# Abu dhabi international schools



## donpaul75

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could recommend an international school for my two kids aged 8 and 10. We are Australian, so i am not too sure which curriculum will match closely. We will be in August and I just wanted to suss out the schools before we get there. Thanks!


----------



## norampin

do a search - There is LOTS of info on schools.
Get crecking and register - schools can be tough to get into.


----------



## ahmad_quran

Your budget for schooling and what is paid for by the employer plays big role in deciding. Check Abu Dhabi Education Council website for info


----------



## AlexDhabi

I second the above. It is time to get moving now. Schooling in Abu Dhabi is limited in supply.
A colleague held a special lunch for colleagues today after finally getting a school place for his daughter!


----------



## norampin

Agreed...
getting into a school is a nightmare...
Managed to seal a place only last week after months.


----------



## DCguy

Try ACS or AISA - they both fill fast. GEMs academy is really nice but it is way out of the city.


----------



## busybee2

brit curriculum is usually what auz kids go to.


----------



## Danny J

Dunno if anyone's still on this but been looking into the same thing, and trawling the forums here. Expat arrivals has a cool abu dhabi schools guide, where they list all the best schools, overview the education system etc. 

But yeah, busybee2 is right.


----------



## ashburn

*School*



Danny J said:


> Dunno if anyone's still on this but been looking into the same thing, and trawling the forums here. Expat arrivals has a cool abu dhabi schools guide, where they list all the best schools, overview the education system etc.
> 
> But yeah, busybee2 is right.


Hi, just wondering, how many syllabus do they have? Which has good reputation?


----------



## Dinara_A

Hi, also looking for an International School for my kids 6 and 4. Currently staying in KSA (Aramco School) planning move to AD in December. Any suggestions?


----------



## Marg16

Hi, we are in a similar situation to previous posters. We will be moving to Abu Dhabi in July so will need a school from September 2014 for our two sons (year 8 and first year of A levels). Although we are Kiwis both boys have been educated in the British system as we have spent the last 8 years living in the UK. We have been looking through the school lists and have narrowed our choices down to 3 International schools offering the British GCSE curriculum but we would be really interested in hearing from parents of kids currently in the international schools in AD. Which ones are recommended? What are your experiences of them? On paper they all seem good but what is the reality? Any advice would be gratefully received.


----------



## busybee2

which ones, there arent many that do alevels. at the moment its bsak and yasmina, from next year i believe bateen and bcad. my kids are at bsak, as we have been here long long long time, its the most established one here and has the best results, but then again its not all about results, i would not change schools and a few of the new ones are selective schools, and are profit schools. there is a big difference between the profit and non profit ones. but it will be where you can get a space. you will need to apply on the day of accepting admissions for each school to get on the list to stand a chance.


----------



## Marg16

Hi, the ones we had short listed are Brighton College (but will be first year of sixth form next year so not too sure about being the guinea pig year), Al Yasmina and Al Khubairat. You are right that it is not all about results but obviously we want the kids to do well academically, we are also interested in the social side of things for the kids. Is it easy for newbies to fit in? Also, given the age of our kids (12 and 16) is there much for them to do outside of school? Sorry to bombard you with questions but it is quite a big change for us so we want to be as well prepared as possible.


----------



## busybee2

it is very easy for kids to fit in its a very transient place. me i wouldnt go for a brand new sixth form its too important to be a guinea pig, it doesnt matter so much when these schs opened if you were much further down the grades but its really too important. first year of sixth form will be bcad and bateen are doing it but think they are going ib routing, so you only have bsak and yasmina, both good, obviously bsak been around much much much longer. you may not have a choice you will have to put in applications in as soon as they open, to stand a chance, with sixth form it also means getting the right grades too.


----------



## Marg16

Thanks Busybee2, your advice is really helpful. We are working through the employment and visa documentation process at the moment so am not sure we will have all the documentation the school requires as part of the application process in time - fingers crossed though.


----------



## norampin

Another consideration is the distance al Yasmina is from the rest. I have a friend whose kids are on the bus for 90 mins EACH WAY. Harsh. My son is at BSAK. He loves it. But its a VERY tough school to get into. 60% of the people i know want to go their but cant get a place.


----------



## busybee2

Marg16 said:


> Thanks Busybee2, your advice is really helpful. We are working through the employment and visa documentation process at the moment so am not sure we will have all the documentation the school requires as part of the application process in time - fingers crossed though.


you dont need all the paperwork to put in an application ie the visa part etc you can get a company letter which is on the bsak website stating the visa is processing etc.


----------



## busybee2

norampin said:


> Another consideration is the distance al Yasmina is from the rest. I have a friend whose kids are on the bus for 90 mins EACH WAY. Harsh. My son is at BSAK. He loves it. But its a VERY tough school to get into. 60% of the people i know want to go their but cant get a place.


yeh well the bus goes everywhere and they can be on a long time but the new rules are being brought in that they cannot be on the bus i think for more than 45 mins each way.

i travel from off island to bsak and its at most 30 mins in the car. a lot of people do it but if you were to put them on the public bus its like 1 hour or so, and school bus would be less perhaps but it depends whether you are last on or first on etc.

in order to have any chance of getting a place at either bsak or yasmina etc you must put applications in on day one of admission date etc and it really depends on year group, yes its VERY difficult for the fs1 and 2 etc but not impossible further up the years, once you get one in and of course sixth form may be a little easier you will move up the list for other year groups


----------



## princesstungko

Hi! I'm not sure if this forum is still open but I would also like to ask if you know any international school near Corniche beach? I'm new here in Abu Dhabi and BSAK is a bit far (I think) for my 7 year old son. I came across Ajyal which just opened on 11th but I'm not sure if they could still accept my child. ajyal.sch.ae. Any response would be appreciated. Thanks!


----------



## busybee2

princesstungko said:


> Hi! I'm not sure if this forum is still open but I would also like to ask if you know any international school near Corniche beach? I'm new here in Abu Dhabi and BSAK is a bit far (I think) for my 7 year old son. I came across Ajyal which just opened on 11th but I'm not sure if they could still accept my child. ajyal.sch.ae. Any response would be appreciated. Thanks!


i know that you have asked this question on other forums... it is a new sch and its not located on the corniche as has been mentioned to you a few times, there are no schools on the corniche. this school is located in mbz off island. so as you said that you live near the corniche then it would be at least a 25/30 min drive. bsak is certainly closer to you than any in mbz.... the issue is that getting a place, they are very few and far between. the only way you will know is to ask the registrar at each school and see what is what, the more established schools have massive waiting lists... the new ones less so. there is many schools to choose from now but still limited places... for the corniche for british then look at mushrif primary (aldar) al muna (aldar) pearl (aldar) for american ACS and AISA.


----------



## busybee2

also we all have to do the commute to get to the right school. there is also a new one located even further out just behind deerfields mall, which was giggles school in town.


----------



## princesstungko

busybee2 said:


> i know that you have asked this question on other forums... it is a new sch and its not located on the corniche as has been mentioned to you a few times, there are no schools on the corniche. this school is located in mbz off island. so as you said that you live near the corniche then it would be at least a 25/30 min drive. bsak is certainly closer to you than any in mbz.... the issue is that getting a place, they are very few and far between. the only way you will know is to ask the registrar at each school and see what is what, the more established schools have massive waiting lists... the new ones less so. there is many schools to choose from now but still limited places... for the corniche for british then look at mushrif primary (aldar) al muna (aldar) pearl (aldar) for american ACS and AISA.


Yes, I already submitted online applications to the schools mentioned above and also to the schools mentioned on the other posts. I was actually mis informed about the location of Ajyal but still I submitted the application. I'm still hoping that at least one could get back to me. :fingerscrossed: Thanks so much for the information. It really helped.


----------

