its sister school in the UK. Repton Dubai offers the English National Curriculum from FS1 to Year 11, and the IB Diploma and IB Careers-related programmes in Years 12 and 13.  The additional of A Levels from September 2021, means that the school will be able to expand its Sixth form offering. 

The WhichSchoolAdvisor.com School Survey has received a significant number of responses (well over 100), with parents giving the school an overall rating of 4.3/5 - or a positivity rating of 86%!

Parents comment on the strong academics, teaching, the curriculum and facilities. The following are reflective of many comments:

"Strengths: developing students to be inquisitive, broad minded, confident, creative and disciplined. Weakness: none"
"Our children love this school and their teachers. The specialist teachers they are taught by at such a young age. The quality of facilities. The quality of teaching and leadership."
"Strengths-results, calibre of teachers, facilities, curriculum, communication."

For further feedback from parents at Repton Dubai, read The Buzz.

The largest single nationality within the school is, as you would expect, British; however this is a school also favoured by the local community - over 350 students are Emirati, some 19.7% and an evergrowing percentage.  Repton also has 71 students of Determination who require additional support from the specialist SEN team.

The school accepts girls and boys from three to eighteen years of age, and offers both day and boarding facilities (from Year 7). Its KHDA "Outstanding" rating makes it one of a limited number of schools in the emirate to achieve the grade.  In line with the KHDA's decision of September 2019, as a school rated Very Good or Outstanding, Repton will no longer receive a full three day inspection by the KHDA's DSIB inspection team, but rather a one day review visit for which no new report will be issued.

Repton Dubai is also rated 'Outstanding' by Bitish Schools Overseas (May 2015).

Read our Experience of visiting Repton here.

One thing to look for when examining IB curriculum schools is staff resourcing. The syllabus and methodology of the IB diploma requires more staff and Repton does not disappoint. It employs 165 full-time teachers, and 50 teaching assistants making the school one of the better resourced institutions in the emirate in terms of teacher-to-student ratios at 1:10.  Teacher turnover, at 18% in 2018-19, is slightly below the average for international schools in the UAE, but still rather higher than the school might necessarily like to see - replacing almost one in five staff each year is not without challenge. 

What about the curriculum?

Repton School Dubai follows the English National Curriculum from Foundation Stage to Year 11. Students are entered for IGCSE at the end of the secondary phase and then follow the increasingly well-regarded International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at post-16. Repton also offers an IB Career-related programme, linked to the BTEC qualification, offering a more vocational option.  This is unlike the UK school, which follows a GCSE route, followed by the traditional (for the United Kingdom) A' Level curriculum.

WhichSchoolAdvisor.com discusses the relevant merits of each curriculum here in terms of their approach, however you can see the logic in the deviation. While A' Levels are established and recognised by universities around the world, the IB Diploma is more of an international curriculum in terms of its syllabus, increasingly recognised as the Gold Standard academically, and arguably, therefore, more suited to Dubai and 79 of the 80 nationalities that attend the school.

Given that at least two Dubai schools have now implemented their decision to offer both the IBDP and A Levels, it has come as no surprise that Repton Dubai has now followed suit.  As we at WhichSchoolAdvisor.com had noted previously, "Repton is probably another school that has the resources, and space to do so". The choice is not about which is better, but about which suits the student in question. A' Levels allow focus, the IB allows breadth.  

In March 2021, Repton Dubai announced that the school has received KHDA approval to offer A Levels from September 2021.  This much - and long - mooted decision had been under discussion at the school almost since its opening.

Commenting on the introduction of A Levels from September 2021, Tracy Crowder, Head of Secondary School noted, "At Repton Dubai,  we want to ensure that our pupils have access to the best educational opportunities post-16 that will further enhance their diverse skillsets, empowering them to explore limitless endeavours in the future".

As would be expected, Repton Dubai aims to deliver a holistic approach to education, ensuring that students' focus is not solely on the academic - although this is clearly a key part. The school has too many after school clubs to actually list - but you can find the details here.

What about academic achievement?

Repton Dubai has released its results to WhichSchoolAdvisor.com - something which we believe is a very positive step towards transparency in the UAE education scene and which has been somewhat lacking in the past.  Repton does relatively well.

With the return to post-Covid examinations in 2022, Repton shared its IBDP results with us, advising that 44 students were entered for the examinations and achieved an average points score of 36.  The highest individual points score was 43 (two off the top). 93% of students achieved 30+ points, whilst 61% were awarded 35+ points and 18% received 40+points.

A round up of UAE-wide 2022 IBDP results can be found here. 

The school released limited information about its students' IGCSE results for 2022, noting only that 29% of entries had been awarded A*, whilst 51% achieved A*-A and 91% received a pass between A* and C. 

A round up of UAE-wide I/GCSE results for 2022 can be found here.

In common with all UAE schools, examinations for both the IB Diploma and IGCSE examinations were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. Instead, points/grades were awarded on the basis of Centre Assessed Grades (based on teachers' predictions) and on assessed assignments which were marked by IB examiners.

The IB results from July 2021 showed that a cohort of 63 students all passed the Diploma with an average score of 36.2 compared with 34.4 a year ago.  90% of students achieved 30+ points, whilst 54% achieved 35+ points and 27% achieved 40 points or more.

2020 IB results showed that almost a quarter of its students (23%) scored 40+ points and 43% of students scored 35+ points in their IB Diploma. Repton Head Girl, Jeanne Semple attained 44 points, a new record for the school. Fewer than 1% of students worldwide achieved this score. Overall students who took the IBDP examinations scored an average of 34.4 points, well above the global average of 30 points and bettering last year’s average Diploma Programme score. 

With the award process relying on a non-examined route for the past two sessions, there is general evidence of grade inflation - the global IB average score was raised from 31.34 in 2020 to 32.99 points in 2021, a further significant leap from the figure of 29.62 in 2019, when students last took the IB examinations. This appears to be more marked in the UAE, where the average has grown from 2019, when it was 32.26, and 2020 when it was 34.41, to 35.89 in 2021.

In August 2021, the I/GCSE cohort of 79 students were entered for 745 examinations. 17% of entries were awarded Grade 9, whilst 39% were awarded A* (Grades 9-8) and 58% achieved A*-A (Grades 9-7) - coincidentally, the same results as 2020. 75% of entries were awarded A*-B (Grades 9-6), whilst 95% were awarded A*-C (Grades 9-4), The overall student pass rate was 100%, with 93% achieving 5 A*-C grades including English and Maths.

We would anticipate that there will be a correction in 2022 when students are expected to sit exams in the usual way.  As a result we would strongly encourage families considering results as a factor in their decision about their choice of school, to look at the history over the previous years where possible.

The batch of results released in August 2020 for IGCSE showed that Repton Dubai's cohort of 105 students, who were entered for over 1,000 exams, were awarded 39% of exam entries graded A*/9-8, 58% of exam entries graded A*-A /9-7, 89% of exam entries graded A*-B /9-6, 97% of exam entries graded A*-C /9-4 with 97.1% of students achieving 5 A*-C/ 9-4 including English and Maths. The overall student pass rate A*-C was 100%. The highest achieving student obtained 11 Grade 9 passes.

The 2019 IB results - which were issued after UAE schools had closed for the summer - were provided in an abridged form.  All 61 IB students passed their IB examinations, scoring an average of 34.0 points, as in 2016-17. 47% of students achieved 34 points of more, whilst two students attained 43 points (only 1% of students worldwide achieve this) and will study at St Andrews and University College London in the UK. In addition, two students achieved the bilingual Diploma in French and English – a first for Repton and a huge achievement for the students involved. 

All IBCP students (the school did not advise how many) successfully graduated from the programme, having completed a Level 3 BTEC Diploma in Business within the IB Careers-Related Programme. All Emirati students who completed the examinations successfully earned their IB Diploma or IBCP certificate. 

We would like to see a more detailed, comparative break-down of the IBDP results, particularly in terms of the number of students who achieved 30+, 35+ and 40+ points, the usual basis for comparison.  

In 2018, Repton IBDP students again achieved an average of 34 points, with 40 students sitting the full IBDP and a further 7 students taking the IB Career-related programme (IBCP) with a BTEC qualification in Business Studies.  The global average IBDP score fell slightly to 29.78, whilst the UAE average was 31.41.

In 2017, having initially achieved an average of 34 points when results were originally published, the results of re-marks lifted the overall average score to 35 points, on a par with the leading IB schools in Dubai. The full results, as issued by the school, may be found here, showing that 85% of students achieved A* to C at GCSE English and Mathematics in 2017. 

What about the Facilities?

Repton's buildings, which are often compared with Hogwarts from the Harry Potter books, do offer a very fine range of facilities.  The school is on a dedicated campus which it claims is the largest in the Middle East. At 1.3 million square feet it's certainly big, with expansive outdoor space. 

Whilst there is no doubt that Repton Dubai is probably the most impressive school building in Dubai, perhaps not unsurprisingly, these spacious facilities come at a significant cost in terms of operations, and particularly in relation to utility costs.

As a result, Repton Dubai has entered into a partnership with Dubai-based energy services company, Taka Solutions, with the aim of reducing its total energy consumption by 14,201,866 kWh by 2027. This is equivalent to over 10,041 metric tons of CO², the equivalent of CO² emissions from 1,700 homes’ electricity use for one year, CO² emissions from 1,280,587,687 smartphones being charged or greenhouse gas emissions from 2,169 passenger vehicles driven for one year.

Since December 2018, Taka Solutions has worked extensively with the school to conduct an energy audit. Results revealed a total projected energy saving of 2,028,838 kWh per year (1,434,470 kg of CO² per year) which translates to potential annual energy savings in energy of AED 890,898 (23%) and annual water savings of AED 87,660 (9%).

The ten buildings, set around a central circular outdoor space, are nothing if not impressive. The school grounds are vast, described by some new parents as "like walking onto a university campus". 

 Read our Experience of visiting Repton here.

Performances and fundraising activities are often held on the lawned area, due to the fact that the Performing Arts Centre still remains "under construction" almost 15 years after the school opened. This has been the subject of heated discussion among parents and latterly, the KHDA inspection team, who seem to feel that "leaders have been slow to keep parents up-to-date with their efforts to complete the performing arts centre." 

It is the one subject of regular complaint from parents in our WhichSchoolAdvisor.com survey, particularly for those whose children have been through the school from FS to Sixth Form and have still not seen this facility delivered.

The single-storey Foundation section, though part of the Junior School, is housed separately from it and the Senior school, and offers a vast range of facilities (including a gymnasium) and resources. Each classroom opens onto an outdoor space for messy play and other creative activities.  Classrooms are bright and spacious and well furnished for younger children.

The Junior School, made up of the Foundation section, together with the Infant Department (Years 1 and 2), the Pre-Prep (years 3 and 4) and the Prep School (years 5 and 6) is located to the left of the campus. It is built over two floors in a C- shape with wide corridors offering plenty of space for break-out areas and even performances.  Specialist labs, art rooms, technology spaces and a two-storey library are included in the imaginative design.  The school states that English, Maths, Science and Computing lie at the heart of the Junior School curriculum.

To the right of the Junior School is the two floor refectory, with formal eating areas supervised by staff for younger students, and a more grown up cafeteria style space for older students and staff on the upper floor.  Kitchens on site, mean that food is largely prepared at the school.

Behind this facility lies the Sports area, with two indoor pools, gymnasia and an enormous playing field where students have access to a full-size grass Rugby pitch among other facilities.  Tucked away to the left of these facilities are the two Boarding houses.  Although the school was designed with Boarding options in mind, this appears to have been relatively limited in its success.  One of these buildings has now been turned over to a Music Centre as a (hopefully) temporary measure until the Performing Arts Centre finally opens its doors.

The Senior School is spread across three buildings to the right of the main circle, each offering classrooms, together with all of the facilities and resources required to enable the school to offer "a combined British independent school curriculum and one common to international schools around the globe. This curriculum incorporates elements of the English National Curriculum, but also allows highly skilled teachers to develop an appropriate curriculum for an independent school in an international environment." 

The course of study through the school is designed to develop pupils as independent and lifelong learners as well to encourage "a spirit of intellectual curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge both in and out of the classroom."

What the inspectors say

According to the KHDA, attainment and progress, curriculum and quality of teaching, learning and assessment are 'Outstanding' at Foundation Stage - as noted in all reports since 2011-12. 

In September 2019, the KHDA announced that all Dubai schools rated Outstanding or Very Good would no longer go through the full inspection process annually, but would instead receive a one day visit.  No new inspection report has been issued.

In the 2018-19 report, Students' achievement across English, Mathematics and Science across all sections was rated Outstanding with the sole exception of Sixth form Science attainment, which was rated Very Good as in the previous year.  In fact, achievement has remained the same across all core subjects including Arabic, although this is mainly rated Acceptable.

The position in relation to Islamic Education is likely to be a cause for concern, given that it has dropped again from Good to Acceptable in the Secondary school.

Across the other five key performance standards, Students' personal and social skills and their innovation skills were found to be Outstanding, with two exceptions from the previous inspection having now also achieved the top rating. Similarly, the ratings for Teaching and Assessment are now all rated Outstanding, as are all of the ratings for Curriculum. 

The protection, care, guidance and support of students reflect a similar outcome of Outstanding.  Provision and outcomes for Students of Determination who require additional SEND support was again rated Very Good. 

Leadership and Management was again rated predominantly Outstanding, with the exception of Governance which was rated Very Good.  This is again apparently driven by the failure of the owners of the school to make the now complete, but not yet in use, Performing Arts Centre available for students' use, resulting in performances taking place at external venues. 

High praise is retained for the Leadership and Management of the school with inspectors stating that "The Principal plays a pivotal role in sustaining a vibrant learning culture where students thrive.  Leaders at all levels share a strong commitment to inclusion, and to ensuring that all students do as well as they can."

The strengths of Repton Dubai were defined as follows:

• Children thrive in the Foundation Stage (FS) and make swift progress in developing key language, number and scientific skills;
• Students in the Primary, Secondary and post-16 phase make rapid progress in English, mathematics and science, typically reaching high standards;
• Students' outstanding behaviour, their appreciation of Islamic values and strong sense of responsibility, underpin the harmonious and purposeful atmosphere across the school;
• The meticulous attention to health and safety, and high-quality care and support, are much appreciated by parents;
• Leaders and governors are successful in promoting the school's ambition to provide a first-class learning environment, where, in partnership with parents, students can achieve well, whatever their aptitudes, needs or talents.

Key recommendations for Repton focused, as they have done in the past, on the need to:

• Improve students' achievement in Islamic Education by: monitoring progress in lessons and in their written work to ensure to ensure appropriate challenge in all areas of the curriculum; developing a valid and reliable assessment system that closely matches those used in other subjects; [and] improving the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that lessons are conducted at an appropriate pace and tasks are set according to students' different needs.
• Improve students' achievement in Arabic by putting more emphasis on their speaking and writing skills, to ensure more consistent opportunities for oral dialogue and purposeful writing.

If you would like read the entire KHDA inspection report - and we strongly encourage you to do so - please go here.

The Buzz

Opinions from well over 100 parents who have completed the WhichSchoolAdvisor.com Parent Opinion Survey are largely positive.  Overall, parents rated the school 4.3/5 - a positivity rating of 86%.

86% of parents felt that their children had 'quite a bit' or a tremendous sense of belonging to the school, with a similar percentage believing that their children enjoyed going to school "quite a bit" or "a tremendous amount". 78% were satisfied with the academic performance of the school, though 6% of respondents were not - numbers that are line with UAE averages. But despite this, 27% still felt that their children needed additional tuition outside school. Parents were generally satisfied with levels of feedback and discipline. 

Interestingly, despite the overall positive feedback, close to third of parents (31%) had considered moving their child to another school. How much of this was driven by academic considerations or by the fees at Repton is hard to say, but as is often the case, fees are clearly a contentious issue.  Whilst 46% of respondents agreed that they did represent value for money, 42% only partially supported this statement and a further 12% disagreed. However, despite these concerns, there was little prevarication about whether parents would recommend Repton to others.  A whopping 85% said that they would recommend Repton to another parent with only 8% saying that they would not. 

If you are a parent, teacher or student at Repton Dubai, and would like to share your experiences with other potential members of your community, please complete our survey here.

Parents were evidently keen to state their views about their experiences at Repton to the KHDA in advance of their most recent inspection. 99% of the 132 parents, who responded to the KHDA's pre-inspection survey, said that they are satisfied with the quality of education provided by the school. 

Indeed, according to the KHDA, "Parents are extremely positive about the quality of teaching and how their children develop confidence, independence and strong moral values. They are overwhelmingly pleased with their children's progress and the variety of experiences on offer. Parents are very pleased with the leadership, and value the regularity and quality of communication. They appreciate the way in which leaders take their views seriously".

Almost 500 students participated in the KHDA's Well-being census. Almost all who responded expressed positive views about most aspects of the school. They are very appreciative of the quality of teaching and feel valued and safe.  Students appreciate the support and individual feedback about their academic progress and personal development which teachers provide.

Our View

It is perhaps unreasonable to expect Repton Dubai to offer the same experience as its UK counterpart - academically or holistically. One is over 500 years old, the other just over 15. Repton School Dubai generated significant publicity at its opening, much of that simply from the famous name of the school itself (Dubai does love a brand), combined with the city's love of the new, and the general need for good quality educational institutions. 

Repton UK enjoys a good reputation as an English public school. Academically (and it's more than just academics of course) it is ranked 97th in a league of UK public schools in terms of 'A' Level exam performance, which may not sound high, but puts it in the top third of a very competitive bunch.

The history and reputation of the UK School and high expectations of parents for the Dubai School have, inevitably perhaps, led the newer school to its share of teething problems, as anyone who does research on the school will find out from various UAE forums.  Repton Dubai does seem quite unlike many others in terms of the heated response any discussion of it gets. Some actually hostile, some very passionate in its defense. 

Whatever the case, Repton Dubai can certainly argue that it is academically successful and an Outstanding school as adjudged by the local Regulator.

What about the fees?

Fees at the school currently range from AED 52,863 for FS1 to AED 95,000 for Year 13.  This follows the introduction of some hefty discounts, ranging between 10% in the Nursery/Reception classes up to a whopping 15% for Years 12 and 13. 

On launch, Repton Dubai was one of the two most expensive schools in the UAE (with GEMS World Academy), another reason behind the heated response from critics.  Its fees still clearly exclude many potential students, whose parents may have wanted them to attend. It also sharpens the senses when it comes to determining 'value' - and certainly puts the performance and facilities Repton offers under the microscope. 

Fees for boarders are clearly higher than the tuition fees we have mentioned. For boarding options, fees range from AED 136,221 at Year 6, to AED 161,000 at Year 13. (Note, the cost of boarding in the United Kingdom is presently the equivalent of AED 175,000  annually (£9,760 per term) - it does not seem to matter the age range.  Boarding take up has mainly been from locally-based or GCC boys on a weekly basis.  Repton Dubai is still trying to develop interest in this very British offering.

This school is in a Best School by parents ranking

Repton 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:

• #23 in Best Schools in the UAE
• #13 in Best Premium Schools in Dubai
• #9 in Best Premium British Schools in Dubai
• #6 in Best IB Schools in Dubai
• #5 in Best A Level Schools in Dubai
• #12 in Best British Schools in Dubai
• #19 in Best Schools in Dubai
• #6 in Best IB DP 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