Schools in Dubai

There are plenty of international schools in Dubai but competition for places and fees are high. Many follow the British or American curriculum and are staffed by teachers from the UK, Australia, and the US.

The academic year is divided into 3 terms, starting in September and ending in June. The school week runs from Sunday to Thursday. Start and finish times vary by school but are typically 8 am and 2.30 pm.

Many schools have entrance examinations and most have a uniform or dress code.

Fees vary by school, with many charging different fees for each age group. Additional fees are payable for registration, transport, uniforms, extra-curricula activities, and other expenses.

Documents must be submitted with an application form to enrol a child in school. These include:

Copies of birth certificate and passport
Passport photographs
Transfer certificate from current school
Recent school reports
Medical history

British and American Schools

The following schools in Dubai are popular with expatriates:

Name	Area	Curriculum	Notes
Al Mizhar American Academy for Girls	Al Mizhar	American	All girls’ school. Kindergarten to twelfth grade. Follows the Kent Country Collaborative Core Curriculum. Computer and science laboratories, swimming pool, gym, and dance studio.
Cambridge International School	Garhoud	British	Primary and secondary school. Follows the National Curriculum for England. Swimming pool, playing fields, indoor sports arena, 2 libraries, and art studios.
Deira International School	Dubai Festival City	British	Primary and secondary school. National Curriculum for England. Indoor gym, sports field, music and art rooms, computer and science laboratories, and swimming pool.
Dubai American Academy	Al Barsha	American	Kindergarten to twelfth grade. Enriched American Curriculum and International Baccalaureate Programme. Media centre, swimming pool, soccer pitch, gym, and theatre.
Dubai British School	Emirates Hills	British	Primary and secondary school. National Curriculum for England. Swimming pool, tennis court, gym, sports hall, libraries, art and design studios, and science laboratories.
Dubai College	Al Sufouh	British	Secondary. National Curriculum for England.
Dubai English Speaking School	Umm Hurair	British	Primary school. First British school in the United Arab Emirates. Established 1963. National Curriculum for England. Library, ICT suites, pool, gym, sports hall and field.
Dubai International Academy	Emirates Hills	British	Primary and secondary school. International Baccalaureate programmes. Science and computer laboratories, music, dance and drama rooms, library, multi-purpose halls, swimming pools, playing fields, basketball and tennis courts.
Emirates International School	Emirates Hills	British	Primary and secondary school.
English College	Al Safa	British	Primary and secondary school. National Curriculum for England.
Horizon School	Al Safa	British	Primary school. National Curriculum for England.
Jebel Ali Primary School	Jebel Ali	British	Primary school. National Curriculum for England.
Jumeirah College	Al Safa	British	Secondary school. National Curriculum for England.
Jumeirah English Speaking School	Al Safa	British	Primary school. National Curriculum for England.
Jumeirah Primary School	Al Safa	British	Primary school. National Curriculum for England. Library, music and art studios, gym, swimming pool, tennis courts, and sports pitches.
Kings’ Dubai	Umm Suqeim	British	Primary school. National Curriculum for England.
Regent International School	Emirates Hills	British	Primary and secondary school. National Curriculum for England and Wales/International Baccalaureate.
Repton School Dubai	Nad al Sheba	British	UAE branch of Repton, the famous English boarding school. Junior school opened 2007. Boarding school for boys 11 - 16 opening September 2008. Boarding facilities for girls and boys 16 - 18 opening September 2009.
Royal Dubai School	Al Mizhar	British	Primary school. Follows the National Curriculum for England. Facilities include multi-purpose sports hall, swimming pool, multi-media resource room, science laboratories.
Sheffield Private School	Al Qusais	British	Nursery and primary school. National Curriculum for England. Swimming pool, sports arena, multi-purpose hall, art and music studios, and library.
St Mary’s Catholic High School	Umm Hurair	British	Primary and secondary school. National Curriculum for England.
Star International School	Al Twar	British	Primary school. National Curriculum for England. Language laboratory, cricket and football pitches.
Universal American School	Dubai Festival City	American	Kindergarten to twelfth grade. Gym, track and soccer field, music and art rooms, library, swimming pool, computer and science labs.
Wellington International School	Al Sufouh	British	Primary and secondary school. National Curriculum for England. Library, ICT labs, dance, drama and art studios, TV/radio station, auditorium, gym, sports hall, squash, netball, volleyball, basketball and tennis courts, swimming pool, and climbing wall.
Winchester School	Jebel Ali	British	Primary school. National Curriculum for England. Science and computer laboratories, auditorium, sports fields, music and arts rooms, library, and play areas.

Reviews / Comments / Additional Information

Heba Yousri

Heba Yousri Mohamed Mohamed
Building 719, Apartment 24, Region 10, Zahraa Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt
Email: Yousriheba@yahoo ... (Tel: 24115772; Mobile: 01008491560)
TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
BBC International School, Cairo, Egypte
Senior French department & high school French Teacher July 2009-present
Responsible for the educational side of the school including management of the teaching team, timetabling, teacher development and observation, curriculum development, school projects, assessment, placement testing & dealing with students.
Teaching French as a second language to high school .Use of multimedia in language development, Smart board, e-learning sites & library use.
Cairo Modern School, Cairo, Egypt
Primary French Teacher February 2008-2009
Teaching French as a second language to KG 2 & Primary 1, 2 & 3. Use of multimedia in language development. Story time reading and library use. Learning through singing and performance. Developing language through creating holiday greeting cards.

El Ghad El Moshreq (Azhar School), Cairo, Egypt
Primary English Teacher September 2007-January 2008
Taught English as a second Language to primary grades 1, 2, 3. Taught basic grammar, interactive dialogue performance play; reading of stories through performance.
Al-Alsun Language School, Cairo, Egypt
Primary French Teacher September 2006-August 2007
Taught French as a second language to primary grades 1, 2, 3 and 4. Language teaching involves from learning the alphabet, numbers to storytelling, analysis and comprehension question. Students also learn the language through audio tape, consistent repetition of listening and building vocabulary.
English Teacher September 2004-August 2005
Taught English to KG1. Learning focused on activities and singing and basic development of the language.
Sun Center, Cairo, Egypt
French Teacher (Part-Time) Fall 2006 – Winter 2007
Taught French using French Curriculum developed by the French Cultural Central. Taught levels 1-6 to adult students. Content involved basic language, grammar and vocabulary building, and developing dialogues.
International Nursery for Languages, Cairo, Egypt
French and English Teacher September 2001-August 2002
Taught French and English to nursery kids ages 1-3. Taught basic language through singing activities, storytelling and puppet shows.

French Private Tutor September 1997-Present
Help with homework; enhance reading and writing skills, use of audio tapes and activities on computer. Tutor all levels from grade 4 to college level.
EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Arts in Tourism and Hotels, Helwan University, 2001
Certificate in Air travel concepts & terminology, Cairo Business Center, 2002
12 additional French credits/courses, French Cultural Center, 2006
Course in DELF B1, French Culture Center, 2007
International Certificate in DELF B1, French Culture Center, 2008
Course in DELF B2, French Culture Center, 2008
Course continue 2 years Diplôme (IUFP) Institut Universitaire de formation des professeurs.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Swiss- In International Company, Cairo, Egypt January 2001-August 2001
Customer Service and Public relations
T.G.I. Fridays, Cairo, Egypt February 1998-December 2000
Guest Relations
SKILLS AND INTERESTS:
Languages: Fluent in Arabic and French; Working knowledge of: English; Adequate understanding: Japanese
Computer: Windows Office 2000, XP
Travel: Europe

Linnie Smithe

My two children both went to The Repton School in Derbyshire UK and I was so pleased to hear from the headteacher there that a branch school had opened in Dubai almost 2 years before we moved. We loved the school in England, and were sure this would be the same, not being in Dubai before. We did not tour the school in the UAE, but it was much easier to move the kids there instead of a different school because the paper work was just transferred over!1 No filling in forms! My two sons, who are now 8 and almost 10, both love it in the UAE and Repton. Although the schools are both very different England: Lush green grass, and countryside and the UAE,: With its hot climate and break times occasionally indoors.

Kazim

Indeed I heard the same American School of Dubai is really good, but how to afford, 70K per child :(

Mom

I visited Winchester this morning. It was horrid. There were a minimum of 30 kids per class with 1 teacher and 1 teaching assistant. The kids were running around like mad, the school did not appear overly clean, I'll homeschool my children long before sending them there.

honestly yasmin

Yasmin, you seriously think 20 pupils is CRAMMED? And accents are so slurred one cannot consider them standard English? STANDARD ENGLISH? That is just dumb. You are saying its not a standard accent unless its been ripped straight off Lizzy's Christmas speech?

yasmin

The teachers are a disappointment at Repton as their accents are so slurred one cannot consider them standard English. They also cram their classes with 20 students and do not seem very attentive to the kids needs. My kids have given the school many chances and find the teachers rude.

asdlova

My children are all in the American School of Dubai, and are enjoying it very much. It is a high academic school, with great sports and drama. I highly recommend this school for any American newcomers to Dubai. It is located in Al Barsha, beside the Mall of the Emirates.