Official: Best School in the UAE, Happiest School in the UAE and Best Principal in the UAE revealed in the SchoolsCompared.com Top Schools Awards 2023-2024. Full list of all award winners
The Best Schools in the UAE 2023-2024 have been revealed today, in the long-awaited announcement of the winners of the SchoolsCompared.com Top Schools Awards.
After much anticipation, and following a stringent application and judging process, The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi is officially the Best School in the UAE for 2023-2024, scooping up not only the top overall award, but also the awards for Best British Curriculum School, Best School for Sport, and Best School for Fine Art and Creative Studio Work.
The British School Al Khubairat was also recognised for its “beyond-outstanding” leadership, with Headmaster Mark Leppard MBE jointly recognised for the Best Principal in the UAE award with Dr Saima Rana, Chief Education Officer of GEMS Education and CEO and Principal of GEMS World Academy.
The Happiest School in the UAE – one of the most sought-after accolades – this year went to Safa Community School. Meanwhile the equally popular UAE School Most Loved by Parents award went to Hartland International School.
Three new Awards launched for the first time included Best School for Bursaries, Scholarship and Care for parents which was awarded to Dubai College, The Best School for STEAM awarded to GEMS International School Al Khail and the Top Schools Award for Best School for Girls and Young Women awarded to GEMS World Academy.
In the Arts, The Best School for Performing Arts was awarded to Dubai British School Jumeirah Park, the Best School for Music, Nord Anglia International School Dubai, and The Best School for Fine Art was awarded to The British School Al Khubairat.
These awards are just a handful of highlights from the full list of 31 different Top Schools Award categories, covering every aspect of education from Early Years to Post-16, to provide parents with the most comprehensive guide to the best in UAE education.
The 2023-2024 edition is the fourth SchoolsCompared.com Top Schools Awards to be held in the UAE. The Awards are a staunchly non-profit initiative and designed to be a wholly independent, genuine reflection of the very best schools the UAE has to offer in each award category.
Recipients of each of the Awards have been invited to an exclusive prize-giving celebration on 16th November 2023, at which the final and most prestigious award – The Top Schools Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024 – will be revealed. Past winners of the Outstanding Contribution to Education in the UAE Award include H.E. Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority and the Varkey Family, founders of GEMS Education.
How were the winners chosen?
Schools and individuals may nominate themselves, or be nominated by parents or other independent parties, so that the full gamut of the UAE’s education offering is represented.
Finalists are chosen from both entry submissions and the wider education environment by Which Media education specialists, using a combination of industry knowledge, bespoke statistical insights from the education intelligence data metrics consultancy EdStatica.com, and feedback from independent experts. The final winners are selected by a panel of independent judges and an Advisory Panel who are specialists drawn from the UAE education sector and world-wide. Judges and Members of the Advisory Panel change annually and are drawn from the list of experts published here.
Commenting on the announcement of the winners for the SchoolsCompared.com Top Schools Awards 2023- 2024, James Mullan, Co-founder of Which Media and The Top Schools Awards commented:
“We established The Top Schools Awards to recognise the absolutely extraordinary achievements of schools, leaders, teachers and educationalists in the UAE at a time in which those achievements were rarely celebrated, or even noted.
“We believed then, as we do now, that the many outstanding achievements of our best schools, teachers, leaders and educationalists should be celebrated to the rooftops – and we wanted to give a voice to parents to share their views and give them the opportunity to recognise those who each day make the difference for them and their children.”
David Westley, Co-founder of Which Media and The Top Schools Awards continued:
“Which Media was founded with the express intent of helping parents to find the best school for their child. What we learnt, very early on, is that there is no such thing as one best school for all children. All schools will be outstanding and perfect for certain children. It is these nuances that we and our judges seek to explore, recognise and celebrate each year.
“This year, as with every year, our experts have sifted through hundreds of extremely high-quality submissions, nominations and data from more than 900 individual schools, nurseries and Educators and have chosen these winners based on a rigorous set of criteria. Every single school, nursery and school leader that has been selected should be extremely proud. It is a remarkable achievement.”
Winners of The SchoolsCompared.com
Top Schools Awards 2023-24
Overall
SchoolsCompared.com presents the Top Schools Awards for…
Best School in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
The British School Al Khubairat
Curriculum Awards
Best British Curriculum School in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
The British School Al Khubairat
Best International Baccalaureate Curriculum School in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills
Best American Curriculum School in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Best Indian Curriculum School in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
GEMS Our Own English High School
Best On-line School and Home Learning Community in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Best Blended International Baccalaureate Curriculum School in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) – Arabian Ranches
Best Primary School in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Best Early Learning Centre and Nursery School in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Home Grown Children’s Eco Nursery
Best New School in the United Arab Emirates
Whole Child Awards
Best School for Sport in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
The British School Al Khubairat
Best School for Music in the United Arab Emirates
Nord Anglia International School Dubai
Best School for Theatre, Dance and the Performing Arts in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Dubai British School Jumeirah Park
Best School for Fine Art and Creative Studio Work in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
The British School Al Khubairat
Best School for Technical, Industry and Vocational Education in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Dubai English Speaking School & Dubai English Speaking College
Best School for Environmental Science and Sustainability in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Best School for Post 16 Education in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Best School for Children of Determination in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Best School for Value Added Achievement and Leaving No Child Behind in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Raffles International School Dubai
Innovation Awards
The Best School for Innovation in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Best School for Science, Technology Engineering, The Arts and Mathematics [STEAM] in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
GEMS International School Al Khail
Wellbeing and Happiness Awards
Best School for Girls & Young Women in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Happiest School in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
The Top Schools Award for “School Most Loved by Parents” in proud association with EDSTATICATM
Best School for Bursaries, Scholarships and Care for Parents in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Best Architecture and Design to Inspire Children in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Teachers and Leadership
This year’s Best UAE Principal award is dedicated by Which Media to the late Jason Jonathan King “in recognition of his inspired contribution to Education in the UAE and for being a deeply humane and compassionate human being.”.
In memoriam
Jason Jonathan King
Principal Regent International School Dubai. (January 2021 – February 2023)
Head Teacher Sunmarke School Dubai. (August 2017 – January 2021)
Head Teacher, Principal & CEO, The Cambridge High School, Abu Dhabi (August 2012 – August 2014)
Deputy Director of Education. GEMS Education. (September 2010 – August 2012)
Best Principal in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Mark Leppard MBE. Headmaster. The British School Al Khubairat
&
Best Principal in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Dr Saima Rana. Chief Education Officer. GEMS Education. CEO and Principal. GEMS World Academy Dubai
Best Early Childhood Teacher in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Gabriella Ridley, Class Teacher, Red Rockets and Head of FS2, Horizon English School
Best Primary School Teacher in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Jamie Summers, Teacher of STEAM, Sunmarke School Dubai
Best Secondary School Teacher in the United Arab Emirates 2023 – 2024
Almas Qureshi, Head of Technology (Secondary), Raffles World Academy
The winner of the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Education in the UAE’ award will be announced live at the Winners Awards Ceremony Breakfast on 16th November 2023.
© SchoolsCompared.com. A WhichMedia Group publication. 2023 – 2024. All rights reserved.
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