GEMS Metropole Al Waha, Sustainable City – The Review 2023

Back Story

Simplifying a complex history, the site for the new GEMS Metropole – Al Waha was originally planned to host the flagship GEMS Education school focused on the digital industries (First Gems Vertus and then GEMS School of Digital Futures). The school was designed and built on that basis at no small cost – with particular focus on development of Labs, high tech learning spaces and the Sciences. These were relatively early years for the digital sciences – typical of GEMS Education, it was one step ahead in its planning. However, just as the school was to open, GEMS Education realised that the tech industries were even more scaled than even it had anticipated, so, instead, and creditably, it acted even more radically by significantly investing in Digital technologies across its entire estate of schools. This, of course, left the anticipated USP for the original school now dispersed across all GEMS Education schools. You can read, for historical interest, our first looks review of GEMS School for the Digital Futures here.

Over the last five years, GEMS has been working on an alternative vision for the school, including one that originally included opening another GEMS Founders School. It was late in early 2023 that the decision was made, after considering multiple options, to open a second Metropole – but with a significant, hugely inspirational twist based on innovations at the original Metropole. Stemming from the schools location at the edges of Sustainable City, GEMS Metropole -Al Waha, it was decided, will stand-out in its focus on an Early Years Forest School curriculum to hub its traditional British curriculum school dynamics – whilst developing state-of-the-art study in the Environmental Sciences, this supported by investment in Biodomes and a panoply of technology relating to sustainability.

As we approach launch of GEMS Education’s first British curriculum sustainability focused school, the following provides a brief outline of what you can expect prior to our full view coming shortly after our first visit to the school in August 2023.

The sustainability space in education is arguably one ripe for new new school launches. Currently there are only two other schools operating in this space – Abor and Fairgreen,  and only Arbor offers a UK curriculum. The ambitions of the school are clearly stated by Founding Principal Jeremy Hallum:

“Our goal is to create a sustainable and inclusive community hub that nurtures tomorrow’s leaders.”

The new campus, located directly adjacent to The Sustainable City as above, promises a forest school (FS1/FS2) to establish the sustainability curriculum from Day One, farm, biodome and a dedicated Sixth Form powerfully investing in technical stream opportunities for students to this end.

Also worth noting that the original capacity of the landmark school has been reduced by over 500 students to 3,450 students which, given the vast 6.5 acre site on offer, should provide students with a vastly improved sense of space and warm dynamics.

GEMS Metropole – Al Waha opens in September 2023 – and there are only limited places still available such is the demand.

Initially opening from FS1 to Year 8, with a target capacity of just 600 students, GEMS Education is aiming to bed-in provision gradually and empower founding pupils and families with a role in guiding the evolution and culture of the school in its early years.

On all-through opening, the school will offer a comprehensive, British, English National Curriculum based education for students from EYFS through GCSE to A level and technical stream BTEC in a hugely ambitious British Sixth Form.

Fees range from AED36,000 to AED 50,000, promising exceptional ROI given the ambitions of the school in sustainability and the outstanding potential breadth of subject and qualification pathways – more on this below.

Worth noting, finally, that this is not your average new school. First, GEMS Education has already proved the Metropole model – one that rewrites the rulebook on what is possible for an AED maximum price point. The fundamental aim of Metropole schools is to break the glass ceiling of expectation from what value fees can provide in a British curriculum education that punches, significantly, above its weight. Worth noting that the new GEMS Metrpole – Al Waha has been established with the full involvement and guidance of Naveed Iqbal, the long-established and highly respected Principal of GEMS Metropole School Motor City. Second, the GEMS Education brand means provides guarantees to parents – reputations are at stake. This is an education provider with the in-house expertise and might to deal with issues in hours not weeks. Finally, the digital campus was originally designed as a landmark one for GEMS – students will be effectively joining a Tier 1 price point facility at under half the fees its original school would have cost parents today and at, give or take, the same feel levels as its older Metropole sister.

Little wonder that Dino Varkey, Group Chief Executive Officer, GEMS Education, commenting on the flagship new launch, said:

“GEMS Metropole School – Al Waha is the newest member of our family of world-class schools – and plays a key role in our committment to providing the highest quality education to students in the UAE and beyond.  We are proud to be able to serve the Dubai community in this way, offering our young learners exceptional learning environments and delivering the best teaching standards via our passionate and highly qualified educators.

“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Jeremy Hallum as the school’s principal. Jeremy has been a member of the GEMS Education leadership team since 2018 when he joined GEMS Founders School – Al Mizhar. There, he has played a major role in the school’s success, and he is is therefore optimally placed to take MTW forward – and ensure its students grow and flourish.”

Location

GEMS Metropole – Al Waha occupies a landmark 6.5 acre, 26,383 sqm site at the heart of Dubailand with excellent links to the Layan and Arabian Ranches communities.

A key community for the new school is the DAMAC Hills 2 in Dubailand (formerly Akoya Oxygen), which is around a 20 minute drive-time. Arabian Ranches is around a 15 minutes drive time from the new school.

Leadership

Founding Principal and CEO Jeremy Hallum is an educationalist and mathematician by original training, graduating from Westminster College, University of Oxford in the summer of 1996. In January 2006, following completion of his NPQH (National Professional Qualification for Headship), he was appointed as a Headteacher in Essex, England. During this period Mr Hallum forged his UK-based practice for more than a decade, with particular expertise in Primary provision, a critical period in education in which the building blocks for future learning and opportunity are established. The experience led to his becoming an evangelist for the centrifugal importance an outstanding Primary education plays in delivering a world-class all-through education for children.

In April 2018 Jeremy joined GEMS Founders School – Al Mizhar as Vice Principal playing an instrumental role for six months building to the launch of GEMS flagship new school six months before it opened in September 2018. Key drivers during this period were pioneering outstanding school assessment across all phases and curriculum development ensuring that every child had the breadth of subjects and qualification pathways to meet their potential, ambitions and individualised needs for successful learning.

Mr Hallum told SchoolsCompared:

“At GEMS Metropole School – Al Waha we are committed to providing an outstanding education for  each and every child.

“I believe that every child has unique talents, interests, and passions. It is our responsibility to create an environment that nurtures and develops these qualities.

[…]

“Our standout Forest School and Junior School curriculums provide our children with the strongest foundations for their educational journeys ahead, both inspiring each child’s curiosity and confidence, a sense of care and respect for the world around us – and importantly,  developing the personal discipline and drive to master our core British curriculum focus in English, Mathematics and Science.

“As students progress through our Prep School and Futures School education with us, they will be presented with a wide range of pathways and opportunities to explore. Our curriculum has been designed, step-by-step, to powerfully equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to further develop their creativity and innovation skills, these the bedrock for their succeeding in the 21st century as they graduate from our school.”

Curriculum

GEMS Metropole – Al Waha aims to stand out in the development of its own unique Forest School and Environmental Sciences focus, but the ambition of the eventual offer aims to at least compete with the quality of its sister school. You can read more on this below:

Sixth Form

The following is the current GEMS Metropole Sixth Form (BTEC and A Level) Prospectus. GEMS Metropole – Al Waha aims to stand out in the development of its own unique Forest School and Environmental Sciences focus, so the following offers a broad guideline of potential provision only:

Fees and Value

The basic metric here of the GEMS Metrpole model is to offer a Tier 1 Outstanding education in breadth of opportunity and investment in British teachers at a mid-tier fee level. By definition the value proposition her for parents is hugely ambitious with exceptional ROI.

Facilities

The Sustainability focus of the school is matched, across facility provision and investment, with key USPs in leadership, Business, Industry and Entrepreneurship – and a major specialism in cricket as a GEMS Hub for Cricketing Excellence.

The school is divided into four stages, each focusing on a specific area of development.

• The Forest School (FS1-Year 2) will nurture curiosity through outdoor learning and exploration;
• The Values School (Years 3-6) will focus on building confidence, creativity and career success;
• The Active School (Years 7-9) will foster creativity through a variety of programmes; and,
• The Future School (Years 10-13) will prioritise career success and opportunities. 

Launch facilities include:

• A forest school, farm and biodome
• World-class BTEC mechanics, engineering and construction facilities 
  
• Science, ICT, food technology and robotics labs 
• Art Room with Gallery Spaces
• An auditorium and dance studio 
• Sports halls, cricket nets, a football pitch and a gym 
• A dedicated BTEC department and sixth form area 
• An Early Years indoor play area and multi-use games areas
• Specialist Arabic and Islamic rooms
• Language rooms
• Drama Centre
• Music room and practice centre
• Chemistry labs
• ICT labs

Sporting Facilities include:

• A 25-metre swimming pool and separate learner pool
• Foundation Stage indoor play area
• Basketball court
• Tier 1 Cricket pitches
• Floodlit Astroturf sports pitch

Extracurricular activities on launch including a broad array of options across Sport, the Performing Arts, Music and Drama.

Bottom line? The SchoolsCompared.com Verdict for Parents 2023

This is Phase Two of GEMS roll-out of the flagship British Metropole brand in the Emirates. The pedigree – BSO good school status (with Outstanding features), provides the foundations for the significant ambition, differences from its sister school – and innovation, on offer here. This, combined with a focus on traditional Metropole commitment to recruitment of outstanding British teaching faculty – at a mid-tier price point, suggests a benchmark school for Dubai in the making.

Standout commitment to broad qualification pathways at British Sixth Form, including ASDAN, BTEC and gold standard A Levels are matched with subject breadth of opportunity, including a focus on sustainability and creditable and inspirational specialism in electrical automotive manufacturing and construction. Cleverly, the aim here will be to link a spiritual core of the school in sustainability with one core aspect of the world facing the next generation, Engineering and the automotive sector, to explore areas like battery technology and sustainability solutions within it for their, and our, future.

Whole child commitment extends across Sport and the Performing Arts – including being a specialised Centre for Cricket.

These are the earliest days for the school and we will update our review after our first visit in August 2023.

But, at this stage of a new school’s life, it simply does not get any better.

Metropole Al Waha is a school to watch – and expect great things from.

Further information

Read our review of GEMS Metropole Motor City here

Visit the official GEMS Metropole – Al Waha web site here. 

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