Al Rabeeh Academy, MBZ City

• ARA location
• Years offered
• ARA curriculum
• ADEK rating
• How to apply?
• Fee structure
• ARA transportation
• PTA and contact information

Al Rabeeh Academy (ARA) is a British curriculum school in Mohammed Bin Zayed City, Abu Dhabi. Established in 2017, ARA has classes from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 13.

The school delivers the English National Curriculum incorporated with subjects mandated by the UAE’s Ministry of Education. Classes are conducted in a co-educational setup from Foundation Stage till Year 3. From Year 4, boys and girls are segregated into different classrooms.

Al Rabeeh Academy is a member of British Schools in the Middle East (BSME). The school houses various state-of-the-art facilities and puts vast resources at the disposal of its students. ARA also has a sister school named Al Rabeeh School located in Muroor for Foundation Stage to Year 7.

Read this comprehensive guide by Bayut to learn more about the syllabus, tuition fee, admission details, campus facilities of Al Rabeeh Academy.

Al Rabeeh Academy is in Mohammed Bin Zayed City. Some family-friendly communities surrounding the school are:

• Al Maqtaa
• Mussafah
• Baniyas East

MBZ City is a popular residential community in Abu Dhabi featuring affordable housing options. Al Maqtaa, previously known as Bain Al Jessrain, is the nearest neighbourhood to MBZ City. It is a family-friendly area with villas on rent and sale. Parents looking to move closer to the school can consider:

• Apartments for rent near Al Rabeeh Academy
• Villas for rent near Al Rabeeh Academy
• Villas for sale near Al Rabeeh Academy

The school operates on a purpose-built campus in MBZ City. Students benefit from the state-of-the-art facilities on campus, such as:

Al Rabeeh Academy is near Community Centre Shopping Mall in Zone 23 of Mohammed Bin Zayed City. The front of the school building faces Al Tadali Street and is a 4-minute walk from Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Special Education.

Al Rabeeh Academy is an all-through British curriculum school. ARA delivers the EYFS curriculum and the National Curriculum for England from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 13. Al Rabeeh Academy was rated Good by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) for its overall effectiveness.

An extension of Al Rabeeh School located in Muroor, Al Rabeeh Academy provides its students with the facilities and resources required for the best possible education. Students have access to state-of-the-art facilities such as well-stocked libraries, science laboratories, swimming pools and more.

The curriculum incorporates MOE subjects as well as an extensive extracurricular programme. Students can build their academic portfolio while participating in activities of their liking, such as sports, arts, drama and more. The school aims well-rounded development of students through these activities.

ADEK has issued a revised set of guidelines and protocols for the safe reopening of schools for the academic year 2021-2022. Most COVID-19 protocols remain the same; however, some changes are made to facilitate the learning process. The revised protocols are as follows:

• At the start of the academic year, ADEK offered flexible learning modes to students. However, from January 2022, all schools in the UAE are discontinuing distance learning.
• All students, faculty members and administrative staff, irrespective of their age or vaccination status, have to produce a negative nasal PCR or Saliva test 14 days before returning to school. The same applies to third-party contractors.
• ADEK has issued new vaccination guidelines for the academic year 2021-2022. Students aged 3 to 15 years old do not need to get vaccinated to physically return to schools. However, students above 16 years of age need to get two doses of vaccine and must complete 28 days of the second dose before returning to schools. Vaccination certificates must be verified on the Al Hosn App.
• Parents can now pick up and drop off their children from the classroom if the school allows. However, schools should ensure that parents do not have access to other facilities on campus.
• Moreover, ADEK has reduced the minimum physical distance from 1.5 metres to 1 metre. However, schools should continue to take precautions by maintaining a safe distance. Staff members and students above six years old should wear a mask at all times.
• Schools are now allowed to conduct swimming and sports lessons, holiday camps, extracurricular activities, after-school clubs and catering services under strict health and safety measures. Schools must clean and sanitise the changing and sports areas after each group of children.
• Students are asked to enter the specific gates wearing facemasks. The school has to check their temperatures at the entry points. Students with body temperatures over 37.5-degree centigrade are not allowed to enter. They will be sent home with their parents.

Al Rabeeh Academy imparts education from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 12. According to the British curriculum, classes are divided into the following sections:

Al Rabeeh Academy delivers the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum from FS1 and FS2 and the National Curriculum for England from Year 1 to Year 13. The syllabus incorporates UAE Social Studies, Islamic Studies and Arabic as directed by the Ministry of Education.

Primary Curriculum

EYFS Curriculum

For Foundation Stage 1 and Foundation Stage 2, the curriculum is play-based and encourages curiosity and enthusiasm in children.

Students participate in indoor and outdoor learning activities such as sand, water, construction, role-play, creative and investigative play. These activities are designed to stimulate students’ well-rounded development. The school also employs specialist teachers for Arabic, Islamic Studies and Swimming lessons.

Key Stage 1 Curriculum

 For Year 1 and 2 students, the curriculum is based on the foundation laid during EYFS emphasising phonics, literacy and numeracy skills. Students develop their social, emotional and language skills. Specialist teachers teach the following subjects:

Key Stage 2 Curriculum

From Year 3 to Year 6, students experience a broad curriculum in a stimulating learning environment. In addition to the core subjects, specialist subjects taught at this level include:

Secondary Curriculum

Key Stage 3 Curriculum

The curriculum offered from Year 7 to Year 9 includes a combination of core and specialist subjects. Core subjects include:

The school also offers classes in:

Key Stage 4 Curriculum

The core subjects for students in the KS4 are:

They can also choose from an extensive list of optional subjects curated by the school. This awards students with the Shahadat Al-Thanawiya Al-Amma – the secondary equivalency certificate.

The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) discontinues distance learning for all schools across the UAE from January 2022.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is a government entity responsible for licensing all private education institutes. It monitors schools’ commitment to providing high-quality service as per regulations. Through the Irtiqaa Programme, ADEK carries out periodic evaluations of all schools. These evaluations are based on the six criteria as listed below:

• Quality of students’ achievement
• Quality of personal and social development as well as innovation skills of the students
• Quality of teaching and assessment
• Quality of curriculum
• Quality of student safety and wellbeing, as well as the guidance and support provided to them
• Quality of school leadership and management

ADEK uses a scale comprising of six quality levels, as shown below:

Al Rabeeh Academy was rated Good by ADEK for the academic year 2018-2019. The report highlights the following key areas of strength as exhibited by the school:

• Students’ progress in most subjects from their low starting points, particularly in the Arabic medium subjects and in FS
• Students’ positive attitudes to learning, their behaviour and understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture
• Teachers’ well-imparted subject knowledge and understanding of how students think and learn
• Identification of students with special educational needs (SEN) and those who are gifted and talented
• Leaders’ success in establishing a new school and promoting a clear vision and direction

However, the school could improve by:

• Raising students’ attainment in all subjects, particularly in English
• Improving teaching and learning
• Developing leadership and management

The academic year of Al Rabeeh Academy Starts in August and ends in July. The school year is split into three terms.

• The first term starts in the last week of August and ends in the second week of December. It is followed by winter break that ends in the last week of December.
• The second term starts in the first week of January and ends in the fourth week of March. Students then go on a spring break that ends in the first week of April.
• The third term starts in the second week of April and ends in the first week of July.

The school may remain close on some religious, national and international events. The exact dates of these events are subjected to moon sightings and government’s announcements. For more information, check out the academic calendar of Al Rabeeh Academy.

Parents can book a school tour to ensure that the school is the right fit for their child.

To enrol students at Al Rabeeh Academy, submit the online application form found under the website’s admissions section. The school will establish contact to communicate further regarding the admission process.

Parents must ensure that their child meets the age guidelines stipulated below for entry to each grade level before enrolment. Applicants for Foundation Stage 1 to Year 2 are placed into year groups based on their age.

This is based on the age of the students on 31st August (for schools beginning in September). Source: Al Rabeeh Academy

For more information, contact the Admissions Team at +971-2-679-5991 or email admissions@alrabeehacademy.ae.

Al Rabeeh Academy fees are paid in three instalments over the course of the academic year. The fee structure for each grade level are as follows:

The first instalment is due on August 1, the second instalment on December 1 and the third instalment on March 1.

Balanced diets are part of the physical education programme of the school. ARA expects students to bring healthy and nutritious packed lunches from home. To encourage this, students who bring healthy lunches from home are awarded healthy lunch box certificates.

ARA has contracted Emirates Transport Service to provide students with a safe and reliable transportation service. It is a renowned transport provider in the UAE. All buses have CCTV cameras for security reasons.

Students using the transportation facility have to pay the following bus fees:

• First instalment: AED 1,800
• Second instalment: AED 1,600
• Third instalment: AED 1,600
• Total bus fees: AED 5,000

For more information, email bus@alrabeehacademy.ae or visit www.stss.ae.

ARA encourages students to lead a healthy lifestyle. Students participate in sports activities, fixtures, inter-house and inter-school competitions. The school also works with external providers such as Gulf Multisport. Some sports facilities available on campus are:

• Shaded outdoor playgrounds
• EYFS play area
• Outdoor basketball court
• Indoor sports hall
• Swimming pool

The indoor multipurpose sports hall doubles as a court for basketball, volleyball, netball and badminton.

Students can choose from various extracurricular activities and clubs to pursue their interests and develop their skills. Some activities include:

•  Students can participate in various sports activities to improve their physical development. These include football, basketball, netball, volleyball and swimming.
• Students interested in performative arts can participate in photography, dance, arts & crafts and drama. 
• ARA offers various STEM learning clubs where students can learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Al Rabeeh Academy is also an accredited provider of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award.

Educational excursions are an essential part of the curriculum at Al Rabeeh. The school organises at least one field trip every year for each group. Students visited The Louvre, Abu Dhabi and took a trip to Dibba for a weekend of fun and activities.

ARA has a healthcare facility on the premises. The clinic is run by the school nurse who adheres to the medical care instructions stipulated by the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD).

Parents must provide the medical history of their children to the school nurse. Medicine and vaccinations will be administered if prescribed by a doctor and require parents’ consent.

Al Rabeeh Academy encourages active parental involvement and uses various online and on-site tools, including Class Dojo.

The school also conducts meetings, arranges events and uses other mediums for effective communication. The official website and social media platforms are extensively used for this purpose.

• Telephone: +971-2-679-5991
• Email Address: reception@alrabeehacademy.ae
• Al Rabeeh Academy Abu Dhabi Website
• Al Rabeeh Academy Abu Dhabi Instagram
• Al Rabeeh Academy Abu Dhabi Facebook
• Al Rabeeh Academy YouTube
• Al Rabeeh Academy LinkedIn

Note that the cover image belongs to Al Rabeeh Academy