# Schools in the UAE and contact information



## Geordie Armani (Jan 24, 2008)

BSME: British Schools in the Middle East

can someone make this a sticky please


----------



## ihatejam (May 9, 2008)

Here's a link that lets you search for all schools in Dubai (including American, British, Japanese, Indian, Russian, IB, etc) - see the "Directory" on the left of the page : Knowledge and Human Development Authority | Home


----------



## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

A complete UAE schools list

Dubai UAE schools list - international private American Indian British English US UK primary high

-


----------



## PKDivers (Jul 7, 2008)

*Hi Folks*

Im just new on here and feeling my way around. Can anyone tell me how I PM someone? thanks for your help.


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

You cant PM until you have made 5 posts


----------



## PKDivers (Jul 7, 2008)

thanks for that - im getting there slowly but surely.


----------



## hopeful (Jul 29, 2008)

Hi guys, I've heard how difficult it is to get school places, does anyone know if the same goes for nursery? Also are the nursery's really expensive too? I only want my daughter to go for about two mornings/afternoons a week, can I do this out there? I'm currently going through the lists of nursery websites just for info but many of them don't quote fees or say much about half days.

Thanks for any info in advance.


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Yes, it can also be difficult to get places at nurseries (though I believe that early primary school years are the hardest places to find at the moment)

Yes, some nurseries are very expensive, some are more reasonable 

I know of a few nurseries that offer 3 days min, but Im sure that some may do 2 days.
Where will you be living?

These prices are APPROX...

I believe Jebel Ali Nursery at Polo Club (AR) is approx 5,000 dhs a term for 2 mornings, and 8,000 for 5 days (8am-12)

Kids Island in Umm Sequeim 6,900 a term (5 days), or 4,900 a term ( 2 days)

Super Kids- Mirdiff - 6,000 a term (full time)

Childrens Oasis 5,000 dhs PER MONTH ( for 5 days, 8 - 5pm)

Hope this helps a little


----------



## hopeful (Jul 29, 2008)

sgilli3 said:


> Yes, it can also be difficult to get places at nurseries (though I believe that early primary school years are the hardest places to find at the moment)
> 
> Yes, some nurseries are very expensive, some are more reasonable
> 
> ...


Thanks thats great information, not sure where we would live, its pretty early days for us.....I just like to be prepared  At the moment I like the look of the greens.


----------



## greatexpectations (Aug 5, 2008)

anyone have a feel for which schools are the most sought after?

do I need to specify the school I want if schooling is to be paid by my employer, or are they broadly comparable?

thanks!


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

greatexpectations said:


> anyone have a feel for which schools are the most sought after?
> 
> do I need to specify the school I want if schooling is to be paid by my employer, or are they broadly comparable?
> 
> thanks!



Pretty much every school is sort after...most have long waiting lists, or have closed their books, until lists decrease.

People choose schools for varying reasons ie: close to home/work, fees they can afford, curriculum they want, offer after school activities, more sports oriented, more academically oriented etc...either way, they are all sort after.

Some employers may want to know what school you have chosen, so they can write out the cheques for the fees, other employers just hand over the money, and you do all the paying yourself.

Just make sure, that they are contributing a reasonable sum, or you will end up out of pocket..schools are expensive here.


----------



## Fraggle (Aug 20, 2008)

*Wellington Entrance Test*

Hello Everybody...
does anybody have experience with this Wellington school entrance test? Is it possible to get a sample test or some information how this test will look like and how it is evaluated (for a 15 year old)?
The only information we got from the school was that there was an English and a Maths part, but it would be nice to have some more information...
Thanks,
Fraggle


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Hi there,
Not sure if anyone on the board can help with this question.
Im sure that our (fabulous) regular poster ,Flossie's children attend Gems Wellington International. (though not the same age as your child)
She is away on holidays at the moment.
Perhaps she may see this post and be able to shed some light on the entrance exam.


----------



## flossie (Jun 9, 2008)

Hi!! Aw, thanks, Sgilli

Fraggle, do you mean Wellington International or Wellington Primary? My kids go to Wellington International and love it there. As we were coming from Australia, the school were happy to assess the kids on school reports so they didn't need to set an assessment. Sorry I can't help you more. I don't think the tests are too hard, though. From what I have heard, it is just a test to make sure your kids aren't in need of alot of extra help. Even if they were, Wellington has quite a good Achievement Centre which helps kids who need it.


----------



## newAussie (Aug 22, 2008)

Hi Flossie,

We are about to relocate from Australia (in October) and we are in a REAL dilemma about schools, to say the least. The company I will be working for has places in various schools but ultimatley it is our choice. So we have one in year 8 and one in year 10, apart from them having to repeat some of the current year due to southern hem vs northern hem schedules, we are curious as to the difference in curriculum at the Wellington School to the Australian and the need for a 13 year? Also how the American schooling is compared with the English.


----------



## flossie (Jun 9, 2008)

What state are you coming from? Not meaning to scare you, but you really need to apply for school places yesterday.

Some schools will recognise that kids coming from the southern hemisphere do not neccessarily have to 'repeat' the year. To cut a very long story short, we decided to put our youngest child up and our kept our oldest child in the same year so they could be with kids their own age. Our (very bright) oldest child didn't 'repeat' that much. It seemed that she picked up where she left of. The only things she did 'repeat' were some aspects of maths which was good as that is her weakest subject. Wellington run a gifted (don't really like that word, to be honest) and talented week with a couple of other schools which my daughter took part in and loved and did things that she wouldn't normally have done. She is extended where she needs to be. My son took a little while to settle in but once he did, he progressed really well. He actually won the progress award at the end of the year for his class. Like all schools, it also depends on the individual teacher they get. Compared to WA, I actually like the British Curriculum better. I can be pretty parochial so it took a long time to admit that I liked it more than the WA system, just out of pride, but for my kids, it's been a lot better and they have come a long way. There education is actually the thing I like best about being in Dubai. Saying that, though, I have spoken to mums who think it's not as good, so it all depends on who you speak with. My daughter is only in year 7, so I'm not sure how the higher years work, yet. I know that Wellington offer the IB in the final year. The reason for this is that it is an international school and the IB is internationally recognised. I have no clue about the American System, so I can't comment on that. What schools do your company have places in?


----------



## newAussie (Aug 22, 2008)

We are coming from WA also.

We just spoke to the American School of Dubai and they have places immediatley for us as my company has debentures, otherwise they reckon it would be a 2 year wait!!! We have a list of schools with places for my company and wellington is one of them.

It seems they want us to put our children in their current year which means slipping back a few months, but I think it will help them settle in if the pressure isn't on straight away.

We are coming over for a pre-assignment trip in two weeks time so we are trying to work out whch schools to visit in our 5 days, as you can imagine its a bit of a minefield when you have no idea (we are also first time expats)...so thanks, your feedback is valuable.

I have been told the other thing to consider is location of school vs housing due to the traffic. Is the Wellington School suitably located?


----------



## flossie (Jun 9, 2008)

newAussie said:


> We are coming from WA also.
> 
> We just spoke to the American School of Dubai and they have places immediatley for us as my company has debentures, otherwise they reckon it would be a 2 year wait!!! We have a list of schools with places for my company and wellington is one of them.
> 
> ...



WIS is fairly well located. Where will you be working?


----------



## newAussie (Aug 22, 2008)

The office is in Bur Dubai


----------



## flossie (Jun 9, 2008)

Bur Dubai is quite a way from Wellington. If you chose to live near the school, though you would be going against the traffic to get to your office. My daughter's very good friend lives in Bur Dubai and catches the bus. I think she gets on the bus at around 6.45 to get to school. I will check with her and see what time that it. Busses are quite expensive, though and places are limited. From memory, I think it's about 7000AED a year per child.

I think having your kids 'repeat' wouldn't be a bad thing because a) there is quite a range of ages in each year group anyway, and b) coming from the catholic system in WA, DD found it to be more challenging here in regards to homework etc. In Dubai, the expectations are a bit higher. In WA she was allowed to rest on laurels a bit. Here, they always encouraged her to do even better. In the beginning this upset her as she was used to being told how wonderful she was, so she thought she wasn't doing as well here. But I didn't think that was such a bad thing as it would be something she would have to get used to later in life, anyway.

What other schools have places for you kids? I know DESC would be closer for you and has a good reputation.


----------



## newAussie (Aug 22, 2008)

The kids are also coming from the catholic schools system; but this year they have really increased the homework because of past overall school results, so lots of homework will be no shock.....wow that is expensive for catching a daily bus!!

Unfortunatley the relocation company my company is using is unaware of specific placing so we are ringing ourselves and finding out. Sorry, what does DESC stand for and we will give them a call.


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

newAussie said:


> The kids are also coming from the catholic schools system; but this year they have really increased the homework because of past overall school results, so lots of homework will be no shock.....wow that is expensive for catching a daily bus!!
> 
> Unfortunatley the relocation company my company is using is unaware of specific placing so we are ringing ourselves and finding out. Sorry, what does DESC stand for and we will give them a call.



DESC is Dubai English Speaking College
Dubai English Speaking College


----------



## bonk (Jun 13, 2008)

Elphaba said:


> A complete UAE schools list


There's an updated version of that list here - UAE schools list .

It now includes a filter so you can choose emirate, type of curriculum, type of school, etc (and there's a rating system on each school page). It's not complete as there are new schools opening up that haven't been included yet, and most government schools aren't included, but it should be reasonably comprehensive for the private school sector. The individual school details are not always up to date - but even school's own websites suffer from this problem.


----------



## bonk (Jun 13, 2008)

flossie said:


> I know DESC would be closer for you and has a good reputation.


Are you thinking of DESS? DESS (primary) is in Bur Dubai but DESC (secondary) is in Academic City - out on the Al Ain Road.



newAussie said:


> We just spoke to the American School of Dubai and they have places immediatley for us as my company has debentures, otherwise they reckon it would be a 2 year wait!!!


ASD is highly regarded but ending up with a US qualification might not be what you want. It's probably the closest to Bur Dubai (it's in Jumeirah near Mercato shopping center I think) out of ASD, WIS, DESC, but WIS might be easier to get to as it's on SZ Rd. But isn't your residence location more relevant than your office?

There's a couple of Australian schools in Sharjah, and one in Abu Dhabi. Traffic jams probably put them out of contention though.


----------



## meninaJANA (Sep 5, 2008)

I'm going to Dubai in december of this year and my son will arrive to Dubai in july of 2009 to study and live with me. Do you know the costs (month) of a child?? I'm considering these basic points: school, transportation to school, food and some fun.

jana.


----------



## annikke (Sep 1, 2008)

... as there are new schools opening up that haven't been included yet, and most government schools aren't included, but it should be reasonably comprehensive for the private school sector...

Hi! Thank you for the list!
A couple of days ago I asked about Emirates International School - Jumeirah in this forum, and was told that this school isn't the best in the area. Today it was my son's first day in this school, KG2. When coming to collect him I saw him very upset and even crying, he told me that his teacher was shouting at him. I'm absolutely shoked! I'd never want him to hate school from the very first day! I asked the teacher about the incident, and she said it was just difficult to settle kids down...no comments, I think... Before my son was attending nursery school and his behavior has never been a problem... 
So now I'm going to find another school for him, but because we're already in waiting lists in some schools and totally-crazy-school-situatuon-this year, I don't know what to do, where can we find a place now.
Could you please give me advice! Maybe you know some new school where we could apply? 
Is KG2 so necessary or it would be ok to start school from Grade1? 
Thank you!


----------



## lkgriffith (Aug 20, 2008)

*Other nursery/school resources*

Here are some sites with good lists of schools/nurseries:

Welcome to DubaiKidz.Biz

Welcome to DubaiKidz.Biz

Nurseries in Dubai

Schools and Universities in Dubai


----------



## placid (Sep 10, 2008)

*Home Schooling in Dubai*

greeetings everyone,

I am new to this forum. I plan to be in Dubai for six weeks. I understand with the schooling shortage that many parents have switched to home schooling. Would anyone know of families that are home schooling in Dubai specifically for 1st and 2nd grade? Also if anyone could recommend a private tutor for this age group.

Thanks 
Placid


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

placid said:


> greeetings everyone,
> 
> I am new to this forum. I plan to be in Dubai for six weeks. I understand with the schooling shortage that many parents have switched to home schooling. Would anyone know of families that are home schooling in Dubai specifically for 1st and 2nd grade? Also if anyone could recommend a private tutor for this age group.
> 
> ...


Hi and welcome to the forum.
Are you coming with the children only for 6 weeks, or is it a permanent move?

There are some families who do home school while waiting for schools, though most families choose to home school as a way of life ( more permanent than just a few weeks)
if the children are only here for 6 weeks, then Im sure the school they attend now will supply materials for that time.

There are quite a few families who home school in the Emirates, (including myself), but I don't know of anyone with children in that age group.

You may be best to check out the local papers as tutors some time advertise their services there, or alternatively, you could place an ad in the paper (or put a notice on the supermarket boards), requesting a tutor, for which ever subjects your children need assistance with.


----------



## placid (Sep 10, 2008)

*Home Schooling in Dubai*

Hello and Thanks so much for the welcome.
We will staying for a six week trial period to see we like the hospital where I'll be working and Abu Dhabi. If all goes well I will negotiate an annual contract.

We'll be relocating from New York. Here they have many school co-ops where parents take turns helping out at the school and they also have parents who home school their own children but also take in other children for extra income. Do you know of any programs/people like this?

Thanks
Placid





sgilli3 said:


> Hi and welcome to the forum.
> Are you coming with the children only for 6 weeks, or is it a permanent move?
> 
> There are some families who do home school while waiting for schools, though most families choose to home school as a way of life ( more permanent than just a few weeks)
> ...


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

placid said:


> Hello and Thanks so much for the welcome.
> We will staying for a six week trial period to see we like the hospital where I'll be working and Abu Dhabi. If all goes well I will negotiate an annual contract.
> 
> We'll be relocating from New York. Here they have many school co-ops where parents take turns helping out at the school and they also have parents who home school their own children but also take in other children for extra income. Do you know of any programs/people like this?
> ...


If it is only a 6 week stay at 1st, then bringing their schoolwork across should be fine..

No,- no co-ops that I know of here. There are home schoolers here, but few and far between. ( I know of 6 other families, and only 2 of them live in the same emirate as each other)

Im afraid, that homeschooling isn't recognised over here, hence the lack of co-ops/support groups.


----------



## captkipper (Sep 7, 2008)

Reading these post make it look IMPOSSIBLE to get a school place...We are moving from the UK in Jan on a permanent relocation with KG2 daughter, happy to accept that where we live will be dictated by where we can get her in school. So far we have contacted a few schools and its looks promising...we "may have places" or " have very few places available in FS2" are they fobbing us off to get is to register and hand over cash? Comment appreciated


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

captkipper said:


> Reading these post make it look IMPOSSIBLE to get a school place...We are moving from the UK in Jan on a permanent relocation with KG2 daughter, happy to accept that where we live will be dictated by where we can get her in school. So far we have contacted a few schools and its looks promising...we "may have places" or " have very few places available in FS2" are they fobbing us off to get is to register and hand over cash? Comment appreciated


Your best bet, will be to register at a few schools, so you have a better chance for a place when time comes for the move.
The registration fees will vary from school to school ( usually a few hundred dhs), and some schools will require your daughter to sit entrance exams too.


----------



## captkipper (Sep 7, 2008)

sgilli3 said:


> Your best bet, will be to register at a few schools, so you have a better chance for a place when time comes for the move.
> The registration fees will vary from school to school ( usually a few hundred dhs), and some schools will require your daughter to sit entrance exams too.



Thanks, we are visiting in Oct, so will look at a few that look promising and put her name on the waiting list...with fingers crossed!


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

captkipper said:


> Thanks, we are visiting in Oct, so will look at a few that look promising and put her name on the waiting list...with fingers crossed!


Good idea...also remember that Dubai is a transient place, so school waiting lists can change very quickly - what looks like no school places, may change in days/weeks/months.

Good luck !!


----------



## lovebug (Sep 7, 2008)

just to let everyone know, if you're looking for a school, save yourself the hassle & go through emirates educational consultancy. they're professional, efficient & extremely obliging. best of all, your stresses will be over. just search "schools dubai" on google & u will see a link to 971pages or something like that on the right side, it's generally the first thing that comes up. good luck to all those who are looking for schools !


----------



## JohnJohn (Sep 22, 2008)

hi there, got an offer in Dubai, concerned about cost of schooling and housing. We are a family of 7, my wife and 5 kids ranging in age from 16 to 1.5 years old.
Also what area is good both pricewise and location. Appreciate any help ,
JohnJohn.


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

JohnJohn said:


> hi there, got an offer in Dubai, concerned about cost of schooling and housing. We are a family of 7, my wife and 5 kids ranging in age from 16 to 1.5 years old.
> Also what area is good both pricewise and location. Appreciate any help ,
> JohnJohn.


Hi and welcome,
The cost of housing and education are VERY high.

Most choose housing based on where they are going to be working, or close to a school.

Rent is paid 1 year UPFRONT, and ( depending on what area you choose), for say a 4 bed villa you will be looking at around 350,000 dhs - 400,000 dhs ( more in other areas)

School fees for primary/elementary school will cost you a MINIMUM of 30,000 dhs per child ( older children about 50- 60,000 dhs a year) - not including uniforms, extra curricular activities or transport.
Schools here also have long wait lists, so best to put your childrens names down at many schools ( there will be a registration fee too). You may not also get them all in at the same school...

Where will you be working- so we can suggest an area to look at.


----------



## flossie (Jun 9, 2008)

sgilli3 said:


> Hi and welcome,
> The cost of housing and education are VERY high.
> 
> Most choose housing based on where they are going to be working, or close to a school.
> ...


I agree with Sgilli (as always ). School fees for my son (7) are 36,000AED a year and for my daughter (12) are 52,000AED a year.


----------



## lovebug (Sep 7, 2008)

JohnJohn said:


> hi there, got an offer in Dubai, concerned about cost of schooling and housing. We are a family of 7, my wife and 5 kids ranging in age from 16 to 1.5 years old.
> Also what area is good both pricewise and location. Appreciate any help ,
> JohnJohn.


again, check on 971 Pages, search "schools", and you will see the info for emirates educational consultancy, it is usually the first result. they are very good and will help u through the entire process. my friends used them & were very glad they did. hope it can be of some use to you !


----------

