6 Things To Consider When Selecting A Primary School In Dubai!

Don’t pick a primary school for your child in Dubai without considering these 6 important factors

Your personal needs

First and foremost, you’ll need to take into consideration yours and your child’s personal needs. This includes everything from the standards of education required to the location of the school and arrangement of transportation. 

For example, if classes start at 8:00 AM and you have to be at work by 8:30 AM, an academic institution which is halfway across the city and out of route might not be suitable, even if it’s one of the best around. 

Similarly, the local neighborhood school will be extremely appealing to parents that don’t want to arrange external transportation for their child, such as a bus.

There are other factors you’ll need to think about too, such as:

• The presence of a daycare in case the child needs to be dropped early or picked up late

• A dedicated canteen which serves food for kids of all ages

• A play area for kindergartners

• World-class facilities available on-campus

• The tuition fee

Curriculum

In case you’re not aware of the education system in the UAE, there are over 190+ private institutions in Dubai that teach the curricula from a wide variety of countries. Some of the more popular ones include:

• British

• American

• Global – International Baccalaureate (IB)

• Indian

• Pakistani

• German

• Japanese

• Russian

• French

• Philippine

• Australian

Amongst these, British primary schools in Dubai are by far the most well-represented and well-reputed, accounting for over 40% of all institutions and with the highest number of schools rated ‘excellent’ by the KHDA (Knowledge and Human Development Authority). 

The choice of curriculum here is essential because it effectively determines the standard of education your child receives, the type of exams he/she gives in later stages, and the kind of universities he/she will be eligible to apply at for higher education. 

The decision is a fairly simple one for families that eventually wish to move to one of the countries mentioned in the list above. For those that don’t, we recommend conducting thorough research into each of the curriculums before any decisions are made.

The student-teacher ratio

While visiting your shortlisted schools, make sure you ask them about the student-teacher ratio they maintain in their classes.
Ideally, the number of students per teacher should be no higher than 22. This is because the student-teacher ratio determines what how much personal attention is given to each child. If there are too many students for one teacher to handle, there’s always a chance that one or two students will get neglected.
It’s also recommended that you tour the classrooms while you’re at the school. Check out all the facilities available, and try observing a class in session. This will give you a fairly good idea of how personally the teacher interacts with the students, and the standard of education the school provides.

How much homework do students receive?

Kindergartners naturally don’t get any homework, so ask about the older students.

The idea behind giving a student work to do at home is to make sure that they’re staying productive in their free time, but it should never come to a point where it becomes overburdening. 

According to global education experts, the ideal combination is to give (10*current grade) minutes of work per night in addition to general reading (such as a novel).

Also ask if work is given over the summer/winter holidays, on the weekends, or in longer breaks.

After-school activities

The best American and British primary schools in Dubai conduct regular after-school activities to help their students become more well-rounded individuals, with regular courses catering to all kinds of hobbies, such as sports, drama, art, music, chess, etc.

If your child has a talent or a hobby they would like to pursue, make sure the school has the required facilities available. Some institutions also offer pick up/drop services for events such as sports matches, galas, student drama activities, art exhibitions, and more.

Teaching standards

Finally, you should inquire about the school’s hiring policy. Some of the major questions you’ll need to concentrate on are:

• How are new teachers recruited?

• What international standards in place? How does the administrative staff ensure that these standards are being followed?

• Are there any regular training programs for all the academic staff?

• Do teachers contribute towards the curriculum?

• What is the annual staff turnover rate? Why were/did past employees fired/leave?

• What is the school’s policy on providing care for the teachers?

• How does the staff ensure they stick to the established curriculum

• What does the grading policy look like?

• Do extracurricular activities contribute towards the final grade?

• Are teachers willing and ready to provide support for students who have learning disabilities?

The answers to all of these questions will play a big part in your final decision. Once you’ve visited each school and gauged their responses, prepare an unbiased pros/cons list and start narrowing down your options.

This guide should help you select a school that provides high-quality education, cares for its students and teaching staff, and is right for you and your child.