Bloom World Academy, Al Barsha South – The Review

Back Story

Opened in August 2022, Bloom World Academy is a radical and pioneering new school from Bloom Education, the Educational Group best known for the Tier One premium, outstanding-ranked UK curriculum Brighton College schools in Dubai, Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. Bloom World Academy has been set up in the same Tier 1 premium space – but eschews the traditional British focus of so many other schools for a progressive, much more family friendly and child-focused education founded on the International Baccalaureate. Indeed, friendly is a key word here given our experience of the school – this is one of the happiest, most inclusive, “buzzing” schools we have seen launch in the UAE in a decade – and the adoration of parents and children for the school culture and environment that has been created is something to behold. One obvious stand-out feature is whole school and parental engagement in the Performing Arts which has seen the creation of a distinct “Bloom” culture flourish in an extraordinarily short period, but this is just the most obvious of many investments that have seen the traditional rules of education rewritten in favour of the needs of children and families – including flexible school start and end times. Parents can choose to drop children at school any time between 7:00am and 9:00am and pick-up at any time between 4:00pm and 7:00pm – a move that has removed the vast majority of stresses faced by parents at other schools in the UAE which operate strict starts and ends to the school day.

Detractors, of which there were a number, said that it would not be possible to introduce this flexibility, arguably in many cases because it calls into question the balance of power between schools and parents and questions quite why other schools retain a fixed structure that seems so at odds with the needs of most families. Introducing this sort of flexibility and responsiveness to the needs of children and families is undoubtedly complicated and expensive. But Bloom Academy was set up from Day One to re-write the rule book on what is possible by starting from the question: “How can we build a school ground-up that works for students, parents and family life, delivers an absolutely outstanding education, and recognises that the world has changed and that students need much, much more than the old ways of thinking can deliver?”

And the result of this not inconsiderable investment in change? A school firing on all cylinders for its founding students and families, with an inspirational and tight family focused, hugely warm and inspiration-rich culture that takes most schools a decade to embed. Yes…. it’s that good.

What Makes this School Different

• Progressive framework in which education and the curriculum is built around the needs, potential, ambitions and interests of the individual child
• High investment in the Performing Arts and broader whole child curriculum from Sport to Music that engages the whole school community
• Flexible School Day built around the needs of students, parents – and one recognising the importance of family life outside school
• Outstanding school leadership in John Bell – passionate, committed, outspoken and fiercely on the side of children and families against anything that stands in the way of meeting their needs.
• Teaching faculty that have been empowered in a school environment that enables them to focus on individual child need rather than tick boxes. The resulting “feel” of the school is alive with ambition for children and a happiness and whole school culture that sets this school apart.
• Learning and a curriculum that works in sync with the very individual needs of each child rather pushing children into learning according to tick boxes and their age. Every child develops differently – with different interests, skills and at different speeds. Other schools force all children to develop at the same age or speed with very high risks that children will be burned out, forced to channel their energies away from the areas of learning in which they excel or be left behind their peers. By working with the needs of each child, rather than some idealised version of a single child, each child thrives, loves learning rather than seeing it as a chore – and learning is embedded and made meaningful.
• Learning Achievement Passport (LAP), unique to each child/student defining their own personal curriculum, timetable and targets, reviewed monthly by through dialogue between teachers, parents and students. This entire progressive model of education is unique in its scale and ambition to Bloom World Academy.
• Child happiness and wellbeing the fundamental first pillar of a Bloom World Academy education.
• A up-front commitment to creating post-16 provision that will meet the needs of every single child as they grow into young men and young women – with a commitment to the full power of the International Baccalaureate across both the Diploma and (fabulous) Career-related Programme so that every child, however they develop, can access either technical or academic stream options. Add to this further post-16 opportunities and richness in ASDAN programmes, internships, community experiences and links with industry – and no parents, or children, face the prospect, as with so many other school launches, of taking a leap of faith in a new school that might well leave them having to change schools later. Bloom World Academy is that rare thing: a “forever school” from Day One.

Location

Bloom World Academy is co-located with its Bloom Education sister school Brighton  College on an AED 280M landmark 10 acre site in Al Barsha South. The school’s main catchment areas include Al Barsha, the JVT community, Jumeirah Park, Dubai Hills, Dubai Sports City and Arabian Ranches. The pull of the progressive school and excellent transport links has seen the school attract students from across Dubai.

Leadership

John Bell is a hugely respected, long-standing school senior leader in UAE education who has played a critical, strategic role in a number of major school groups across the region and globally. It is fair to say that many were inspired by his decision to return to a hands-on role as Principal of Bloom World Academy, a rare move and a decision guided by the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to “build from ground zero the world’s best school for children”

To attract Mr Bell, Bloom promised the opportunity to design and lead a Tier 1 premium and groundbreaking school around the needs of children and older students, and if need be, build one that had not existed before in any previous model – investment no object. They wanted a school that didn’t need a brand to define it – but wanted it instead to be built from the substance of its ambition; a self-earned and deserved reputation of being beyond outstanding, a benchmark for what the 2st century school could, and should, be – and a school which, above all, delivered in every conceivable way for children and their parents. No small challenge then.

 

In “real” life Mr Bell comes alive in company. Fiercely intelligent he has the rare capacity to bring people with him. Watching him speak at the recent Festival of Schools his ability to command an audience saw him guiding discussion on education to what mattered, uniting leaders from other schools on a shared trajectory, with grace, humour, humility, sense of purpose and conviction. Quite something to experience. Watching him relate to the staff, families – and particularly the students under his care was inspirational. Experiencing first hand the creativity, innovation and confidence of children at his school, little wonder he is proud. This is a school leader that beyond peradventure cares deeply about his school – and believes in it. This may well end up being the defining point of his career – and the stakes could not be higher. If the aim has always been a happy school that delivers across the board, it is an aim which,  on the evidence of our now multiple inspections and experiences of Bloom World Academy since launch, that has been delivered – and in spades.

For a practical example of what building policies from scratch means, let’s take homework as an example. Many schools impose homework not because it has value, but because parents believe that the volume of homework given to a student somehow defined how good the school is. Mr Bell has a different view. There is a no-homework policy in both junior and senior school. This is for three reasons. First, children are like adults – they need a life outside school. Family is important. Their interests, friendships and “adventures” outside school are important. They will have little family life if what there is of it is spent in front of a desk completing homework. Second, an outstanding school delivers an education in school – that is the point. It should not need students to spent their entire lives dictated to by the school. Third, and finally, in an outstanding school, one in which learning is a passion not a chore, children will automatically apply the knowledge they learn in school in their lives outside school. They will choose themselves to read for pleasure around a subject, or follow the chains of discussion in school to understand better. “Children First” is made real at this school. Looked at this way, you really do begin to question just what the purpose of homework is…. just as Bloom makes you re-evaluate assumptions on the purpose and practice of education itself.

Read our interview with John Bell, Principal, Bloom World Academy – “We are living what we said we would do…” here. 

Design and Architecture

If there is a single focus of the school architecturally it is its being a showcase for maximising light, but the innovations here are actually in the clever and innovative division of the school by phases and activities within the given architectural model. The school has been mapped internally to meet the ambitions of its progressive model of education. The development as a whole is premium Tier 1, and the school, originally specified to a very high specification demanded by Dwight before its subsequent move, has been further stretched in its ambition by mapping of spaces around children. Nothing is wasted here – but do not expect above and beyond elements like a 50M Olympic Pool. This is a school that defines itself by its philosophy and delivery for students rather than by uber flashy facilities, many of which, in schools that do invest in these, find them used more for marketing than for any practical benefits for students. What is noticeable is that every single architectural investment is serious, of high quality and meaningful. In Bloom World Academy we have a school designed and built to stand the test of time and grow with the evolving needs of students, education, society and industry.

Facilities

Bloom World Academy internal facilities are spread over four floors and f89,000 m² of space. Overall facility provision we rank outstanding

Facilities include:

• Division of school life, learning and activities into five pastoral phases each with specialist facilities including: Primo, Early Years (with dedicated Centre), Lumos (including dedicated incubator/innovation labs/Centre for development, commercialising and prototyping of products, ideas and creations) and Nexus (with dedicated Pre-University Centre), Research phases for younger children and older students
• Multipurpose sports hall
• Robotics and Coding Centre/labs
• Landmark library with more than 9000 books in six languages
• 25m shaded competition outdoor swimming pool
• Training pool
• Two full-size Football/Rugby pitches
• Competition field for football, cricket and other sports
• Six-lane, 400m running track
• Three Padel Tennis Courts
• Two traditional Tennis Courts
• Two multipurpose outdoor courts
• Two full size rooftop Basketball Courts
• Dedicated Sports Hall and Gymnasium
• Dedicated Early Years Playground
• Dedicated Primary Playground
• Black Box Theatre
• Dedicated Music Rooms
• Band Practice rooms
• Fine Art Studios with gallery spaces
• Dedicated dining rooms and cafeteria
• Coffee Shop – designed as a hub and meeting place for the whole community
• The Forum – a beautifully architected space integrated into the design of the building, which has been established as a meeting space in which all teachers, students and parents can exchange ideas as equals and without judgment, as well as an inspirational community space to celebrate children each Friday with parents for the school’s weekly awards.

Investment

EDSTATICA^TM  records a combined original investment of approximately AED 275M ($75M) in the combined Brighton College and Bloom World Academy super-campus. Investment is serious and ongoing.

Curriculum

BWA is currently an IB Candidate School and will become a fully authorised IB World School during the winter term of 2023. As such, Bloom World Academy is the first progressive International Baccalaureate School in the United Arab Emirates. It offers the International Baccalaureate® Primary Years Programme (PYP) for children aged 3 – 12 in KG and Primary, the International Baccalaureate® Middle Years Programme for students aged 11-16 and the International Baccalaureate® Diploma Programme (IBDP) and International Baccalaureate® Career-related Programme for students aged 16-19 in Grades 11 – 12.

To see Bloom World Academy as only an IB school is to miss the point. The structure at Bloom World Academy is fluid, with education mapping itself according the needs of the child at every stage: throughout their lives at Bloom, students, with their teachers and parents, build the IB programme around their interests, potential, skills and ambitions – as well as their broader whole child interests.

The first graduation cohort from Bloom World Academy will take place in the spring of 2026.

Technical Stream and Vocational Pathways

As above, Bloom World Academy has confirmed that it will offer the (standout, internationally recognised and celebrated) International Baccalaureate® (IB) Career-related Programme (CP) as an alternative technical stream pathway to the Diploma for students aged 16-19 to meet the wide range of students. Planned courses also include BTEC and ASDAN programmes, incorporating internships and work/community experiences. This is beyond vital. The Career-related Programme is arguably the world’s definitive technical stream qualification – and, in the years to come, may will become more important that the Diploma as links with industry and transformation of life and work mean that both universities and industry require, for those looking for careers outside research, much closer linkages with skills and industry at school. Bloom, in committing to this breadth and multiplicity of different opportunities now, is ensuring that however the world and industries develop for this generation of students, the school is prepared and parents can be sure all needs will be met.

Fees and Value

Against this fee structure we rank Bloom World Academy as follows:

Quality Rank: Tier 1
Staff: student ratio average: 9:1

Value added: High

Fee Level: Low premium
ROI: Very high
Overall ranking: Outstanding plus

Top Schools Awards

Bloom World Academy achieved Commended and Shortlisted at the Top Schools Awards 2023 -2024 in the following Awards:

• Best International Baccalaureate Curriculum School in the United Arab Emirates 2023- 2024

• Best New School in the United Arab Emirates 2023- 2024

• Best Principal in the United Arab Emirates 2023- 2024

Bottom line? The SchoolsCompared.com Verdict for Parents 2023 – 2024

This is our stand-out new school launch in the last five years and, on the basis of what has been achieved so far, we have rare confidence so early on that this school will achieve outstanding school status swiftly and set benchmarks for what is possible and expected in delivering a twenty first century for children and families. It’s a rarely used term in education, given how traditional schools are almost by definition, but this is a game-changer in the region – a school that opened with a structure built around children and families, rather than one built around the old ways of doing things, easy wins and compromise. It’s also one of the most inspiring, happy to the point of ebullient, high performing schools we have visited at any stage of opening, let alone one in its early days of launch. It’s that good.

This is also a school that has mapped out its post-16 offer for families early. We should not be surprised. Bloom World Academy is set on a path that defined by the needs of its students – that was the brief given to John Bell – and he is determined to deliver it in full without compromise. In other new schools we have seen parents waiting years to have any knowledge of, or confidence in, post-16 provision at all. Not here. From the IB Diploma to the IB Career-related Programme, from ASDAN to BTEC and industry placements, everything is mapped out and in place in all its ambition and sense of purpose.

With all the options of the full powerhouse IB framework on the horizon for every single child, the resulting security for parents and students acts as a marker, a promise, for the absolute confidence that all stakeholders in Bloom World Academy can have in their future success. We think all parents joining a school need to have certainty that post-16 provision has the breadth of qualification and subjection pathways options to meet the eventual needs of their children – and Bloom World delivers this, and in spades.

Across the board, you could not expect, nor want for more from a new school opening. If you are open to an IB education, we think, on current trajectory, although you will find many high performing alternative options, you won’t find a better option. Leadership, in the shape of John Bell is world class, inspired and inspiring. Teachers absolutely believe in the new school – and it shows. Students cannot actually wait to get to school. Parents are de-stressed with school timings that recognise that we do not all fit into boxes. And the curriculum and teaching works with children, individual children, not against them by responding to who they are and what they need, not what some arbitrary rulebook imposed by the law of averages says they are or should be. No child is average in this school – they are each highly achieving unique individuals with the capacity to make a difference in the world. And that is exactly how it should be.

Beyond academics, the whole child invested life for and of  children in this school is a thing apart. From Sport and Music to the Performing Arts and the development of passions and interests as diverse as the children need them to be, this is a school that buzzes and inspires. As each child finds a voice and is celebrated for that voice, so you see the whole community, teachers, students and parents, brought together to celebrate that child. Community here is real.

Although in part in humour, the last comment we received from a parent remains pretty unforgettable. “Please, please don’t tell anyone in your review about how good this school is. Everyone will want to come.”

As an organisation committed to delivering honest, meaningful and serious reviews for parents of school provision in the Emirates, sadly we could not be silent.

This is an outstanding school. And an absolutely beautiful, life affirming one too.

Very highly recommended.

Further information

Visit the official Bloom World Academy web site here.

Read our first look news story on the opening of Bloom World Academy here.

Learn about Bloom World Academy’s investment in the Creative Industries here.

Visit Bloom Education here.

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