Dubai Heights Academy, Al Barsha – The Review

Back Story and Introduction

Dubai Heights Academy (DHA) is a Tier 1, premium British curriculum AED159M school which opened on a landmark 2,800,000 Square foot site in Al Barsha in September 2017. Currently (2024) open to Year 10, Dubai Heights Academy is in phased launch to provide a complete all-through British, English National Curriculum founded, education from Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), through GCSE, to gold standard A’ Level and BTEC at British Sixth Form. Dubai Heights Academy uniquely runs its STEM programmes in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – a UAE first. The school is ranked Very Good with Outstanding Features by the KHDA, Dubai’s official school regulator, an exceptionally achievement given the age of the school.

The school is resolutely international, with a role welcoming 58 different nationalities. There is strong representation from British, American, Australian and Emirati families at the school. Investment in teaching and leadership is significant and both teaching faculty and school leadership is in the majority British.

Dubai Heights Academy is owned by Seven Tides International and is the crown jewels of their Education Portfolio. Seven Tides have a reputation for delivering some of the most beautiful architecture and projects in the UAE, including Anantara The Palm and Dukes Oceana Resort. The school was established by the owners to give back to the families of Dubai. The brief was to establish one of the finest schools in the UAE, one committed to inclusion and delivering Tier One levels of academic and whole child achievement, but with very strong levels of ROI for parents from its fee structure

The school is currently working through planning for Sixth Form provision which will provide an extensive choice of subjects across academic, technical and Determination pathways including

• British A’ Level
• British BTEC
• ASDAN

In the early days of the school, plans were considered which would have offered students a further choice of A’ Level or IB at Sixth Form. The decision has now been made to focus exclusively on British education and gold standard A’ Level and BTEC qualifications.

The eventual capacity  of the school is just 1,845 children – small by Dubai standards for a new premium all-through Tier 1 British school. Dubai Heights Academy is one of an extremely limited number of Tier 1 schools offering this level of facility and curriculum provision to a role under 2000 children. For many parents, smaller schools are sought out because of the likelihood that their children will receive a more individualised, personal education, warm happy school dynamics and an education in which every child is known to all teachers by their name rather than being lost in a crowd of faces. Deeply committed to its gradual phased launch, as of 2024, Dubai Heights Academy educates under 400 students with quite exceptional levels of individualised care of children and learning.

Differentiators

Dubai Heights Academy stands out as school founded in the UAE – but with a brief to deliver to the very highest global standards expected of alternative Tier 1 British curriculum branded imports. Designed and built by Seven Tides, the school is ultimately owned by the Sulayem family as a vehicle to give back to the people of Dubai and invest in the future generation of youth. Striking is the strong ROI here; the quality of facilities is exceptionally high, and breadth of facilities extensive, but overall fees low given that offer. The commitment to opening up the opportunities of a premium education to the widest audience runs deep.

Example of the way the school differentiates its offer are legion. The school enjoys a relationship with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that is unique in the UAE; investment in British teachers and leadership is uncompromising despite the expense; facilities (from three pools to a world standard auditorium) meet the needs of every students – and perhaps most striking of all, the school’s investment is ongoing with a landmark new Secondary School opening in academic year 2024-2025.

Location

Dubai Heights Academy is located in the heart of Al Barsha South within easy reach of the Al Barsha communities, Jumeirah Village Circle and the main Sheikh Zayed Road commuter belt. In terms of location, Dubai Heights Academy sits adjacent to GEMS Founders and Al Barsha National, with easy proximity to GEMS Worlds Academy, JSS and Repton Al Barsha.

The location was chosen, in no small part, because of its accessibility to parents across Dubai.

Key commuting communities include:

• Al Barsha South (South 1, South 2, South 3 and South 4)
• Al Barsha (Al Barsha 1 to 3)
• Jumeirah Village Circle
• Dubai Studio City
• Dubai Lifestyle City
• The Meadows
• The Springs
• The Lakes

KHDA Inspection – Very Good with Outstanding Features

School leadership 

Alison Lamb brings to Dubai Heights Academy more than 27 years of experience as an educator. A decade in the UK was followed by sixteen years in UAE schools.

A graduate of Northumbria, with specialism in Primary education, Ms Lamb secured her qualification in Headship (NPQH) from Newcastle in 2002 after her first ten years in teaching. Her first Primary School position saw her developing expertise in curriculum development, in particular in the area of numeracy, music and performance. Ms Lamb’s Mother, a teacher in Special Educational Needs, inspired her to further diversify her skills by working alongside a local school in supporting their SEND Department.

Building on this experience, Ms Lamb moved to Bamburgh School, South Tyneside, a pioneer in educating children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. This saw her integrating SEND students within mainstream education at a school in which she developed specialist expertise over the next seven years. Ms Lamb expanded curriculum breadth across Primary and Secondary education to include study in GNVQ Art and Design, had senior leadership responsibility for securing Investors in People and Education in Business Partnerships across the school and worked with Newcastle University on technological solutions designed to make learning available and inspirational for students regardless of ability.

From this Ms Lamb moved to a Position of Head of Primary and Assistant Head at Whitworth School County Durham, a through school for children aged between 3 years and 18 years, where she led on inclusion. The school became a leading light in UK education through its role as a test bed for the introduction of technology in the classroom, this at a time when the use of technology in education was very much in its infancy.

From the UK, Ms Lamb moved, in 2003,  to the position of Deputy Head and then Acting Head at The School of Research Science in Dubai at a time in which the school was building their Secondary campus. Over a two-year period, Ms Lamb worked with the Principal in establishing UK best practice across the developing through school.

From there she moved, between 2005 and 2014, to take up the role of Head of Primary at Latifa School for Girls, the hugely prestigious, beacon school in the UAE for nationals and “leaders of tomorrow.” This developed her skills in English second-language learning in a school that she sees “very much as an honour and privilege” to have worked for. The school reinforced her view that second language learners can achieve well above expectations with the right investment, calibre of teaching and leadership – and belief in students and their capacity to excel. The school was one of the pioneers for KHDA inspections and helped support training for DSIB inspectors.

This led to Ms Lamb taking on the role of Principal of Al Rabeeh School in 2014 then Director of Schools and Founding Principal of The Royal Group’s Al Rabeeh Academy in Abu Dhabi in 2016.

Ms Lamb joined Dubai Heights Academy in July 2019 as Principal.

Ms Lamb told SchoolsCompared.com:

“Dubai Heights Academy has the clear potential and ambition to be a KHDA Outstanding school. This is a school in which every child makes progress, is motivated, challenged and enriched against their baselines.”

Alison Lamb. Principal. Dubai Heights Academy.

Ms Lamb is PENTA qualified as a school inspector and has worked widely as an Executive Committee Member and Country Representative in Abu Dhabi with BSME in mentoring school Principals and helping schools work through the requirements for establishing outstanding British, English National Curriculum, school best practice.

Dubai Heights Academy Fees 2024

Surprisingly, Dubai Heights Academy fee levels, whilst premium, operate at the very lowest end of those charged by other schools in this fee segment. Given the quality and breadth of facilities, recruitment of faculty and inclusive ethos, Dubai Heights Academy, in our view, offers a very good value proposition for parents. The new fee levels have also been responsive to the needs of parents. Many schools that are part of larger school groups, rather than being a stand-alone family school as is the case here, have found it more difficult to respond quickly to the individual needs of families at their schools.

Fees for new students for the academic year 2024-2025 can be found below.

Fees can be paid over a ten-month period to make them more manageable for parents, or can be paid each term.

Fees for new students joining the school, which run, after discounts, from AED 38,675 at Foundation Stage 1 to AED 76,320 in Year 10, include all text books and DHA Loyalty Card.

The discounted fee levels here are telling of the broader ambitions of the owners to provide a school that is inclusive and affordable for the widest range of families – and one responsive to the challenges faced by parents during Covid 19.

We hope that in the coming years a dedicated supportive scholarship programme will be developed, something we believe should be provided by all schools to widen educational opportunity to children whose families would not otherwise be able to afford a place – but these, to be fair, are early days and the school is focusing all its attention on helping existing parents.

Facilities 

Dubai Heights Academy provides an outstanding example of a school which has a quality and breadth of facility provision that belies the fee structure. Tier 1 premium across-the-board, sporting facilities are particularly stand out – and everything is completed to the highest specification. This is equally true of Performing Arts provision – the theatre is striking and inspiring, designed ground-up to give you the sense you are are attending an independent facility that would not be out of place in the West End. Equally exciting, investment in facilities is ongoing. The school gradually phased its oping so that it could deliver new facilities over time according to the needs of students. As a result, new rooftop courts and landmark Secondary Sports Hall will be coming on stream in 2024 – 2025. In practice, this level and quality of investment should ensure that the school’s profile in whole child areas of the curriculum – from Sport and Performing Arts, to Music and the Visual Arts, will strengthen; everything is here to deliver for every child at the very highest level.

Academic

• • 2 Science labs
  • 2 Computing labs
  • 2 Art rooms
  • Primary library
  • Secondary library
  • Food Technology lab
  • Design & Technology lab
  • Secondary breakout learning space
  • Dedicated Enrichment Zone with soft play facilities and a Snoezelen multi-sensory room

Music and the Performing Arts

• • • Landmark 378+ capacity theatre
    • Music room
    • Black box drama studio

Sport

• • • Three temperature-controlled swimming pools comprising an indoor Foundation Stage/Learn to Swim pool; an outdoor 20x20m wading pool tailored for beginners; and, an outdoor 25m, 8-lane pool equipped with a spectator bleacher.
    • Three distinct Sports Halls: one for Foundation Stage activities; another indoor Primary sports hall designed for all sports but primarily for gymnastics, dance, and health-related fitness; and an upcoming Secondary sports hall (2024), designed specifically for basketball, netball, volleyball, badminton, and indoor football.
    • Full-size, FIFA-approved 4G football pitch with a 1,000-seater spectator stand. The field is subdivided into smaller sections to cater to various age groups and accommodate a range of sports including football, rugby, hockey, cricket, athletics, and rounders.
    • Full-size rooftop court under development, slated to open in Term 1 of AY2024/25. This court will be suitable for activities such as netball, basketball, and tennis.

Other

• • • Parent and staff coffee shop
    • Community lounge for parent meetings, workshops, talks, collaborative work
    • Outdoor terrace with picnic tables
    • Indoor farm within the EYFS building with greenery space for animals (ducks, rabbits, tortoises, birds)

Impressively, the school launched with a serious commitment to technology with every class having access to an iPad bank ensuring 1:1 or group activities as appropriate. Today this is reflected, as above, with children being given free access to Chromebooks.

Dubai Heights Academy was established, ground up, to recognise the different needs of children. In the context of our discussion of facilities, this has meant that Foundation Stage, Primary and Secondary school children each have defined parts of the school. The Kindergarten building comprises a ground floor; the Primary School building three floors and the Secondary School building is set across four floors. The Dubai Heights Academy Secondary School launched this year (in September 2020) with Grade 7 entry.

As a whole, facilities demonstrate a premium level of infrastructure across Sports, the Arts and broader ICT and technology Labs. As above, the school’s owners, Seven Tides, have a reputation for extraordinary architecture and innovation in design. We rate their commitment here, in terms of the quality of the school’s build and facility provision, as outstanding.

The specification of three swimming pools, for example, each meeting the needs of different abilities and phases, reflects the sale of investment and attention to detail.

Another good example is, for younger children, the extensive exterior areas which have been designed to meet the needs of different aspects of the curriculum, including a focus on interactive play and ecology.

Design and Architecture

Architects, Rashid Taqui Architects & Engineers, worked with school owners and founders, Seven Tides, to rewrite the rule book on how to design and build a perfect school. Where the majority of schools start with a budget and work through a tick box of must have and optional facilities, together RTAE and Seven Tides started from the question: “What do we need to do to deliver a perfect school for every child – and one that will inspire children to want to come to school.” The result was that it was never likely that Dubai Heights Academy would end up with the sort of budget and bland box-like schools so common across the UAE.

The design brief for Dubai Heights Academy called for four key deliverables from the architects:

First, Seven Tides demanded “a safe environment where children of all genders, cultures and abilities felt equal.”

Second, the founders insisted on “brightly lit and welcoming spaces moulded around the 21st Century teaching principals that would encourage children to want to go to school and foster connectivity, with each other and with nature.”

Third, Seven Tides needed the design to be “visionary” and demonstrate the “commitment to Top-tier education.”

Finally, and most importantly, the design “needed to welcome and nurture every child” including determined children. The school needed to be an exercise in beauty and the capacity of architecture to inspire and be as far away from being “institutional” as possible.

The ambition of the project is captured in the following quote from the architects explaining the challenge they had been set:

“Until recently, most schools across the GCC and the Middle East followed the “form follows function” building typology, many still do. [In these older, backward-looking schools…] entrance halls lead to long dimly lit corridors flanked on either side by classrooms, and at either end by common support facilities. “[In these schools] the view to the outside world is limited for the student. [The focus in this old model of educational architecture is] ‘we want children to look at the teacher, and not out of the window!’ “[Seven Tides questions this whole approach. Instead, it asks whether…] with such thinking, ‘is there any wonder why the children run to malls and play areas yet resist going to school?’ “And this really became the starting point for the design of Dubai Heights Academy. To create an environment that spoke to the children, we had to see life through their eyes and understand the psychological nuances between the different age groups towards the perception of scale, association to colour, places of interest and lifestyles. “Hence, we were no longer ‘designing a school’ but creating a range of experiences that we knew the children would want to be part of. “Each would need to be carefully crafted to suit the spectrum of nationalities and ages from 5-18 years.”

Because Dubai Heights Academy occupies a prime location adjacent to a major 4-way junction, the master-planning of the site ingeniously uses the school building as a barrier to separate the students from the impact of traffic. Children are protected from the potential dangers, noise and pollution of traffic while making a bold statement of the owner’s vision and aspirations.

Buildings are clean and “pure” with the façades devoid of unnecessary clutter. Coloured vertical louvres with subtle shade differences create a playful ripple effect along the entire façade for students walking between the school entrances and the school bus drop-off / pick up area.

Tree-lined walkways are fully pedestrianised, with benches along the way for children to rest.

For the safety of children, traffic is limited. School buses are limited to one side only for both entry, parking, and exit. Parents’ drop-off and visitor parking areas are maintained outside the school boundary.

For the school to appeal to the large age range of the students attending the kindergarten, primary and secondary schools, different architectural approaches are taken with each school building “treated as a unique part of a larger whole.”

Design and Architecture of The Kindergarten

The design and planning of the single-storey kindergarten is “playful” and “defined by a series of overlapping colourful elliptical forms.” There are no corners in this building. The circulation spaces are wide because “children do not run in straight lines and often collide into corners, hurting themselves.”

The main play area for the kindergarten is an open-to-sky centrally placed grassed area that is looked onto from all sides for safety reasons.

Each classroom leads to a private outdoor play / activity area reached through a transitional space with a handwash area tiled with blue ceramic mosaics.

Overhanging roofs and vertical louvres provided needed shading.

The kindergarten has its own dedicated internal swimming pool designed specifically for its young occupants.

Each classroom is equipped with a dedicated storeroom to address one of the most common complaints received from teachers at other schools highlighted by the client. Storage is one of the first things sacrificed at other schools to save budget.

 Design and Architecture of the Primary School

The same thoughtfulness is evident in the design of the Primary school.

Despite being a linear building, there are no lengthy corridors. Teaching year clusters are placed at the ends of the ‘T’ shaped plan with the entrance hall, parent-teacher facilities dining hall and the Library at the centre.

Light wells flood even windowless areas with light – and they double up as herb gardens and green courtyards for the students, fully equipped with irrigation pipelines.

The classrooms are bright and airy with high ceilings and large openable windows, allowing the spaces to be naturally ventilated during the cooler months.

“At the centre of the Primary building glazing and openings lead to the children’s fenced outdoor play areas and sports facilities (shared with the secondary school).   “Meandering pathways connect various parts of the primary school to the kindergarten, secondary school, and the specialist teaching area. “Dense indigenous planting shade the glazed openings and the outdoor play areas while breaking down the scale of the building structures to one that the children can relate to.”

Design and Architecture of the Secondary School

The secondary school is designed as a ‘mature’ building, to reflect the needs and perceptions of older students:

“Appealing to an impressionable age group that likes to hang out at malls, and invest in developing relationships with goods, brands, and people, the design of the of this school provides a platform to nurture this while delivering the curriculum in a more engaging manner.”

The four-storeys of the secondary school building are connected by a long linear staircase that dissects the central atrium in half.

Classrooms, labs, and support facilities are placed along the perimeter of the building for views out while walkways overlook the atrium and each other.

“The aim is to encourage old fashioned physical interaction and connectivity between the students as they move through the building throughout the day, something missing from our lives today.”“The ground floor of the atrium acts as a social space leading onto the dining hall that feels more like a food hall of a shopping mall and extends out to external terraces facing the full-size football pitch. The atrium is topped by a skylight of the same size to ensure abundant natural light flows in this central space.”

Design and Architecture for Accessibility

All parts of Dubai Height Academy are designed to be accessible by wheelchair. Lifts are strategically located across the campus. Baby changing areas are provided in the waiting areas of the schools.

Construction, Sustainability, and Technology

Dubai Heights Academy is a ‘green building’ by Dubai Municipality standards. All the glazing is insulated to meet the Green Building standard. Landscaping planting is indigenous as approved by the Dubai Municipality and automatically watered by recycled grey water through electronic irrigation system to avoid wastage and overwatering.

The building campus is fully Wi-Fi-enabled with central servers housed in a dedicated room that enable the use of digital ‘chalk’ boards in all classrooms, the use of tablets, and distant / remote learning and teaching.

The Overall Vision

When we spoke with Dubai Heights Academy, they captured the approach as followed:

“Our architectural vision is all about natural light and nature. Most children spend so much time shuttled between cars and buses, in a life travelling between schools and home. Many children, it seems today, find themselves indoors so much of the time, connected to TVs or gadgets almost until they sleep.

“This way of life has become even more embedded since the Covid pandemic and the need for Distance Learning. At Dubai Heights Academy we fully embrace technology and the future of learning, as evidenced by our partnership with MIT. But we also recognise the importance of balance.

“Children were not built to sit down, be confined to four walls and stare at screens all day. Many of us remember a very different childhood, one enjoying the outdoors, exploring spaces, climbing trees, going to parks, sports, riding bikes  – and actively running around with friends. Childhood somehow seemed more attentive, imaginative, active, social ….and happy. This isn’t happening enough.

“DHA’s design seeks to bring balance to the modern pressures of raising children. During the planning phase, we were asked about why we needed trees and greenery everywhere. Why not just put interlocking blocks and pathways? They would, after all, not incur as much upkeep and expense. Other schools do not have landscaped grounds, so why should you?  “This is a school, not a park” we were told.

“We thought differently. Why can’t outdoor spaces be an extension of the classroom? Why wouldn’t students benefit from using those interconnected spaces to expand their knowledge and learn in natural environments? At Dubai Heights Academy we listened to the needs of children, not accountants. For us it has always been children first.

“Every space at our school has ample natural light and windows overlooking greenery. This invigorates, yet brings balance and calmness to our beautiful school. It brightens everyone’s day and deeply inspires learning. The architecture is part of our being a happy and inspirational school for every child.”

Designing a school that starts with form, and then demands that functionality follows its demands, is ambitious, expensive and courageous. Dubai Heights Academy, in rejecting the idea that form must follow function in architecture, rewrites the rule book on what outstanding must look like in building the next generation of schools. By building a school through an architecture based on seeing the world through the eyes of children, budgets pretty much go out of the window. No child is going to accept boring black boxes. Children are going to question everything and see and demand wonder in every part of the world around them. This matters because if you create a school that inspires children and earns their respect and adoration, those children will want to come to school. It also matters, because a school built around the needs of children will also keep them safe and inspire them to learn and achieve. The results speak for themselves. Dubai Heights Academy is one of the most beautiful schools in the UAE to date. Tier One to the Nth, Seven Tides and its architects do its children proud with a school with every possible facility a child could wish for built to a standard that inspire the very best from every child. You could not ask for more.

Curriculum

Dubai Heights Academy follows the British National Curriculum. Currently in phased launch, the school will eventually offer a pure British education from its current provision of EYFS and GCSE to gold standard A Level and technical stream BTEC (at both Level 2 and Level 3)

Current GCSE options include core subjects in:

• English (externally examined at IGCSE level)
• Mathematics (externally examined at IGCSE level)
• Science (externally examined at IGCSE level)
• Arabic (externally examined at IGCSE level – optional)
• Islamic Studies
• PE
• Moral, Social and Cultural Studies
• Learning, and Innovation Skills (SLI)
• MIT (bespoke AI curriculum)

GCSE/IGCSE Options, all examined externally, are available in:

• Art & Design
• Business Studies
• Computer Science
• Design & Technology
• Drama
• Economics
• French
• Geography
• Global Perspectives
• History
• ICT
• PE
• Psychology
• Music

Some students in Year 9 and Year 10 also follow the alternative pathway, ASDAN.

Inclusion

Dubai Heights Academy is genuinely and unambiguously academically and determined-child inclusive.

The school is open to every child, from those who may struggle academically to those students identified as academically or whole child Gifted and Talented. The school also does not see special educational needs as a failure to be cured, but as just one of the many parts of the journey many children may go through. At some point, every child needs help somewhere.

Dubai Heights Academy, unlike many other schools, seeks to avoid charges for extra tuition from external providers:

“Teachers at Dubai Heights Academy will always attempt to preserve a pupil’s self-esteem by responding to a specific learning difficulty in terms of enhancement rather than something needing an  remedy. We will always concentrate on the positive aspects of every child – and always nurture their self-confidence.”

There are many specialist facilities. For example, some of the areas near Primary reception are dedicated to 4 Therapy rooms with provision for Occupational and Speech therapy. Equally, there are language labs for children who may need help with English as a second language. Where a child needs help, a solution is found.

“Every Child, Every Mind, Everybody”

Dubai Heights Academy was purposefully designed and built to be enjoyable and accessible for all types of learners:

“My Community… A City for Everyone” was launched in November 2013 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council. The aim was to transform Dubai into a friendly city for people of determination by the year 2020. Dubai Heights Academy was launched as part of this visionary initiative.

“As part of our commitment to this initiative, Dubai Heights Academy has a unique enrichment zone that all students benefit from. It includes spaces like Fun Junction (with its magnetic learning climbing wall), a Wonder World Snoezelen room (with fibre optic lights) and a sensory sound garden. The (world class) Snoezelen room offers sensory light therapy through fibre optics to stimulate or relax children and both engage and inspire their love of learning.

“We also included the ASDAN programme, for learners for whom a modified approach to the British curriculum is more helpful, but which still gain a recognised qualifications for their later lives and careers. We also ensure children can access the spectrum of therapy based support programmes, these including speech language therapy and occupational therapy as and when required by Sensation Station.”

The approach extends to every child and those identified as Gifted and Talented in STEAM subjects:

“Although Dubai Heights Academy is a British School, our latest affiliation with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)  is very special too.

Top five in the Times World University rankings, MIT embodies our ethos and commitment to provide all students at Dubai Heights Academy with the skills of the twenty first century.

The MIT programme engages with specialised skills and courses in Artificial Intelligence, robotics and computational thinking and is designed to provide Dubai Heights Academy students with the skills required by the professions, career and job roles of the future.”

Any discussion of outstandingly inclusive schools then in Dubai is incomplete without reference to Dubai Heights Academy. Whilst the school does not choose to celebrate its commitment or successes here as much as we think it should, nevertheless this was a school built ground-up to be inclusive in every aspect of its welcome to every child and in its admissions policies. Its welcome to children of all academic gifts, including the most gifted, is mirrored in an equal commitment to children of determination – and no school has architecture and design more accessible to the needs of every child. This is a school built around the needs of every child, one designed through their eyes and from listening to their voices. In this way, inclusion is integral and not something bolted on as an afterthought – something far too common in other schools.

Performing Arts and Theatre

“The school’s auditorium is the jewel in the crown of Dubai Height Academy.

Intended for school use, it was, however, conceived and designed with all the investment and sophistication of a community theatre.”

The Dubai Heights Academy Theatre gives weight to the school’s insistence that the broader Arts are are as fundamental to ensuring the highest quality of whole child focused British education as academics. The two Dubai Heights Academy buildings are bridged to provide the main inspirational pathway to the theatre area on the 1st floor. The lobby area outside the theatre is large and impressive – the inspiration seems to again nod to the sense you get in a London Theatre of those moments outside the theatre where you meet ready to enter for the performance. The area houses a kitchen, 2 dressing rooms, a Green room and bathrooms on the lead up to Impressive stairs which take you into the Theatre itself. There is also a lift and ramp access – inclusion is built into every part of the design so that no child, or spectator, will ever be left behind.

The capacity of the cinematic theatre is 378 with fixed layered seating.  A landmark LED screen at the back of the stage provide a three dimensional background for performances. Most schools in Dubai are still working with out dated projectors. The theatre features:

• a 136 square metre stage
• 28 square metre 4K video wall
• 2x SM 58 handheld wireless microphones
• 2x lapel mics
• 5x detachable hanging mics
• 2x 2,500 watt subwoofers
• 1,200 watts KLA 12 QSC speakers
• 24 Channel Digital Allen & Heath mixing desk
• 2x moving heads lighting
• 2x stage wash lighting system
• Dedicated pre-function reception area
• Box office
• Theming infrastructure including red carpets

The theatre auditorium hosts assemblies, school productions, graduations, events, talks and extracurricular activities.

The result? Dubai Heights Academy has one of the best theatre spaces we have seen in any school in the UAE.

Music classes are enjoyed by all children, enabling them to learn musical instruments, sing and read music. The DHA Choir has become a celebrated part of school life. The Peripatetic music program enables children combine musical instrument lessons at school and encourages them to develop a love for music outside of school.

Productions to date, which bring together music and Performing Arts activities from across the school, have included Matilda, above. In 2020-21 Dubai Heights Academy is planning for a musical performance of Disney’s The Lion King.

Dubai Heights Academy children have performed within the local community, at events, competitions and Dubai Opera House.

The broader events and celebrations programme at the school includes:

• UAE National Day
• International Day
• Sports Day
• Ramadan celebrations
• Sports competitions
• Spring fayre
• Community beach clean ups
• Termly drama productions
• Pink Day and other awareness days. for example, those focused on Diabetes and Down’s Syndrome
• World book day
• Wellness Wednesday
• This is Me Day at the end of every month
• End of year School Disco

With current GCSE options in both Drama and Music – and an expectation that Performing Arts based qualifications will be strengthened at A Level and technical BTEC, Dubai Heights Academy is a school with so much potential in this area. The landmark auditorium absolutely sparkles as one of the best in the Emirates – and here you genuinely find a community theatre, not just an add-on to multi-use sports and reception space. A theatrical experience at Dubai Heights Academy, uniquely comes with a ticket office and entrance that highlights the seriousness and professionalism – certainly no facility in a UAE school does it better. One to watch….

Music at Dubai Heights Academy

Choir is a core foundation of the music curriculum at Dubai Heights Academy. The following video captures something of the magic and wonder of the children’s achievements:

GCSE Music is a core option at Dubai Heights Academy – and investment in this subject area, and its teaching faculty, is evident and impressive.

Music is often a subject that is sacrificed as a qualification in lesser schools, but it is a core subject option at Dubai Heights Academy and is seen as one that reflects its commitment to delivering a whole child education for every child – and a curriculum that is inclusive. The experience of studying Music at Dubai Heights Academy is one that really stands out. The school’s landmark, technologically impressive 400-seat theatre is ones of the best in any school in the UAE – and has everything to qualify it as a genuine community theatre, including a ticketing office, theatre reception and green room. Acoustics are phenomenal in both theatrical and orchestral productions – and this is a school that genuinely respects Music and the qualitive contribution its makes to the education of all children.

ECAs

ECA provision is extensive, historically covering the full spectrum of sports including Football, Netball, Tennis, Swimming, Golf and Rugby. Internal ECAs currently include:

• Netball
• Girls Football
• Boys Football
• Competitive Swim Squad (a sport in which the school excels and runs dedicated training with Aquatix)
• Athletics/Cross Country/Aquathon
• Girls Basketball
• Boys Basketball
• Rugby

These free programmes are led by DHA Staff.

Across the Performing Arts, Art, languages and Music, teacher led ECA programmes currently include Singing Club, Yoga, Book Worm Club, Origami, Coding Club and French Fun!

ECAS change each term giving the children a chance to engage in a variety of different activities and experiences.

Paid ECAs broaden these to include karate, ballet, musical theatre, dance, swimming, football, rugby, and cricket. Partners include Turning Pointe, ISM Sports, Gulfstar and Evolution.

British Curriculum with the MIT Edge

Academically, as above, Dubai Heights Academy offers a pure English National Curriculum founded British education from Early Years Foundation Stage to IGCSE, A’ Level and BTEC.

For the first time in the UAE and the region, Dubai Heights Academy, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), also now offers Secondary students participation in a landmark, three-year project-based Artificial Intelligence programme. The focus is on the science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) elements of Artificial Intelligence. The Dubai Heights Academy MIT programme is supervised by Cynthia Breazeal, Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, and Associate Director of MIT Media Lab.

Professor Breazeal describes it as a unique curriculum combining AI literacy on a range of topics including machine learning, natural language understanding and computational and design thinking.

Parents and Community

Many parents play a full role in school life and engage with the school to develop life long friendships. Current activities include:

• “Too Cool for School!” parent’s morning fitness classes
• “Make a Splash!” parent swim classes
• Parent Book Club
• After school club for siblings so pick up time can be the same for parents
• Family quizzes
• Weekly Newsletters
• Monthly Wellness Newsletter
• #inthistogether Programme

One parent each year is represented on the Governing Board of the school.

The SchoolsCompared.com Hard hat Tours 2017 – 2024

As a Seven Tides International development, we first visited with high expectations for Dubai Heights Academy in 2017 as the school was midway through being built. This was Seven Tides’ first school and the stakes were high. Some of our thoughts at the time, and how they have evolved, below ….

The Emirati owners have a reputation for the extraordinary – Anatara and the Palm of course have become global landmarks. Both are statements to the world and the Emirati people that nothing is impossible if you have self-belief and courage.

A school of course presents its own very different challenges – the best schools have to achieve a balance of form and function: they have to create a learning environment that delivers to all children and their diversity of gifts.  The part, however, that you cannot learn in books is that the best schools  have to provide the inspiration and flair to inspire children and spark their imaginations as they develop through childhood to young men and women. In all this too, the best schools need to provide security and, in a deeper way, a sense of home.

Does Dubai Heights Academy deliver?

What we have learned through our many visits to the school to date (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024) is that the driver for the school’s owners is a commitment to create a perfect school for children. No compromises. Certainly the finish of the school is superb – but it is the details, each designed to meet the depth of commitment to inclusion, academics, SEND and whole child development, that are standout.

The FS and Primary are deliberately separated, with unique and specific facilities for each. As above, the owners want to recognise the differences between children even at this younger age when many schools combine them. Both phases have their own clinic, outside areas, dedicated sports facilities, swimming pools…; the aim is to create environments for children at every phase that match their development with their own character and individual capacity to inspire. The only shared facilities within Dubai Heights Academy are the competition football pitch and landmark theatre space – more on this below, with each year group having its own cluster of classrooms and central breakout area.

The internal breakout areas have natural light from 2 light towers – one on either side of the core space which extend through the upper floors to allow sunlight to flood into the lower communal areas.

Capacity for the FS Primary phase is just 700 children.

Trees throughout the central play areas highlight the difference between Dubai Heights Academy and many other new schools. The outside areas are seen as integral to each child’s education and not treated as an afterthought to be addressed years into the future. Thoughtfulness and investment has been clearly evident throughout our visits. Visit many schools and your first sight of the school will be a main road, sand and parked cars with  no greenery in sight. At Dubai Heights Academy, there is an appreciation that inspiring children starts as soon as children set sight on the school.

FS/KG

Foundation Stage children at Dubai Heights Academy have their own entrance and, as above are largely independent from the Primary school.  The central courtyard incorporates a living tree to provide shade, with facilities and features flowing from a dedicated reading area to a water play area with troughs around the crescent shaped room. Grid work on the walls is designed for a variety of holders and water moving equipment to be arranged by the children and fire their imaginations and learning through play. A variety of pumps – hand operated, automatic and wind-up,  move the water as do cans, syringes, cogs and all manner of other vessels.

Other stand-outs for us on our first tour of the school are the dedicated Sports Hall for FS and its indoor pool area.  As in the rest of the school, storage rooms have been built adjacent to classrooms, sports halls and staff areas so that equipment can be carefully housed. The training pool has been stepped so that students can be in the water rather than on the side when awaiting instructions – and less confident swimmers can be in shallower areas created by the steps.

Wifi is provided across the entire site, including the sports fields, pool and halls.

The FS classrooms are flooded with light from enormous curved windows on the exterior, and the interior walls connect to an eye shape with the shaded courtyard in the centre.  They have their own sports hall, and, another feature we really liked, teachers too have a dedicated light and airy staff room designed to equally inspire.

The school explained:

“The design and planning of the single-storey kindergarten is playful, defined by s series of overlapping colourful elliptical forms. There are no corners in this building and the circulation spaces are wide for the simple reason, children do not run in straight lines and often collide into corners, hurting themselves. The main play area or the kindergarten an open-to-sky centrally placed grassed area that is looked onto from all sides for safety reasons. Each of the classrooms leads to a private outdoor play/ activity area reached through a transitional space with hand-washing area tiled with blue ceramic mosaics. With overhanging roofs and vertical louvres for shading, the kindergarten has its own dedicated internal swimming pool designed specifically for its young occupants.”

Primary

The Primary areas are predominantly on the ground floor, with areas for Years 1, 2 and 3 in a line. Year 4 finds its home in a section at the end of a corridor forming the upright of the letter T.

Each Year group has the cluster of 5 classrooms around a breakout area with natural light tunnels.

Year 5 and 6 areas are on the floor above, and sit directly over Year 2 and 3 Areas, with an open terrace above Yr 1.

The ambition of Dubai Heights Academy is to see the development of this whole area for Hydroponics and Aquaponics – to create  a magical space with greenhouses and fish tanks which co-exist with water recirculating from each to create a sustainable eco system for the fish and plant life.

Ultimately this will involve the children in adapting computer programs to time the watering of the plants, automated feeding of the fish.

The plans reminded us of the sorts of interactive play you find at the Science Museum in London. 

The Primary area has its own dedicated Art Room, Music Room, Library, Canteen, IT Suite, Science Labs and Library. An outdoor area leads to a shaded amphitheatre for reading .

A dedicated baby changing room has been created in addition to the numerous student, staff and parent toilet facilities.  Storage areas are abundant and well planned.

The Canteen is open to FS and Primary and the provider caters for children with allergies as a prerequisite rather than an afterthought. This is one of many examples of attention to detail and passion to get things right.

Children can bring in packed lunch but this will be taken in the canteen along with the children who prefer to buy a hot meal.  Capacity in the canteen is such that 2-3 Year groups can be accommodated at any one time – again a really good example of thoughtfulness and attention to detail.

The Arabic and Islamic classrooms are housed in this section too and children are introduced to Arabic at FS1 to give them every chance to become bi-lingual and develop a love of languages.

The school explained further:

“Meandering pathways connect various parts of the primary school to the kindergarten, secondary school, and the specialist teaching area. Dense indigenous planting shade the glazed openings and the outdoor play areas while breaking down the scale of the building structures to one that the children can relate to.”

Secondary

Development and phased opening of the Dubai Heights Academy Secondary School continues apace with the school currently open to Year 10 and applications being taken to Year 11. As above, the Secondary School at Dubai Heights Academy has its own facilities and identity. The Sixth Form will also be clearly demarcated and older children will have their own Common Room. The Secondary school houses 2 Black Box drama rooms and these will have the option to interconnect to create one large space if required. The Secondary dining hall is 50 metres in length and overlooks the football field and skyline. It is one of the highlights of Dubai Heights facilities taken as a whole across the school.

The Secondary School gains its identity around a central atrium.  The four-storeys of the secondary school building are connected by a long linear staircase that dissects the atrium in half. Classrooms, labs, and support facilities are placed along the perimeter of the building for views out while walkways overlook the atrium and each other encouraging old fashioned physical interaction and connectivity between the students as they move between through the building. The ground floor of the atrium acts as a social space leading onto the dining hall which extends out to external terraces facing the full-size football pitch. The atrium is topped by a skylight of the same size to ensure abundant natural light flows in this central space.

Arabic subjects

As with most outstanding schools in Dubai, there is significant emphasis on learning Arabic starting in the early years from FS1. Arabic is a difficult language to learn, and teaching it compassionately and gently from when children are younger helps students learn successfully. It is the one subject that all British Schools struggle with in KHDA inspections, and Dubai Heights Academy has invested heavily here to try and engage with the issues effectively. Linking the subject in an inspirational way with other core subjects and everyday activities is one mechanism used by the school for inspiring a love of learning in the subject employed by the school. Both technology and traditional learning are used – but reading and books are placed centre stage.  The school is committed to making learning the language interesting and inspiring for all children with lessons mapped to the individual needs and progress made by each child.

Muslim students learn about the 5 Pillars of Islam and all that encompasses their faith through learning prayers and incorporating their knowledge into DHA values. Islamic studies are taught in both Arabic and English. The school told us:

“Overall our vision is to create a centre of excellence for Arab language and Islamic Studies dedicated to the development of intercultural dialogue and a deeper understanding of Arab culture and traditions.”

The Views of Parents and Teachers

“We did a lot of research when it came to choosing the right school for our son when we were moving to Dubai.

As a family we have to say the school goes above and beyond for every child.

The teachers, facilities and academics are amazing.

We are delighted we choose this school.“

 

Damien Murray. Dad. Child in Year 7. Dubai Heights Academy.

“We are very happy and feel supported by the leadership team at DHA, especially through what has been a challenging time.

We also thoroughly enjoy receiving the weekly newsletter, which we share with family back home.  We feel that we are kept well informed on a weekly basis on our child’s learning and all that is happening in the school.“

Constance El Toukhi. Mum. Child in Year 1. Dubai Heights Academy.  

“From the moment I started teaching at DHA, when the school opened in 2017, I felt part of a family. All of the staff here work together to make sure that all our students are getting the best quality education possible.

The school has a community feel. As soon as you walk through the doors, you feel an engaging environment all around you. Dubai Heights Academy is a school filled with warmth, creativity, fun and friendships.

As a teacher and leader at Dubai Heights Academy, I feel supported. I have always been given the opportunity to grow as an educator. I feel honoured to work with such professional and positive people. The teachers here are dedicated and passionate about what they do.

Inclusion is very important to me and DHA truly embraces all its children’s and teacher’s strengths, challenges and ambitions.

I believe every day is a new opportunity to learn and Dubai Heights Academy ensure that I feel empowered to create meaningful opportunities to support the children in becoming life-long learners. There are new things to learn or see each day, which makes working at DHA an exciting place to be.

As a school we also respond to the community around us. For example, we hope to start offering our Frontline Workers here in Dubai, fee discounts as a thank you for all they have done for the people of Dubai during Covid 19.”

Suzanne Fowles. Teacher. Dubai Heights Academy. October 2020.

The 2024 Prospectus

Bottom Line? Dubai Heights Academy – The SchoolsCompared.com verdict 2024

It is always something of a leap of faith writing about new schools. We know that it is very likely that any new school will have teething problems. It comes with the territory. But the other side of this, is the real opportunity presented by new schools to push at the boundaries of the best that current schools deliver.

We have been following the story of Dubai Heights Academy since it opened. At that time we believed it to be one of the most ambitious British school openings in a decade. The heart, passion and emotion invested in the school by the owners was intensely moving. They refused to compromise on anything. The school was designed to be both outstanding and to welcome all children.

It is these early moments in the story of a school that define it. Too often we have seen in the emirates, school openings driven less by the needs of children than the wittering of accountants. In most schools it is the accountants that win. Not here.

It is difficult to convey with words, the ethics and substance of a school. But it is important to try. The ethics tell you about the purpose of a school and what drives it. Simply stated, Dubai Heights Academy is driven by the needs of children, academic, emotional and whole child. The owners judge the school on the degree to which no child is left behind, ever, and the  degree to which children are empowered to meet their ambitions, potential and ability. As parents, these are exactly the things we needs schools to care about. We do not want our children lost in the crowd.

The attention to detail shines through every corner. The drive and care of the owners, together with their teams of architects, builders and consultants have created a school that is both beautiful and successful.

This is a school that has managed to create a sense of shared adventure at its heart, one that delivers an extraordinary journey of learning that engages every child.

Dotted around each corner are examples of Arabic design flourishes –  from play wells to roof lights and from its glass curved windows to clustered skyline Palms. They conjoin to create a quite palpable sense of joy in this British school that openly recognises its beautiful home in Dubai. This is a British school with its heart in absolutely the right place.

On our visits we always look to see how children respond to us and their teachers. Do they smile? Are they inspired? Do they have a sense of purpose?

We also look to how children respond to the Head? Does the Headmaster or, as here, Headmistress, know children by name? Do children actively seek to engage with them through smiles and questions.

In both these areas, probably the most telling of all, the answer is …. yes.

Another key way that parents can judge schools is in their ability retain their teachers. Average teacher turnover in Dubai schools exceeds an astonishing 28%. Almost 1 in three teachers will change each year, with all the upset in relationships that this brings for students. At Dubai Heights Academy, excepting in rare instances of retirement or personal circumstances, teacher turnover is 0%. This is a school in which teachers are happy and want to stay.

The building blocks are in play. The children will ultimately be the ones to decide where they fall. And that’s exactly as it should be.

Dubai Heights is a visionary, highly inclusive and, bluntly, in our view, terrific school – with all the opportunities that come with a new school in which families are encouraged to play a role in its development, ethos and character.

Dubai Heights was shortlisted for the Best New School in the UAE at The SchoolsCompared.com Top Schools Awards and, in 2020, received the highest rating awarded  by the KHDA, Dubai’s regulator of schools, for the quality and impact of its Distance Learning programme for children. The KHDA ranks the school outstanding for child wellbeing.

Dubai Heights Academy was jointly awarded The SchoolsCompared.com Special Award for the Most Outstanding Response to COVID-19 by a School in the UAE 2021-22 and was a finalist in the Top Schools Awards for Best Architecture; Top School Award for Children of Determination; and, Top Schools Award for Best New School in the UAE 2016 – 2022.

Competitive fees, low pupil numbers, Tier 1 premium facilities, location, inclusion, inspiring Early Years British curriculum, extensive ECA enrichment, community engagement, owners that really care, accomplished, utterly inspirational children and accomplished, proven school leadership – in all these areas Dubai Heights Academy scores highly.

As the new Secondary School evolves to deliver what we expect to be an outstanding British Sixth Form, every opportunity is here for a benchmark school in the sector.

Highly recommended. 

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