20th. Repton School Dubai
Type of school: For-profit
Curriculum: British hybrid IGCSE/International Baccalaureate
Age of children: All through
School size: 2111
Location: Nad Al Sheba, Dubai
Repton School Dubai was the school that introduced boarding to the UAE, and the first to bring a big UK school brand to the UAE.
What most of us have realized watching Repton’s evolution and slow coming of age is that it’s not the brand that matters, but how well a school is able to graft the know how of its parent school, with an often very different context, environment and commercial imperatives.
Repton Dubai had no school to learn from, which means its fairly rapid, although uneven, rise to Outstanding status will have been all the more satisfying for those that stayed the course. Repton could never be replicated exactly from the UK, and increasingly it has struck its own path. This is not a stuffy school. It’s not a hothouse. It’s not unduly ‘posh’, self important or judgmental. It is certainly not a backward looking remnant of the British Empire. rather it’s actually the opposite. Fun, exciting, dynamic, happy, cosmopolitan, diverse, liberal, kind and nurturing.
It’s a very, very pretty school too. And we like that it’s a little, dare we say, rough around the edges. Lived-in even. It feels homely – as a good boarding school should.
Results are improving fast – not the best in Dubai, but we do need to get off the roundabout that judges schools by their results alone – certainly something to take from this year’s awards. And yes, fees are high – but boarding fees, in the round, actually offer reasonable value.
For its many very significant strengths, the school is working through complexity. The Emirati role is high and many local children leave school before completion of the IB. This impacts on the dynamics of the school and fairly making comparison with other schools on examination performance.
We understand too that Repton School Dubai is still looking to introduce the Career-related Programme – a programme which we think is in many ways better than the Diploma. It would be a very good fit for Repton – and, in our view, help the school better balance its offer to its role. Certainly top tier universities in the UK share our view on the value of the Career-related programme…
But in the round, notwithstanding its challenges, this is a groundbreaking school. Repton School Dubai deserves its place. That it is not yet perfect, means we can expect even more.
Repton School Dubai Examination results
IB DIPLOMA
| 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | |
| Number of Diploma Candidates | 47 | 24 | 31 | 31 | 35 |
| % of Candidates Passing the Diploma | 94 | 96 | 97 | 90 | 80 |
| Average Points Score | 34 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 31 |
| Highest Diploma Points Score | 43 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 39 |
| Mean Subject Grade | 5.41 | 5.33 | 5.36 | 5.23 | 4.96 |
2017 IB Diploma
- Highest score: 43 points
- 15% at 40 points or more
- Over 42% of students gained 35 points or more
IGCSE Summary
| IGCSE Result Summary | |||||
| 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | |
| A* % | 29 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 22 |
| A* – A % | 58 | 52 | 54 | 46 | 44 |
| A* – B % | 81 | 74 | 77 | 70 | 66 |
| A* – C % | 93 | 88 | 91 | 88 | 86 |
2017 IGCSE
- Over 25% of pupils gained 9+ A*/A grades
- 94 % of pupils achieved 5 or more A*-C grades (85% including English and Mathematics)
- Core subject grades;
| A* % | A*/A % | A*-B % | A*-C % | A*-E % | ||
| English | 24 | 53 | 89 | 97 | 100 | |
| Maths | 39 | 62 | 76 | 88 | 100 | |
| Science | 38 | 62 | 84 | 93 | 97 | |
Ratings
Independent feedback: *****
Care of children (plannned): *****
Leadership and Vision: *****
Whole and Individual child provision: ****
Facilities (relative to fees): *****
Parental engagement and community: *****
Happiness: *****
‘Bangs for the buck’: *****
KHDA/ADEC rating: Outstanding
SchoolsCompared.com full review: Here
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