Dubai schools

[basildonbond]

does anyone know anything about schools in Dubai?

if we go (and it's a big if on my part!) we would need places from Sept 2011 for ds1 who'd be going into Y10, ds2 who'd be going into y7 and dd who'd be going into y4

all three v bright, ds1 and dd v sporty, ds2 not so much but likes cricket and is v shy

any recommendations/places to avoid?

thanks

[YunoYurbubson]

There are lots of very good schools here, but they are all oversubscribed so you need to get them on the waiting lists.

Some will ask you to pay for going on the waiting list and some won't.

The school you choose will be influenced by where in Dubai you live. And where you live will be heavily influenced by where your husband works. The traffic is getting much better out here, but no one wants to be stuck in Dubai commuting traffic twice a day.

Sports is not a given out here - many schools are not very interested. There are clubs your children can join though.

There are various curriculums followed. British / American / IB and many more.

Google Dubai schools and you will find plenty to look at.

If you can persuade them to put you on the waiting list, The Dubai British School is a very popular school. It is not the one I chose for my daughter though.

Look on Expatwoman.com forum for more Dubai advice. Good luck.

[ILoveGregoryHouse]

Hi, I have looked into Dubai schools in case we end up moving from elsewhere in the middle east.

I'd choose the JESS schools as I would want to live at Arabian Ranches. I'm not sure if they go up to 16/18 though.

Expatwoman is a very good site but lots of differing opinions so you might end up .

Good luck.

[ILoveGregoryHouse]

Oh, and they are all horribly oversubscribed so you should choose two or three and see which comes up first, although that'll be pricey with the deposit you'd pay just to get on the waiting list. It might be v v difficult getting all three into the same school and the same time.

What are your reservations about moving? I've found it a great experience and really good for my boys.

[Wordsonascreen]

Ours start JPS induction on Thursday.
Am looking into cricket clubs at the end of the week (e sports has been mentioned a few times and they do private tutition in Abu Dhabi)

You really need to come out here and view the schools tbh (they do charge .. well all the ones we looked at !) to go on the waiting lists (and thats non refundable so choose with care) Lots of recommendations for Kings (but tbh we found it very rigid and it wasn't for us)

[mumoverseas]

My friend moved out to Dubai 4 years ago and lives on Arabian ranches and her DC aged 15 and 12 go to JESS which she is very pleased with. I have heard there are problems with waiting lists so as others have said, best to register them asap.

[basildonbond]

Thanks all - will look into those

ILove my reservations are many dh has already been out there for 3 years, but it started off as a 6 month contract, then gradually crept up and up and only this year did it morph into a permanent job

up until now, it's not been too bad as he was doing 3 weeks in Abu Dhabi and 1 week back but his latest role is completely based in AD and he's only getting back every 6 weeks or so, which is a looooong time

He's suggested we all move out there

pluses are we'd all be together, I'd be able to find work in my old field more easily (acc to dh) and we wouldn't be spending stupid money on his appartment plus our mortgage in London

minuses are the dc don't want to move at all - ds1 is 13 and very, very happy and settled at an outstanding school, ds2 has mild asperger's and is settled at the moment with a very good group of friends who'll all be going to the local secondary with him (if we're here), and dd is just about to start a new school in y3, I've got lots of friends here, my sister and her kids live round the corner and my dad is 84 and not very well

my career went down the toilet after having kids and moving to America (for dh's job) for a year and I'm now working part-time in an unrelated field (although I'm very good at what I do - she says modestly - I just can't do enough hours to make it pay as most work tends to be evenings/weekends which I can't do with dh away)

however, dh says that if he comes back, he'd have to take a pay cut from what he's getting now, and we can't cover all our outgoings unless I'm working properly too - so at the moment my choices appear to be get a well-paid job (a big ask considering I've been out of full-time work for 10 years and in the current economic climate) or move to Abu Dhabi/Dubai

Dubai has been thrown into the mix as lots of his colleagues live there, but work in AD and accomodation is much cheaper

I genuinely don't know what to do - what course of action would be best - and I'm giving myself a monumental headache with everything going round and round in circles

sorry vent over ...

[Wordsonascreen]

hmmm I thought accomadation in AD is much more expensive (dh works in AD but we live in Dubai)but I'm a newbie (only moved here last week !)

I had the chasing tail routine as well (have younger children so I think thats a LOT easier TBH)Once they heard they could be in the swimming pool every day, with horseriding lessons and golf lessons at the Montgomerie they couldn't wait to come over (yes I admit to old fashioned bribery!)

Reason we ultimately moved was that dh suggested the 3 weeks dubai one week "home" and it would have ended (for us) in a very speedy divorce! Hes been working in the ME for about 4 years off and on.

Check with schools on SN provision they can be very choosy on school reports (ds is a very average student and one school was asking for extra tests (!)t check his ability (that soooo didn't happen)

[Wordsonascreen]

If I get any info on cricket clubs I'll let you know !

[basildonbond]

sorry words didn't make myself clear - yes, of course accomodation in AD is much more expensive, which is why the option of living in Dubai but dh working in AD has been raised

at the moment dh is paying more than twice the cost of our mortgage on our lovely 5-bed house in London for an OK but nothing special 2-bed flat in AD

if the dc were younger there'd be much less to think about - and even if it were just the younger two, but ds1 would be going into y10, just about to start GCSEs, and would need to hit the ground running at the same time as dealing with not being with his friends etc

how's your dh finding the commute?

[Wordsonascreen]

hes cheating at the moment and working in the dubai office (a 15 min drive)

that said where we'll be living (hopefully from next week) its an hour door to door ..in England it was an hour and a half commute and he's used to it so its no problem.

I still can't get used to the traffic though..theres no way I'm driving over here !

[ooeygooey]

@basildonbond
For your older children is boarding school an option? Quite a few families here board their children in England for a variety of reasons. It might be something worth looking into.

What field of work are you looking to get back into when you get here?

[IdontknowwhyIcare]

Not a chance on gods earth of getting a place for your kids at JESS Ranches, sadly (although not my prefered school). Kings is Junior only. If you are looking for Uk National curriculum you dont have many options.
Wellington International on Sheik Zayed Road offer MYP and IB, no GCSEs or A levels, likewise its new school which does have places but opens in September 2011 and is in Silcon Oasis (not helpful for travelling daily to AD).
JPS (infants and Juniors) followed by JC offer a good solid education with an excellent SfL system.
English College staight through from R to A levels is a good low profile school.
Dubai College is senior only and the only truely selective school although it is widly over subscribed (about 6/1)and you will have missed the tests for places for Sept 11.
Another good school is DESS/DESC but the wrong end of town for AD.
DBS is ok
Ignore DIA and Emirates Int (too many problems to list here).
Then comes Repton, not really relatred to the UK Repton as they would have you beelive, also too far for AD and they offer IGCSE's and have yet to have their first graduating class for IB (due this summer).
Hope that helps. Def check out ExpatWoman forum.

[Medea1]

Also, depending on whether your son requires support for any special need, there will be limited support in most schools. Jumeriah Primary/Jumeirah College have the strongest SEN dept I'd say (I am a teacher and have taught out there but not at those schools).

Be wary of some comments on "Expatwoman"