Brighton College Abu Dhabi

• Brighton College Abu Dhabi location
• Years offered
• Brighton College Abu Dhabi curriculum
• ADEK rating
• How to apply?
• Fee structure
• Brighton College Abu Dhabi transportation
• PTA and contact information

Founded in 2011, Brighton College Abu Dhabi is an all-through school that imparts education from Nursery to Year 13. Located in Bloom Gardens, Brighton College is home to state-of-the-art facilities, intelligent students and experienced teachers.

The College delivers the British Curriculum to its students and aims to become the best British Curriculum school in the Middle East. Brighton College Abu Dhabi is considered to be one of the best schools in Abu Dhabi.

Brighton Abu Dhabi draws from the experience of its parent school Brighton College UK as well as its sister schools in Al Ain, Bangkok, Singapore and Dubai.

The school consists of Pre-Prep school, Prep school and Senior school, all of which exist on the same campus in Blooms Garden, adjacent to Khalifa Park.

Students of Brighton College go on to secure admission in leading UK universities such as the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

Brighton College Abu Dhabi is located in Bloom Gardens, Al Muntazah.

• Capital Centre
• Hills, Abu Dhabi
• Al Mushrif

The school is conveniently located on Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street which offers easy access to residential and commercial districts in Abu Dhabi. Bloom Gardens is home to luxurious villas and townhouse complexes. Parents looking to move closer to the school can consider the following options:

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The school is located on a purpose-built eight-acre campus in the Blooms Garden community.

Brighton College School Abu Dhabi houses 116 classrooms facilitated with special learning and teaching equipment. Indoor and outdoor playgrounds complement the classroom learning offered at the school. Additionally, Brighton College offers a range of sports facilities such as a 25-metre shaded swimming pool, a toddlers pool, a fitness suite, a long-jump pit as well as a 4G Astro-pitch. The school’s Expressive and Creative Arts wing offers:

• A 600-seat theatre
• Dance Studio
• Drama Studio
• 4 Music Classrooms
• 12 Musical-Instruments Practice rooms
• Recording Studio
• 2 Art Studios
• Photography Dark Room
• Design Centre

Students have their lunch at the main Dining Room, which can seat over 280 people. The school also has a bistro dining room that offers a healthy, child-friendly menu. Older students can purchase salads, sandwiches and drinks from the other two cafes present at the school.

Brighton College Abu Dhabi is located in Blooms Garden, which is part of the larger Al Muntazah community of Abu Dhabi.

Brighton College Abu Dhabi strives to attain the standards of education set by its parent school located in the UK. This co-educational all-through school has delivered the British Curriculum since its inception in 2011.

The Brighton College family of schools share the same values across all the campus. These values are based on curiosity, confidence and kindness and are fostered through:

• Academic Excellence
• Importance of the Individual
• Innovation in the classroom
• Making a Difference
• Kindness
• Debate

The school appoints highly qualified teachers and cultivates an environment of support and inspiration so as to ensure students experience a balanced life at school. As a result, Brighton College Abu Dhabi is considered to be one of the leading British curriculum schools in the Middle East.

The school has an excellent pastoral care programme in place. Students can choose from a plethora of extracurricular activities to complement their academia. Each and every student is encouraged to follow their passion and develop their talent in the supportive environment provided by the school.

ADEK has worked extensively with schools, parents councils, staff members and policymakers to design effective safety measures to implement once schools reopen for the 2021 – 2022 academic session. Here’s a summary of SOPs to give you a better understanding.

• Those entering the school premises must wear a face mask. KG students are exempted. Students and staff who cannot wear masks due to medical conditions must provide a supportive medical certificate.
• Daily temperature and symptoms screening is recommended before leaving the house. Individuals who exhibit symptoms or feel unwell must stay at home. They must see a doctor for assessment and possible COVID-19 testing if required.
• Individuals aged 16 and above who have completed 28 days following the second dose with a UAE-approved vaccine are authorised to enter the school premises upon presenting their vaccination status on the ALHOSN app.
• Children below 16 are authorised to enter the school premises without vaccination.
• The school shall implement physical distancing of 1 to 2 metres between all individuals.
• Schools may follow three operating models: A full school day, attending on a rotational basis or blended learning model.
• Schools are authorised to reopen all athletic facilities for use during physical education (PE), extracurricular activities, and for private use by staff outside of regular school hours.
• Schools shall reinstate PE (including swimming) classes and all sports activities, provided they are implemented with the relevant risk mitigation controls in place.
• Whether organised by the school or by an external provider, extracurricular activities shall be permitted for students enrolled in the school only.
• Events within the school consisting of large assemblies mixing different student groups are not permitted.
• School trips, holiday camps and inter-school events shall be resumed.
• Cooking on the school premises is authorised and schools are recommended to reopen canteens if they were previously closed. However, food must be served by a designated staff member to avoid sharing serving utensils.
• Prayer rooms may be reopened.
• Schools are recommended to reopen libraries if they were previously closed.
• Bus capacity has been increased from 50% to between 59% and 66%.

Brighton College Abu Dhabi imparts education from Pre-Preparatory Stage to Year 13. The classes are divided into the following groups:

Brighton College offers the Brighton College Curriculum based on the National Curriculum of England and Wales. This curriculum prepares students for the International GCSE and A-level examinations. The curriculum is rich with both scholastic and co-scholastic opportunities.

Brighton College Abu Dhabi delivers the Brighton College Curriculum, which is based on the National Curriculum of England and Wales, leading to the award of International GCSE and A-level. The school provides a deep, broad and balanced curriculum that consistently offers rich, varied and highly engaging lessons and extra-curricular opportunities to allow all children to develop their skills and abilities to their full potential.

Pre-Prep School Curriculum

Nursery and Foundation Stage Two follows the UK Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. The curriculum is play-based and encourages children to be creative, confident and curious.

Students then move on to Key Stage One which comprises of Year One and Year Two. The National Curriculum for England is adapted at this level.

Prep School Curriculum

For Year 3 to Year 6 students, the curriculum builds on the foundation laid at the Pre-Prep level. Prep School follows the British Curriculum and emphasises on English and Mathematics subjects. Physical Education, Computing, Music and Foreign Languages such as French, Mandarin and Arabic are explored by specialist teachers.

Sports, Music, Art, Drama and various extracurricular activities complement the academic subjects.

Senior School Curriculum

Senior School is further divided into Lower Senior School and Upper Senior School. Lower Senior School comprises of Year 7 to Year 9. The subjects include:

Students have to learn two foreign languages and can choose between French, Spanish, Mandarin and German.

Upper Senior School consists of Years 10 and 11. Students study a GCSE programme that includes English Language, English Literature, Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Optional additional subjects include Photography and Business Studies.

Sixth Form Curriculum

The Sixth Form comprises of Years 12 and 13. Students focus on their A-level examinations at this grade level. Lower Sixth Form students choose to learn four subjects out of twenty-four options. They can narrow it down to three subjects or continue with four until A-levels.

The Ministry of Education has authorised schools to offer face-to-face learning without a distance-learning option. However, schools shall continue to provide distance learning to students exempt from physical attendance, those who opt for distance learning or have high-risk medical conditions and/or who are 16 years of age and not vaccinated.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is a government entity that is responsible for licensing all private education institutes and monitoring their commitment to providing high-quality service in accordance with regulations. Through the Irtiqaa Programme, ADEK carries out periodic evaluations of all schools and are based on six basic 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.

Brighton College Abu Dhabi was rated ‘Outstanding’ during the inspection held by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) for the academic year 2018-2019. The school received this rating across all six performance standards.

Academic year at Brighton College is split into three terms and takes place as follows:

• Autumn Term commences in the last week of August and concludes in the second week of December, followed by a 3-week winter vacation. 
• The second term starts in the first week of January and ends in the last week of March, followed by a 2-week spring break.
• The third term begins in the second week of April and ends in the first week of July, followed by a 2-month summer holiday.

To learn more about the holidays and mid-term breaks, view the Brighton College Abu Dhabi Term Dates

The admission process at Brighton School Abu Dhabi is academically rigorous and selective. Pupils applying to Pre-Prep School are required to complete a playdate, students applying to Prep and Senior School have to complete a formal assessment and students applying to Sixth Form are required to complete a formal interview.

How to apply to Brighton College:

• Parents have to complete an online application for their ward. 
• The supporting documents for the application can either be mailed to admissions@brightoncollege.ae or submitted to the school in person.
• The school carries out on-campus admissions as well as online admissions for overseas applications. Upon reviewing the application and submitted documents, the Admissions Team will initiate contact to relay the admissions process. 
• Overseas applicants have to submit their current school’s contact information to carry out the online assessment. 
• Once the assessment is completed, the admissions team will relay the decision within 5-7 working days. If the child successfully secures admission, parents should submit further documentation.
• When the child accepts the offer, parents must remit 5% of the total tuition fee toward the registration fee. This can be paid directly to the college by cash or cheque. Bank transfer is also acceptable, provided that the parents email a copy of the transfer slip to finance@brightoncollege.ae and admissions@brightoncollege.ae

Supporting documents required for application to the school:

• Pupil’s passport copy
• Pupil’s UAE residence visa and Emirates ID copies (if already based in the UAE)
• Last academic years’ school reports
• Medical, Education Psychologist Report, IEPs (where applicable)

UAE residence visas and Emirates IDs can be supplied at a later stage if the family is yet to relocate to Abu Dhabi.

Documentation required on successful admission to the school:

• 1 x student passport size photograph on white background
• Birth Certificate and Immunization records
• Parent’s passports, UAE Residence Visa, Emirates ID
• Family book (UAE Nationals only)
• Prior to the first day of attendance pupils must submit a Transfer Certificate (TC) and their final school report, signed and stamped by a school official (for Year 2 and above)

For any clarification regarding the admissions process, contact the Admissions Team at +971 (0) 2 815 6504 or email admissions@brightoncollege.ae

Parents have to ensure that students meet the age requirements prior to applying for admissions.

This is based on the age of the students on 31st March (for schools beginning in April) and 31st August (for schools beginning in September). Source: ADEK

* This is to cater to students transferring from systems that admit students of a younger age)

Annual tuition fee for each year group at Brighton College Abu Dhabi for the current academic year is as follows:

Fees are paid either in three instalments over the course of three terms or annually. For the detailed breakdown, view Brighton College Abu Dhabi fees structure.

• For new pupils, a registration fee totalling 5% of the annual tuition fees will be charged if you accept a place in the College. This sum is refunded against the tuition fees.
• For current pupils, a re-registration fee totalling 5% of the annual tuition fees will be charged in May to secure your child’s place for the following year. This is refunded against the tuition fees.
• The school does not charge for textbooks. 
• Uniform and sports kits can be purchased through the school’s endorsed school uniform supplier, Zaks located at Al Wahda Mall.
• If a pupil requires additional learning support above and beyond that provided by our current SEN/EAL support teams then additional charges may be made subject to ADEK regulations and approvals.

Brighton College has contracted Food Nation to provide nutritious and balanced meals for the students. Food is prepared fresh with no artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners, texture-altering chemicals, additives, trans-fats, GMO or preservatives. Senior students can also purchase drinks, snacks, sandwiches or salads from Majlis or Cafe 6 that are located on the premises.

The menu changes on a two-week cycle and rotates daily. Meals can be purchased through the students’ ID card. Food Nation has its own online payment platform and mobile app through which parents can top up their child’s account. Parents can also set a daily spending allowance and auto-reminders, and also check their child’s food choices. Students can eat from the Main Dining Room that can accommodate over 280 people. The school also has a bistro dining room that serves a child-friendly healthy menu to the younger students.

Brighton College has hired Emirates Transport (ET) to provide safe and efficient transportation for the students. Each bus is led by a qualified driver and a bus attendant who ensures the bus remains well-maintained. Buses are equipped with seatbelts, GPS and Video Surveillance Systems, a panic button and RFID technology so as to monitor every student’s journey.

Routes covered are:

Transportation charges for each term are as follows:

Transportation charges should be paid before the beginning of each term. Failure to pay the fees by the 5th of every month will result in the service being suspended. Payment can be made through cash or cheque at the cashier’s office. For more information, visit the school’s website or email bussupervisor@brightoncollege.ae.

The school regularly organises fun-filled camps and trips for students during the holidays. Year 13 students enjoyed an action-packed trip to Ras Al Khaima where they disconnected from the internet and the outside world and instead focused on connecting with nature and each other. Students also participated in a beach clean up, visited the RAK Recycling centre and took care of stray animals at the RAK Animal Welfare Centre.

Brighton Abu Dhabi students have the pleasure of signing up for international trips hosted by the school. Recipients of the Gold International Awards embarked on a 14-day expedition to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam where they took part in exciting adventures and challenges. Students visited Italy where they explored Rome and Sorento. Senior School students also visited Brighton College UK in England where they explored the roots of the Brighton family.

Physical Education is an integral part of the curriculum followed at Brighton College. Students benefit from the state-of-the-art facilities as well as the school’s tie-up with Zayed Sports City. Students take part in the following sporting activities:

Sports facilities available on-campus that students can make use of are as follows:

• 25-metre shaded swimming pool
• Toddlers pool
• Fitness suite
• Long-jump pit
• 4G Astro Pitch

Brighton College offers a wide range of co-curricular activities that students can participate in. These activities include dozens of clubs and societies as well as events and competitions. Students are assigned to ‘Houses’. The Houses are as follows:

Students represent their houses for different inter-house competitions held at the school such as swimming, singing, Tug-o-War and more. Each year group has a House tutor that monitors the students’ pastoral progress.

Brighton Abu Dhabi was voted ‘The Best School for Art in the UAE’, which is a testament to the school’s visual arts department. This department covers Art, Design and Photography and conducts various workshops and exhibitions.

Music is another important facet of the education offered at the school. The Music Department curates an appreciation of all forms of music ranging from classical to contemporary, to pop and jazz. Students can also take lessons in:

The school works toward providing an educational experience that transcends beyond normal classroom learning. To this benefit, the school organises various trips and activities within Abu Dhabi as well as International Trips to locations such as New York, Malaysia, Switzerland and Germany.

Students participate in various extracurricular activities held at the school. These activities and competitions sometimes go beyond regular school hours and require students to stay back after school.

Brighton College has a medical clinic on campus manned by fully trained medical staff. For any health-related queries, email schoolnurse@brightoncollege.ae

Brighton Abu Dhabi encourages active parental engagement and involvement. The school has a vibrant parent community that stays up to date on the happenings of the College. Parents can access any news regarding events happening at the school on the school’s news platform.

• Telephone: +971-2-815-6500
• Admissions Office number: +971-2-815-6504​​​​​​​
• Email:
  • Admission queries: admissions@brightoncollege.ae
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Note that the cover image belongs to Brighton College Abu Dhabi