Assessment of private schools in Dubai will change next year, after 23 were rated "outstanding" and 48 "very good" in the 2023-2024 academic year.
This is up from last year, when 20 private schools were rated "outstanding" and 39 "very good", but the process will change in 2024-2025 as schools will not have full inspections unless they are new and have completed their third year of operations.
This year, 209 schools with more than 360,000 pupils enrolled were inspected by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai’s private education regulator. Of these, 10 schools were inspected for the first time.
The continuous improvement by the schools indicates their commitment to offer high quality educational opportunities
Aisha Abdulla Miran,
director general of the KHDA
The KHDA published its annual inspection results on Friday and revealed that 81 per cent of pupils at the city’s private schools attended schools rated "good" or higher, up from 77 per cent last year.
Three schools in Dubai were added to the list of those recognised as "outstanding" by the emirate's education authority.
Safa Community School, Dubai British School Jumeirah Park and Lycee Francais International are the latest to be named among Dubai's most highly ranked schools.
Aisha Abdulla Miran, director general of the KHDA, said: “The continuous improvement by the schools indicates their commitment to offer high quality educational opportunities for students.
“Our schools are among the world’s highest performing, according to international assessments, ranking sixth for literacy in Pirls (The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), top 10 globally for maths, and top 14 for science and reading in Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment) assessments.
“These results reaffirm Dubai’s competitiveness as a world-class destination for education."
Gems Founders School in Al Barsha and Swiss International Scientific School are among the schools that improved from a rating of "good" last year to "very good" this year.
Of the schools inspected, 85 were rated "good" and 51 "acceptable", while two were rated "weak" and no schools were rated as "very weak".
Overall ratings improved for 26 schools, while three schools declined.
Rebecca Coulter, principal at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park, previously told The National that her team had worked hard to improve their KHDA ratings over the years to reach an outstanding grade.
"We did a huge amount of work on the quality of teaching and learning, particularly looking at student progress and lessons and the quality of lesson planning," Ms Coulter said.
"I suppose it is a reflection of the hard work that's been put in from our senior leaders and our teachers to ensure that the quality of teaching is excellent.
"Our GCSE and A-Level results and our external assessment results are consistently outstanding."
Wellbeing provision was a strong focus, with 83 per cent of schools rated "good" or higher in this category.
No inspections in next academic year
Private schools in Dubai will not have full inspections during the 2024-2025 academic year, with the exception of new schools that will complete their third year of operation during the next academic year.
The Dubai Schools Inspections Bureau's team will conduct quality assurance visits that target focus areas to monitor schools’ progress on improvement plans during the next academic year.
Schools that wish to undergo a full inspection may submit a request to the inspection team, which will be subject to review and approval upon the KHDA’s discretion.
Year-on-year improvement in education standards
The KHDA's inspections report found that 75 per cent of schools were rated good or better, an improvement from 72 per cent last year and a huge improvement from 35 per cent in 2008-09.
The report also revealed that there has been an increase in the percentage of schools rated "outstanding" and "very good". This percentage had increased from 20 per cent in the 2015-2016 academic year to 34 per cent in the 2023-2024 academic year.
Tuition fees may go up
Some private schools in Dubai will be allowed to increase tuition fees by up to 5.2 per cent in the 2024-2025 academic year, the emirate's private education regulator said.
- Schools that maintained their inspection ratings will be eligible to raise tuition fees by up to 2.6 per cent.
- Schools that dropped in the annual inspection ratings will not be eligible to apply for any fee increase.
- Schools that improved their rating from “weak” to “acceptable” and from “acceptable” to “good” can increase fees by up to 5.2 per cent.
- Schools that moved from “good” to "very good” can increase fees by a maximum of 4.55 per cent.
- Schools that improved from “very good” to “outstanding” can apply for a 3.9 per cent rise.
The increases have been calculated based on an Education Cost Index, issued by the KHDA.
Dubai's best private schools - in pictures
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
LIGUE 1 FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Nice v Angers (9pm)
Lille v Monaco (10.45pm)
Saturday
Montpellier v Paris Saint-Germain (7pm)
Bordeaux v Guingamp (10pm)
Caen v Amiens (10pm)
Lyon v Dijon (10pm)
Metz v Troyes (10pm)
Sunday
Saint-Etienne v Rennes (5pm)
Strasbourg v Nantes (7pm)
Marseille v Toulouse (11pm)
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
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New Zealand 57-0 South Africa
Tries: Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder (2), Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Ofa Tu'ungfasi, Lima Sopoaga, Codie Taylor. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (7). Penalty: Beauden Barrett
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
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Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 571hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,000-4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km
Price, base: from Dh571,000
On sale: this week
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
THE%20SWIMMERS
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What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
