Best British Schools in Dubai – the SchoolsCompared.com Parent Guide 2021
Hybrid British-International Baccalaureate Schools
Nord Anglia International School
“Set to be the benchmark for British IB schooling, Nord Anglia is on target to establish itself firmly within the very top tier of Dubai’s elite schools. Nord Anglia has a recognized history in supporting academically gifted children and for these children it is unlikely to be bettered. The Juilliard performing arts programme has the potential to lead performing arts provision within the UAE and provide a natural home for the gifted child in music, drama and dance – but more than this, it highlights how the school builds capacity to delivers for each of its children across the spectrum of their gifts. Highly recommended.”
GEMS Wellington International School
“GEMS Wellington International is a (very) deserving Editor’s Pick. The school provides a powerful, inspirational education, one of the best on offer anywhere in the region, in Mathematics, English and Science – and its results demonstrate significant, impressive value-added to its mixed ability intake.”
“Repton School Dubai polarises views, but its very unique British atmosphere, genuinely unmatched elsewhere in the sector, creates a very special school with a draw that, for parents able to afford the fees, may be irresistible. In its combination of a British Boarding school style experience, with the flair and ‘feel’ that comes from its Arabic-infused location, strong academics, world-class facilities, architectural environment and mixed cultural student intake, Repton does fire the imagination. Unsurprisingly the school deservedly secured elite whichschooladvisor good school status in 2013-14, 2015-16 and 2016-17. Highly recommended.”
“A very, very good school midway through an ambitious programme of full-phase capital and intellectual school development offering an outstanding education for its students.”
GEMS Wellington Academy – Dubai Silicon Oasis
“GEMS Wellington DSO offers children the opportunity of an extraordinary education. The school’s provision and facilities mirror those of top UK independents and the curriculum cleverly, and genuinely, offers different pathways according to the gifts, ambitions, and needs of individual children. Innovations in fused digital learning are indicative of the forward thinking leadership of the school. If you can afford the premium fees, then GEMS Wellington Academy DSO is a school to consider.”
“Kent College Dubai has the makings of an exceptional school, but parents should manage expectations. Kent College Dubai will have its own culture and unique “way” and not simply replicate a mythical slice of “little England.” Nor should the school, or parents, want that. It is structurally a very different school, in a very different part of the world. This said the very close relationship between campuses in Canterbury and Meydan, which is a transparently genuine one and heavily built into the DNA of the school’s founding, will afford students a tremendous opportunity to be educated under the Kent umbrella and, in years to come, join a body of very impressive alumni that traverse every corner of the world.”
Jumeirah English Speaking School Arabian Ranches
“There are many discussions that have taken place behind the scenes between the school and members of both our, and our sister organisation, whichschooladvisor, teams. What we have collectively drawn from these discussions is information that does not translate easily to numerical data but which demonstrate the absolutely extraordinary thought and investment that takes place behind the scenes in both JESS schools.”
British GCSE-Only Schools
“There are a number of extremely rare schools in Dubai that operate at levels significantly above their fee structure. Al Ameen, which delivers its education at some of the lowest fees anywhere in the Emirates, re-writes the rulebook that says schools cannot deliver a good standard of education to a budget. Many parents on an ideal wish list for a school would choose a small school, with high academic attainment, a nurturing environment with happy children inspired to learn and a school with a moral culture to balance academic provision with a whole child focus on the bigger picture. The “end game” for most parents is a school that helps their children graduate to the best of their ability as rounded individuals prepared for the challenges off the world beyond school. In each of these areas Al Ameen delivers. There are compromises in the breadth of subject choice, the quality and degree of facility provision and the bells and whistles that Tier 1 schooling, at a price, buys. For many parents, however, bells and whistles do not make a school. Recommended.”
Hi i wnt to knw whch is best school horizon international or raffels international school
Hi Kashish, this is a really tough question to answer. To some extent it will depend on the age of your child(ren) and what type of environment you are seeking. Raffles International is a very well established school consistently rated Good by the KHDA. It is a very international school in nature with students and staff from a diverse range of countries (with the highest proportion of students being from Europe) and around 1,700 students in total – so a large school, with a staff to student ration of 1:11. Horizon International is a much smaller school with under 1,000 students, the majority of whom are UK passport holders. Staff turnover at both schools has historically been relatively low, although there were significant changes at Horizon International at the end of the 2016 academic year. The staff to student ratio is 1:11, so lower than Raffles International. The new Principal (who joined from GEMS) appears to be popular with parents and has a clear focus on areas of development and improvement. Neither school has had students graduate from year 13 as yet, so it is too soon to comment on Sixth Form outcomes. Fees at Raffles International School range from AED 30,000 to AED 65,000, whilst at Horizon International, they are between AED 33,000 and AED 93,000 (though there is currently a large discount for children in years 10, 11 and 12 with fees being similar to Raffles). As you can see, there are many similarities between the schools and our advice would always be that you visit the schools and see for yourself which you feel is likely to suit your child(ren) better.
Thanks for your comment and help.
Thnank you, can you give me information on Regent International too?
HI Kashish, Regent is another long established school. It has recently reverted to Primary only with the opening of Sunmarke School which is part of the same group. Historically, the school has been rated Good by the KHDA for the past 5 years. Prior to the opening of Sunmarke, there were approximately 1,400 students at RIS. This number has now fallen considerably to approx 1,000 with the move of the Secondary students. The majority of staff and students are UK passport holders. The staff:student ratio was 1:13, this is likely to have improved with the changes. The Foundation stage, in particular, was praised by the inspectors. To some extent, the age of your child(ren) will determine if Regent is a good option as it does not offer the Through-school arrangement any longer and children would be expected to move to its sister school when they reach Secondary stage.
Do you have a review for Deira international School?
Hi Kashish, please check the review on SchoolsCompared and on Whichschooladvisor.com. You may also wish to check the KHDA reports for the school which are included on Whichschooladvisor.
You helpd me alot thanks. I am a bit confused. i want a review for Deia international school.
Hi Kashish, Lyn is saying there is a review on both WSA and SchoolsCompared.com for you to check – https://whichschooladvisor.com/school-review/deira-international-school and here, https://schoolscompared.com/area/dubai-schools/festival-city/deira-international-school-dubai-festival-city/