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there’s more to life... askexplorer.com All you need to know YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO NURSERIES, UAE SCHOOLS AND FURTHER EDUCATION IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UAE • International nurseries • School fees • Primary and secondary schools • Government rankings EDUCATION • Universities and training colleges • After-school clubs • Curriculums • Kids’ activities GUIDE Every parent’s essential guide to nurseries, schools and further education in the UAE All the facts and figures you need to get educated – in one handy guide. This comprehensive directory has all the answers to education in the UAE. Whether you’re a working parent looking for a nursery place, you’ve just arrived and are looking for a school for your children, or you’re planning to brush up on your skills and study for a degree, the UAE Education Guide has everything you need to know. UAE Education Guide Abu Dhabi • Dubai • Sharjah • Northern Emirates Education Guide Education askexplorer.com/shop UAE EDUCATION GUIDE there’s more to life... askexplorer.com UAE Education Guide Copyright © Explorer Group Ltd All rights reserved. Explorer Publishing & Distribution PO Box 34275, Dubai United Arab Emirates Phone +971 (0)4 340 8805 Fax +971 (0)4 340 8806 Email [email protected] Web askexplorer.com To buy additional copies of this or any other of Explorer’s award-winning titles, visit askexplorer.com. Special discounts are available for bulk purchases at askexplorer.com/corporate. While every effort and care has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions it may contain. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. welcome to the UAE Education Guide. This comprehensive guide to CONTENTS education in the UAE is the ultimate learning experience EDUCATION IN Northern – whether you are a working THE UAE 2 Emirates 62 parent looking for a nursery place, you’ve moved to the Sharjah 63 UAE with three kids, or you’ve THE EARLY YEARS 4 just had a baby and want to NURSERIES 6 organise a school place early. EXTRA CURRICULAR Abu Dhabi 6 FUN 64 Don’t waste hours trawling through education websites Dubai 10 AFTER SCHOOL for information – our directory CLUBS 66 of nurseries, primary and Sharjah 20 secondary schools, as well Abu Dhabi 66 as universities and colleges, brings all the information you Dubai 66 need together in one place. TERM TIME 22 As well as essential contact SCHOOLS 24 information, we’ve researched FAMILY-FRIENDLY the government rankings, Abu Dhabi 24 ATTRACTIONS 68 curriculums, fees, facilities, locations and available courses. Al Ain 32 KIDS’ ACTIVITIES 70 As well as a guide to Dubai 33 understanding education Abu Dhabi 70 in the UAE, there is information Northern on boarding schools, school Emirates 51 Dubai 71 transport, curriculums, after- Sharjah 52 Northern school clubs and activities. Emirates 72 Finally, don’t forget that Explorer publishes a variety of residents’ UNIVERSITIES 54 and activity guides that help DIRECTORY 74 you to extract the most from life Abu Dhabi 55 in the UAE. And, for the latest updates on education, kids’ Al Ain 56 activities and family matters, visit askexplorer.com. Dubai 57 there’s more to life... The Explorer team /askexplorer NURSERIES | NURSERIES EDUCATION DUBAI IN THE UAE Curriculums, academic calendar and school fees Educational standards and the selection of high, your child will learn Arabic and other institutions across the UAE are excellent, languages from a young age, the facilities whether you are enrolling your child into are world class and schools are a mix of nursery or learning new skills as an adult. nationalities. The number of students The emirates are home to various enrolled in private schools in Dubai is international and government nurseries, currently estimated at 225,000 and there schools and universities offering top are around 185,000 students in Abu Dhabi. quality education. School inspections are Both emirates have plans to build now compulsory, and teachers do need to more new schools by 2020. There are be professionally qualified as in western also a growing number of internationally countries. Local schools are restricted accredited colleges and universities primarily to Arabic-speaking Emiratis, offering courses in the arts, sciences, so you will need to enrol your child in a business and engineering sectors. private school. Although prices can be 2 UAE Education Guide EDUCATION IN THE UAE IN EDUCATION ADEC rankings In Abu Dhabi in 2012, the Irtiqa’a programme was launched by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) to rate the quality of schools. Schools are inspected every two years. Eight standards are taken into consideration: students’ attainment and progress; students’ personal development; the quality of teaching and learning; the meeting of students’ needs through the curriculum; the protection, guidance and support of children; the quality of According to the KHDA rankings for the school’s property; their resources; 2013/14, nine out of the 12 Outstanding and the effectiveness of leadership and schools in Dubai follow a UK curriculum. management. School fees All schools fall into one of three bands: School fees are a contentious issue for Band A 1, Outstanding; 2, Very Good; 3, many parents. For a good school, you Good can expect to pay more than Dhs.25,000 Band B 4, Satisfactory and Improving; 5, per year during the primary years, Satisfactory Dhs.30,000 and up for the middle Band C 6, Unsatisfactory; 7, Very primary years, and Dhs.70,000 plus per Unsatisfactory; 8, Poor year for secondary schools. If you’re lucky, your company may KHDA rankings include an education allowance for school The Knowledge and Human Development fees as part of your employment package, Authority (KHDA) is Dubai’s regulatory though this is no longer very common. body for private education at all levels, It also costs around Dhs.500 to put your from early childhood to adult learning. child’s name on a waiting list, and there’s a Since inspections began in 2008, KHDA registration fee (about Dhs.2,000), which reports have ranked every school in Dubai is deducted from your annual costs. from Outstanding and Good to Acceptable Banks offer loans to help cover the cost and Unacceptable. Schools that perform of school fees – and the United Arab Bank well can increase their fees at a steeper has a ‘New Arrival Package’ designed for percentage than poorer performing newcomers who need financial help to get schools. School inspections are carried out started. The package goes a long way to annually by the Dubai Schools Inspection helping with school fees. Bureau (DSIB). Assessments are based on a wide range of criteria, from academic achievements in core subjects to the attitude of students. School uniforms Higher rankings often come hand in hand Most private schools in the UAE will insist on students with the quality of teaching of Islamic and wearing the official school uniform. Each school will use Arabic subjects. See khda.gov.ae for more a particular uniform supply shop and this will be the only information and for a breakdown of each place where you can buy official school items. Before school’s result. heading out and spending a fortune on uniforms, check British schools can now apply for with the school and with other parents which items are inspection and British School Overseas compulsory and which are not. certification by the British government. UAE Education Guide 3 THE EARLY YEARS Children discover that learning is fun at the UAE’s nurseries Most nurseries are open for four or five that is within walking distance of your hours in the morning and charge anything home or en route to the office. Bear from Dhs.3,000 to Dhs.12,000 per term. in mind that traffic can often get very You can pay extra in many nurseries if congested at pick-up and drop-off time you need to drop your child off earlier during term time. or collect them later (up until 6pm). In general, classes of between 10 and 20 Curriculum children are staffed by a nursery teacher Most nurseries will follow one particular and as many as three teaching assistants. curriculum – mainly International, English (Early Years Foundation Stage/EYFS) or Selecting a nursery Montessori. Quite often there will be an The UAE’s Ministry of Social Affairs amalgamation of approaches with more of recently launched a rating system in a a focus on children’s social and personal bid to boost nursery services across the development than on any one particular country. A quality standards guidebook country’s curriculum. is also available from mea.gov.ae to help EYFS is designed to prepare children parents make an informed decision and for entry to the UK’s Key Stage 1 choose a school. (Years 1 and 2) at school. EYFS focuses Don’t be surprised if your child starts on communication, language, and learning Arabic or even French from the physical, personal, social and emotional age of one. Another factor to consider is development. Assessments are made whether or not a nursery provides meals. throughout a child’s time at the nursery, The location of your child’s nursery creating a profile to help teachers will also be a key factor in your decision- understand the child and tailor a making process. You may prefer a nursery curriculum to suit their development. 4 UAE Education Guide ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR A Treasury of Knowledge at your Fingertips Celebrate the 25th anniversary silver jubilee edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the region’s fastest growing book fair, and literary gathering for book lovers.