Delhi Private School (DPS), Sharjah School Zone, Muwailih Commercial

Established in 2000 with 146 students, today’s Delhi Private School Sharjah (the school now has branches in Dubai) is a sprawling affair educating 5600 students. DPS follows the CBSE New Delhi curriculum and was the first school in the U.A.E to be established by its much respected parent, the Delhi Public School Society in New Delhi.

The school follows a genuinely progressive syllabus leveraging a “creative building block” holistic approach to education rather than more traditional hothouse approaches that traditionally focus on memory, learning by rote and textbook based study centred on examinations.

Whilst Sharjah does not currently adopt an inspection regime comparable with the KHDA in Dubai, the school is widely and highly respected within the Indian diaspora and its drama and sports provision draws particular acclaim. Its younger sister school in Dubai has consistently (2010 – 2015) scored a rating of “Good” by the KHDA and on the basis of the Sharjah school’s seniority we would expect, on a similar inspection regime, DPS to score Outstanding.

It is worth noting the CBSE curriculum is specialized and does not cross-reference easily with European or American curricula. For parents seeking Post-18 university placements outside India it is arguable that alternative schools offering a US, UK or IB-based approach may be a better option. Notwithstanding this, DPS, which says it focuses on the whole child, is in theory better able to tailor programs to the individual needs of children. Certainly its alumni have excelled whether academically, in sport and/or broader culture and business.

Attainment in English, Mathematics and Science is outstanding across age ranges, although it is frustrating that recent examination results are not being published by DPS. As a result of this, benchmarking the school remains problematic and parents are advised to seek personal recommendations from parents which should be weighed against the lack of published data.

Delhi Private School Sharjah is oversubscribed and as a result admission is not axiomatic. The school is selective, and an entrance examination is required. Registration costs a non-refundable 400 AED (2016).