Horizon English School, Al Safa, Jumeirah – The Review

“By focusing purely on the primary years of education we can instil the right values in our children from an early age.

We take pride in our sports teams and music groups (both of which form a huge part of school life) being inclusive, and we make a point of making sure that no child ever feels left behind.”

Ian Wallace. Headteacher. Horizon English School.

Horizon English School continues to drive its credentials as one of Dubai’s top-tier private (mixed) primary schools, re-securing its Outstanding School rating in 2019 following Very Good with Outstanding features accreditation in all three of the KHDA’s round of inspections in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Horizon English School KHDA Outstanding school status was re-confirmed in 2020.

Horizon is also rated ‘outstanding’ by the British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspectorate and is a member of the British Schools Middle East (BSME) network.

Established in 1992 Horizon School caters to 926 students from a variety of backgrounds and 43 nationalities. 43% of students are from the United Kingdom and 12% from Australia.

The school employs 65 full and part-time teachers with between 19 and 26 students per class and a staff: student ratio of 1:14. Significant growth in student and staff numbers were noted in the 2015-16 KHDA report and teacher turnover in 2018 (at 24%) has stabilised somewhat – now around average across all UAE schools. The school role is still growing, around 8% last year.

The changes may be attributable to the purchase of the school by Al Najah Education and the subsequent departure of the school’s Founding Principal, Marion Sinclair.  Her (very impressive) replacement, David Baldwin, left the school after 3 years in post, returning to the UK in 2018 to take up the role of Director of Cognita Schools.

Current Headteacher, Ian Wallace, has been in post since November 2018 and, tellingly, has been promoted from within the school. We note outstanding feedback from parents and teachers across both WhichSchoolAdvisor.com and ourselves.

Horizon English School now delivers an across-the-board Outstanding accredited level of education across all phases in Science, English and Mathematics.

Both new and improved facilities were introduced at the school in 2019 including: 

• New specialist teaching spaces including a creative zone to stimulate new ideas, innovation and invention, especially among older primary children.
• Upgraded sporting facilities including (1) a raised playing area with a view of the iconic Dubai skyline; (2) upgrades to the pool’; and, (3)  new fitness facilities.
• New dining and auditorium facilities
• Improved parking with additional parking spaces designed to minimise congestion during morning drop off and afternoon pick up timings
• New classrooms to allow the school to meet demand from its Waiting List

Sport is one of many of the outstanding features of life at the school.

https://youtu.be/pEqsuGlm70g

Fees for Horizon English School range from between AED 29,126 to AED to 40,792 per year, although parents considering the school should note that the school comes with relatively steep ‘optional’ costs that parents claim are in practice required. Option costs can add more that AED 10,000 to the basic fees.

Historically, slipstream schools include Dubai College, reviewed here, English College, Dubai, reviewed here, Dubai English Speaking College, reviewed here, and more recently Al Najah Education’s sister school, Horizon International School, reviewed here.

Horizon English School Fees

 Fees at Horizon English School are Premium Plus but the value proposition is high. We would like to see a dedicated scholarship programme.

Horizon English School bottom line? The SchoolsCompared.com verdict 2020

It is increasingly difficult in Dubai’s landscape of new Tier 1 schools to find dedicated Primaries. To find one that remains on a small-scale with genuine community dynamics and the happiness that flows from this is even harder. Horizon delivers this – and with one of the broadest spectrum of slipstream choices for parents, including some of the best schools in Dubai. Worth noting that we rate teaching faculty at Horizon English School as cross-the-board outstanding – and caring.

Horizon English School has quite a reputation.  Amongst Dubai parents the school is very much seen as part and parcel of the best of the dedicated group of pure flow Primaries. It may not have the not-for-profit “Ivy league” cache of some, nor the support of one of the landmark school groups behind it – but, year-on-year, it continues to build its own highly creditable, very happy and successful school identity and extraordinarily high parental loyalty without these.

The choice of Mr Wallace to take over as Headteacher is in our view an inspired one.  He knows the school and has all the experience of what has made it such a loved school built into his DNA. This, combined with the commitment and investment of the relatively new owners, should prove a formidable partnership.

The school is constrained by its location from all-through expansion  (parents clamour every year to “find a way” for our children to stay) – but we think that should be seen as a strength. This is a school dedicated to Early Years learning and the celebration of childhood unencumbered by the pressures that inevitably come with older children.

Horizon English School is one that continues to play an important role in educational life and culture in the UAE.  It’s a school that we think deserves its Outstanding rating from KHDA inspectors. It has the spectrum of Tier 1 educational cogs in place enabling its children to reach for the stars.

Highly recommended.

Note for parents: the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau refer to the school as the “Horizons English School” whilst it is also known as “Horizon English School.”

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