# Schools close to Dubai Marina?



## Aussie soccer-mom (Sep 8, 2009)

Hi there,
We are most likely moving to dubai towards the end of October. At this point we are looking at renting an apartment in the Marina Area but have noticed there don't seem to be many schools nearby. Can anyone recommend schools that are easy to get to from the Marina area as I have read that traffic is a big issue? We have kids in both primary and high school. Any advice would be appreciated.


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

There is a link to some schools in the sticky thread that everyone is asked to read.

As far as I am aware there are no secondary schools, or even primary schools in the Marina. Regent School is at the other side of SZR by The Greens/Lakes and that is certainly a primary school. Secondary schools not too far away include Kings, DIA, Wellington & Dubai College.

Have a look at the afore-mentioned links and search this forum for more info.

Good luck.

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## flossie (Jun 9, 2008)

No school actually in the Marina, but plenty that are about a 15 to 20 minute drive away. (Which is close by Dubai standards.)

Most schools are usually high school and primary school combined which is great for logistics. Ones close that I can think of are:

Wellington International School. British Curriculum.
Emirates International School. Think it's IB
Dubai British School. British Curriculum
Regent International School. British Curriculum
Dubai International Acadamy. IB
Dubai College. High School only, British Curriculum, selective.

Most schools probably have waiting lists but it seems the younger your child, the longer the waiting list. Email all schools and ask them what their waiting lists are like. You have to pay an application fee for each one you apply to. They will all have websites.

Good luck


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## flossie (Jun 9, 2008)

As Elphaba mentioned, Kings. Primary only, British Curriculum

Also, I hope your contract includes school fees as they are expensive.


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## Aussie soccer-mom (Sep 8, 2009)

*thanks*

Thanks for the advice. I did go to the schools link but some of the location maps provided only show the surrounding streets!:noidea: Emirates International and Regents were 2 that I had looked at so I might try them first. Yes, thankfully my husbands contract does include school fees, we couldn't afford it otherwise....


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## flossie (Jun 9, 2008)

Just a word of warning: Regent is from all (most, no school has 100% happy parents) accounts a nice, small school but the traffic around there in the mornings is an absolute nightmare. Hopefully the road works will be finished one day. (My kids don't go there but I feel for the parents who do.) Is there anyway you can have a look before you apply? I also have a feeling they only go up to year 10 at the moment. Not sure if they're adding a year each time school goes back or not? Best check. Actually, traffic around most schools each morning is awful. Getting them there isn't so much a problem if you're prepared to get there early but leaving when everyone else is can be a pain. I usually sit and wait for 15 mins or so to save myself the stress of the carpark battles.

And EIS is international buccleareate (sure that's spelt wrong!!). Don't know if you care? Not sure what the difference is for the younger kids but for the high school kids, it means they have an internationally recognised diploma at the end of school. Apparently, it's quite stringent. We'll find out eventually, because my daughter will end up doing it if we stay until then as her school is British Curriculum but does IB for the last two years.  Anyway, in some cases you end up just going with the school that has places, but hopefully that won't be the case for you. Sorting schools is usually the most stressful part of the move but I think waiting lists have eased off this year.


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## avery (Dec 9, 2009)

*Seeing the brighter side *



flossie said:


> Just a word of warning: Regent is from all (most, no school has 100% happy parents) accounts a nice, small school but the traffic around there in the mornings is an absolute nightmare. Hopefully the road works will be finished one day. (My kids don't go there but I feel for the parents who do.) Is there anyway you can have a look before you apply? I also have a feeling they only go up to year 10 at the moment. Not sure if they're adding a year each time school goes back or not? Best check. Actually, traffic around most schools each morning is awful. Getting them there isn't so much a problem if you're prepared to get there early but leaving when everyone else is can be a pain. I usually sit and wait for 15 mins or so to save myself the stress of the carpark battles.
> 
> And EIS is international buccleareate (sure that's spelt wrong!!). Don't know if you care? Not sure what the difference is for the younger kids but for the high school kids, it means they have an internationally recognised diploma at the end of school. Apparently, it's quite stringent. We'll find out eventually, because my daughter will end up doing it if we stay until then as her school is British Curriculum but does IB for the last two years.  Anyway, in some cases you end up just going with the school that has places, but hopefully that won't be the case for you. Sorting schools is usually the most stressful part of the move but I think waiting lists have eased off this year.


My son goes to Regent. At present the school goes up to yr 10 and they will be adding yr 11 next year. I think most schools work this way in the secondary level. 

yes the traffic is a bother but can’t fault the school for that. It’s RTA and most schools in the area are affected including DIA. But look on the brighter side, RTA will be finishing their roadworks soon and Regent like DIA will have ample parking for parents. Hang in there is all I can say.


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