There are already more than 200 private schools in Dubai – which makes one wonder what the five newest ones could possibly offer to make them stand out from the crowd.
Quite a lot, as it turns out. From planting hundreds of trees on the premises to making homework optional, the popularity of Dubai's five newest schools is rising, and some are still taking new pupils despite the academic year having already started.
Here, The National takes a look at the newest schools in Dubai.
Gems Metropole School Al Waha
The British curriculum school opened with more than 700 pupils in August and has a focus on sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint.
Jeremy Hallum, principal at the school, said he would have to open extra classes due to demand from the community. He hopes to have 850 pupils at the school by August 2024.
Places at the school cost between Dh36,000 to Dh45,000 this year.
In total, the capacity of the current facilities is 3,450 pupils, with a second phase of construction ultimately taking that number to 4,500.
“We have an enormous forest school area which has more than 170 trees so every child can go out of their classroom into the forest school and we have a trained forest schoolteacher,” said Mr Hallum.
“We offer the forest school curriculum and are a single-use plastic free school. There will be a composting section at the school in a few months.”
The UK curriculum school is also building a farm, which will have goats, ducks and chickens.
Glendale International School
Glendale International School, which offers the UK curriculum, focuses on learning through nature and pupils will be able to take classes in outdoor spaces at the school during the cooler months.
The school is home to 200 plant species.
“We are a very green campus and we want that atmosphere for children to learn outdoors and for children. There is a garden area and a petting zoo,” said Jasmit Kang, principal at Glendale International School in Oud Metha.
There are 130 pupils enrolled at the school from foundation stage one to year six, as only the primary school has opened this year.
Fees for 2023 range from Dh33,600 to Dh44,160.
Ms Kang said admissions are still open and that they are busy enrolling more pupils.
“On a weekly basis, we have new pupils enrolling and I think we will have a lot more children joining us for term two in January. We have children moving to the country,” she added.
The school is offering a discount of 20 per cent to families who join in the first year.
Ms Kang hopes the school will have about 300-350 pupils by August 2024.
Arcadia Global School
At Arcadia Global School in Al Furjan, homework is optional and children are encouraged to learn through a business mindset through the junior MBA programme offered by the school.
The school opened its doors this academic term and already has 900 pupils, with a capacity of 2,600 in the primary section. The school has a total capacity of 4,200 pupils.
Andrew Wilson, principal at the UK curriculum school, said the focus was on offering the highest quality education with the best facilities at the lowest possible price.
“If you walk through our doors, what you get is a state-of-the-art building that's super energy efficient. We have got all the technology you would expect from the highest possible premium schools but the fees wouldn’t be anywhere near what you'd expect to pay … we're a value school,” he said.
Fees at the school range from Dh22,455 to Dh27,559 this year.
The school is offering a 39 to 44 per cent discount on its fees in the first year and pupils who join will be eligible for a founding fee rate throughout their time at the school, with fees only going up each year by the education cost index announced by the emirate.
Dewvale School
The Indian CBSE curriculum school opened its doors in 2023 and has enrolled 757 pupils with hopes of growing this number to 850 by the next academic year.
Seema Umar, principal at the school in Al Quoz, said the school already had pupils on a waiting list.
“We are running at full capacity in many grades. We have closed admissions for all the grades except grade one and grade five, where we only have four seats available,” said Ms Umar.
“We've also offered a discount from 20 per cent to 36 per cent to all grades.”
The school believes in celebrating Indian heritage and offers languages including Malayalam, Hindi and Tamil.
It has a focus on literacy and improving children’s reading skills.
Dewvale had about 300 pupils when it opened in April. Fees are from Dh9,500 to Dh11,950.
Highgate International School
Highgate International School follows the Indian CBSE curriculum and is one of the least expensive new schools in the city.
The school in Arjan places an emphasis on holistic education and co-curricular activities are part of the curriculum.
Located in Al Barsha South, the school offers many after-school activities such as gymnastics, tennis, karate, cricket, swimming, basketball and football.
Prices start from Dh12,000 for kindergarten pupils.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
The specs
Price: From Dh529,000
Engine: 5-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 520hp
Torque: 625Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Company%20profile
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JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
Leap of Faith
Michael J Mazarr
Public Affairs
Dh67
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
Three stars
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Pakistan - Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Aamer Yamin, Rumman Raees.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
