# schooling - age



## eyesonly (Mar 11, 2013)

Hi all,

I am new to the forum and am contemplating moving to Dubai (considering a job offer). 

I have 1 question on schooling: My daughter will turn 3 in November this year. I believe the youngest age for school admission is 3? - does this mean she will have to wait until next year to get an admission (given she will be less than 3 yrs old in September this year).

If so, are there any pre-schools that kids can go to at this age? Sorry for the naive questions, this is our first child and we have no clue on schooling!

thanks a lot!


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## maths.teacher (Feb 4, 2013)

eyesonly said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I am new to the forum and am contemplating moving to Dubai (considering a job offer).
> 
> ...


I'm in a similar position. My younger son turns 3 in November so will enroll in school the following year, September 2014.

In terms of pre-schools, you could send your child to a nursey or hire a nanny/child minder.

Hope this helps...


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

eyesonly said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I am new to the forum and am contemplating moving to Dubai (considering a job offer).
> 
> ...


The first compulsory year is Foundation Stage 2, and the minimu age for that is 4, i think.
Most try and get their kids into FS1, which is more like nursery, but it gives you direct access to FS2, and can be a little easier to get into.
(FS 2 is equivalent to Reception year in England - I think - our kids came through the Scottish system, which cleverly starts with a 1....)
If your child will not be 3 in September, she will not be ready for FS1, and you need to wait a year.

There are plenty of nurseries, and they are a lot easier to get into than schools. I know very little about them, though. i do know there are loads of small nurseries about with all sorts of fancy names. Go with recomendations over anything else. I imagine it is a minefield to find a good one!


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## eyesonly (Mar 11, 2013)

maths.teacher & vantage, thanks for the excellent info!

can I also ask how much do the nurseries cost typically? The HR policy of my employer states that they will only bear the cost for children over 3 years age. 

I am further assuming that they would only pay for actual school costs rather than nursery fees. Given that my lo still has another 1.5 yrs before being admitted to a school, I need to budget how much will I have to pay from my pocket until then. 

If the nursery costs 30-40k aed p.a., then I need to have another discussion with my employer.

thanks in advance!


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

Here's a link with a list of nurseries in Dubai: Dubai nurseries

Some of the have averages fees listed on this site and some don't. There is a very high possibility however that a lot of the information is outdated. So I would recommend that you narrow down your choices based on location and ease of access and then call them directly to inquire about fees.

Companies do not usually pay pre-school fees. Your child is less than 3 years old so why don't you just wait a year and enroll her directly to FS1 in a proper school?


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

Good nurseries will generally not cost less than 25K per annum (7-8K per term; generally more).

Our son turned 3 this year but we will send him to a nursery not a proper school. He is a young 3 year old and needs a lot of individual attention which he won't be able to get in a proper school (or at least that was what we were told when he was "assessed" and asked to come back next year)


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## eyesonly (Mar 11, 2013)

pamela0810 said:


> Here's a link with a list of nurseries in Dubai:
> 
> Some of the have averages fees listed on this site and some don't. There is a very high possibility however that a lot of the information is outdated. So I would recommend that you narrow down your choices based on location and ease of access and then call them directly to inquire about fees.
> 
> Companies do not usually pay pre-school fees. Your child is less than 3 years old so why don't you just wait a year and enroll her directly to FS1 in a proper school?


Hi pamela0810. thanks for the details. Our daughter is hyperactive and she enjoys being with kids. We have been already sending her to a nursery and she does not want to return home! plus my wife is likely to look for a job. So it makes sense for us to find a nursery!


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## eyesonly (Mar 11, 2013)

rsinner said:


> Good nurseries will generally not cost less than 25K per annum (7-8K per term; generally more).
> 
> Our son turned 3 this year but we will send him to a nursery not a proper school. He is a young 3 year old and needs a lot of individual attention which he won't be able to get in a proper school (or at least that was what we were told when he was "assessed" and asked to come back next year)


excellent, thanks for the info!


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## Hasina009 (Mar 20, 2013)

If the FS1 minimum age is 3, what about the age for nursery? Is that like preschool here in UK from 2-4years old? 

What is the difference between FS1 and nursery? Sorry to be naive but it's all very new to me.


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

Hasina009 said:


> If the FS1 minimum age is 3, what about the age for nursery? Is that like preschool here in UK from 2-4years old?
> 
> What is the difference between FS1 and nursery? Sorry to be naive but it's all very new to me.


This is my 2 cents, based on limited research on the IB system.

FS1 - min age 3 years - not mandatory. A kid can join FS2 at 4 years of age.
Nursery is indeed like pre-school. Some nurseries double up as day care centres, and may not even have a min age.
Age - max 4. Then they would need to join a formal school.

So at 3 years of age yo can decide whether to send your child to a nursery or school. A school would be more formal and would require your child to be more independent than in a nursery.

Caveat: Based on my understanding of IB. British might be the same - not sure.


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