Dubai British School, Emirates Hills

• Dubai British School location
• Years offered
• Dubai British School curriculum
• KHDA rating
• How to apply?
• Fee structure
• Dubai British School scholarships
• Dubai British School transportation
• PTA and contact information

Dubai British School (DBS), a part of Taaleem Foundation was established in 2005. The aim of Taaleem is to launch top-notch English-medium schools that are innovative and student-centred. The well-being and development of Dubai British School students are given top priority and teachers are equipped with all necessary tools to help them achieve their educational goals.

The school, which follows the National Curriculum of England is located in Springs 3, Emirates Hills (Behind Spinneys/Springs Town Centre). The Dubai British School caters to students aged 3-18 and offers a well-structured British curriculum education. In line with the goals of the Minister of Happiness in Dubai, this school has been rated highly by WestEd when it comes to Dubai’s best schools for fostering happiness in students. All of these factors have resulted in the school attaining the coveted ‘Outstanding’ rating from KHDA.

At, DBS hard work and talent is respected and celebrated. The teaching staff at DBS strives to inspire students into becoming creative thinkers and innovators. This top British curriculum school in Dubai considers itself to be a global educational community that helps students to develop the skills they require to thrive in the dynamic world.

• Location: Emirates Hills
• School Fee: AED 49,026 - AED 73,540
• Curriculum: British Curriculum
• Co-ed or Segregate: Co-education
• KHDA Rating: Outstanding
• Years Offered: FS1 - Year 13

Families living in the rental villas in and near the Emirates Hills community can easily access this British school. Here are a few communities with easy access to the Dubai British School location.

• The Springs
• Barsha Heights
• The Meadows
• The Lakes
• The Greens

The Springs is another residential neighbourhood close to the Dubai British School campus.

Nevertheless, parents and guardian who wants to remain close to the school campus can look for villas available for rent and sale.

• Villas for rent near Dubai British School
• Villas for sale near Dubai British School

Currently, DBS has the main campus in Emirates Hills with a sister concern operating in Jumeirah Park. It is one of the most sought-out educational institutes in Dubai. The Dubai British School campus in Emirates Hills is made up of several state-of-the-art facilities that include:

• STEAM Garden (Lab)
• Graphic Design Studio
• Six Science Labs
• Art Studio & Ceramics Room
• Performing Arts Theatre
• Primary Music Room
• Secondary Music Room
• Peripatetic Rooms for Individual Music Lessons
• Primary Library
• Secondary Library
• Sports Hall
• Multi-purpose Astroturf Pitch
• Swimming Pool
• Tennis and Netball Court
• Gym
• Extended Learning Rooms
• Sixth Form Common Room
• Sixth Form Private Study Room
• Indoor & Outdoor Dining Areas
• Canteen
• Foundation Playground & Outdoor Classrooms
• Primary Playground
• Health Centre
• Counselling Rooms

DBS is located close to the famous Spinneys Town Center, just a short drive away from the Meadows Souk.

The staff and management of DBS believe that children need to be nurtured physically and mentally. This approach allows them to instil important core values within the students that help them adapt and thrive in the ever-changing world. The main goal of the school is to make students into critical thinkers, cooperative communicators and caring individuals.

One of the main reasons parents are keen on gaining admission to Dubai British School is the ‘Outstanding’ KHDA rating that the school has achieved. Another benefit for students enrolled in the school is the innovative teaching practises encouraged at the school. Children are well-versed with using advanced technologies and gadgets by the time they finish high school. The sixth form facilities available to senior students are also popular with parents.

The Dubai British School offers classes from Foundation Stage 1 to Key Stage 4, after which students are enrolled in the Sixth Form.

The Dubai British School curriculum is structured according to the National Curriculum of England. This school is a certified member of the Council of International Schools and offers an education that is on par with leading international institutes.

Foundation Stage

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum is followed at DBS for the children in primary school. This well-planned curriculum improves the imaginative and cognitive skills of a student. The school syllabus utilises exceptional learning and teaching practices set by the National Curriculum of England by dividing key ideas and concepts into seven separate areas.

The first three areas (communication and languages, physical development and personal, social and emotional development) are known as the prime areas. These are then specifically strengthened with further teachings of literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design.

Primary Stage

The British curriculum is followed by DBS throughout the important stages of primary education. DBS focuses on building international-mindedness and empathy with the students. Lessons are specially designed and incorporated to instil these values within the students. This school prioritises social and moral education to make their students into practical and environmentally conscious individuals.

During this stage, teachers try to make students curious about the world around them and instil a desire to know about world affairs and current happenings. Teachers also use different lessons and exercises to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses and work towards improving or rectifying them.

Secondary Stage

The main focus of this stage is to nurture the whole child, be it with conventional methods or more customised solutions. The school philosophy ‘Enjoy, Aspire, Achieve’ supports the everyday practices within this stage. The main curriculum for Dubai British School in the secondary stage includes:

• Core Subjects: English, Mathematics and Science
• Humanities: Geography and History
• Modern Languages: French, Spanish and Arabic
• Social Sciences: Psychology, Sociology, Business and Economics
• Expressive Arts: Drama, Music, Media Studies and Art
• Physical Education: Recreational PE and Exam PE

The regular assessment of students’ progress throughout this stage is measured through their set targets in each subject to make sure that they are working according to their full capacity.

Sixth Form

In this stage, students of the sixth form learn to improve their critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, creative adaptability, and communication skills. The curriculum includes core elements along with a variety of A-level subjects from which students are allowed to select fields of study they would like to pursue.

The students of DBS perform far superior to the benchmarks set by the UK when it comes to their A level examinations. As a result, the students are easily able to get admission to some of the best universities around the world such as John Hopkins University (USA) and Cambridge University (UK).

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) supervises all the private educational institutes in Dubai. KHDA is directly responsible for the quality of private education in the city. To ensure parents can choose the best options for their children, KHDA inspects private schools in Dubai with judgments that have been made on a six-point scale.

The KHDA also focuses on maintaining high-quality education along with the well-being and happiness of students and educators.
After careful examination, KHDA has rated DBS as “Outstanding” for the academic year 2018 – 2019. The table below provides the history of the school’s performance over a decade.

Some of the main reasons for the high rating include:

• Understanding of Islamic values and awareness of Emirati and world cultures.
• Focus on students’ personal development and well-being
• Social responsibility and innovation skills
• Effective teaching staff.
• Curriculum design, implementation and adapting.
• Health and safety, including arrangements for child protection/safeguarding
• Effectiveness of leadership, improvement planning, communication with parents and community and governance.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the school was not inspected for the academic session 2019- 2020.

Provided below is a summary of the DBS academic calendar.

• Term 1 starts on 29th August and ends on 12th December for a 3-week winter break.
• Term 2 starts on 2nd January and ends in the last week of March, followed by a 2-week spring break.
• Term 3 starts 10th April and ends on the 7th of July, after which summer vacation begins.

Dubai British School Emirates Hills timings are:

• Foundation Stage:
  • Sunday to Thursday: 07:45 am to 01:45 pm.
  • Friday: 07:45 am to 11:50 pm.
• Year 1 to year 6:
  • Sunday to Thursday: 07:55 am to 02:45 pm.
  • Friday: 07:55 am to 12 noon.
• Year 7 to Year 12:
  • Monday to Thursday: 07:55 am to 03:30 pm.
  • Friday: 07:45 am to 12:10 pm.

DBS is a popular school and hence admissions to all year groups may not be open. Parents are requested to check the school website to confirm the admissions availability to DBS by year group. If the waiting pool is open as per their list, applications will be accepted. Applicants are required to fill the online application form to apply for admissions to Dubai British School and provide the following documents:

• Copy of completed application form
• Three passport size photograph of the student
• UAE Residence Visa copies of parents and child
• Parent’s/ guardian’s and student’s Emirates Identification Card (EID). However, if the resident’s EID is not issued, parents are required to upload a copy of the EID application forms
• Complete medical form
• Copy of Immunisation/ Vaccination Record
• Copy of Psychologist’s Report
• Transfer certificate from the previous school (if needed)
• End of year school report is needed if an applicant is applying for Primary/ Secondary, GCSE and A-Level

Debenture:

DBS offers Corporate Debentures for organisations interested in securing school places for the children of their employees.

After Applying at DBS

An application fee of AED 525 which is inclusive of 5% VAT is payable either in person at the accounts office or by credit card or by bank transfer.

All applicants are assessed prior to entry. For applicants applying from overseas countries, assessments will be done from abroad. The registrar will get in touch with the applicant’s parents regarding their children in the current school for reference. For secondary applicants, aged 7 to 12, DBS will contact the student’s current school for reference.

The applicant will be notified shortly after the assessment. After an offer has been made, parents will get two weeks to complete the documentation and payment process.

Should a child be waitlisted, parents will receive a notice once any spot becomes available. Applicants can re-apply at the school if the school is unable to accept the application for any reason. They may also request a re-assessment in case of any anomalies.

Before seeking admission, parents must ensure that their child meets the following age placement guideline.

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: KHDA

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

Dubai British School tuition fees for the current academic year are:

Optional fee as per KHDA is mentioned here:

There is a sibling discount of 10% on tuition fees for the third (youngest) and subsequent child in each family, paying full fees, for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years, attending any Taaleem school in Dubai.

For more detailed information, you can visit the Dubai British School Emirates Hills fee structure on the website.

DBS offers limited scholarships, so they are rolled out on a case-by-case basis. For more information, you can contact the school administration on +971-4-361-9361.

The on-sute canteen, run by Leela's Lunchs at DBS offers a variety of healthy and nutritious food starting from Grade 4. Students can also choose to bring home-packed lunches.

DBS has contracted the Arab Falcon Bus Rental company to provide school transport services. The Arab Falcon Bus Rental is a well-established transportation company. They also provide well-trained drivers and nanny service. All the buses are facilitated with CCTV and a tracking system for the safety of each student using the bus.

For any further information or clarification, you can contact Ms Farah, the Transport Manager at DBS on +971-50-110-7063 or farah@arabfalcondubai.ae

Monthly school fees at Dubai British School ranges from AED 865 per month for nearby areas such as The Gardens, Al Sufouh (1&2), Palm Jumeirah and Al Barsha to AED 975 per month for areas which are further away.

The management of DBS strongly believes that education goes way beyond the classroom. This school offers a number of different competitive and non-competitive sporting activities. Every student in Dubai British School is encouraged to participate in sporting activities that include:

• Swimming pool
• Basketball
• Tennis court
• Gymnasium
• Football pitch
• Play area for primary

Extra-curricular activities (ECAs) are a very essential part of any school’s learning environment. Most of the activities arranged by the school are free-of-charge. However, the school outsources some activities in other facilities.

Parents are sent a list of internal activities before the start of each term. They may select one (or multiple activities) and get in touch with the school about the schedule. Activities offered by DBS include art club, fitness, camera club, cricket, digital art and animation, diving, filmmaking club, drama and dance.

Apart from the activities, there are also clubs that children can be a part of while studying in Dubai British School. Popular clubs in DBS include the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, F1 in school, eco kids, gifted and talented, fitness, girls football, golf, hockey, ICT club, coding club, chess club, learn to draw, literacy and ICT games, maths games, model united nations, netball, papercraft, recreational football, primary choir, primary pop-up council, Quran club, diving and much more!

The outsourced firm eSports manages the external extra-curricular activities. The list of external activities includes tennis, football, swimming, cricket, rugby, climbing, holiday camps etc.

This school routinely organises fun field trips for the students such as a visit to Yas Marina Circuit. DBS also uses external companies such as Ecoventure to take students camping.

Currently, DBS only provides after-school care for FS1 and FS2 students. These services are outsourced to Galaxy Kids Dubai. This firm works with the school to create customised programs that include fun and engaging activities for young kids.

DBS features a well-equipped health clinic and employs a full-time staff that includes an experienced doctor and two nurses. The clinic includes a waiting area, beds and necessary medical equipment including nebulizer, ENT diagnostic sets, glucometer, oxygen cylinder and a sphygmomanometer.

The 6-Delta Communicator app is used as the main mode of communication between parents and teachers. This app also delivers general school news, important alerts and main events. Features like news, calendar and resources allow parents to check their child’s class schedule and their activities.

Additionally, there is a parent portal where parents and guardians can log in to receive instant and timely student information, their child’s schedule, attendance, school calendar and much more.

The Parents and Friends Association (PFA) is another great way parents and teachers can communicate. PFA also helps parents who are new to the country. This association helps to raise funds for the school, organizes funfairs and brings the community together to enjoy important events. PFA also holds monthly meetings where parents and teachers can interact directly.

Dubai British School Emirates Hills uses Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA) to help strengthen its partnership with parents.

For instant communication, the school has Whatsapp groups for each grade where parents can receive notifications regarding school activities. To be a part of this group, you will need to contact the class teacher or any other staff member.

• Telephone Number: +971-4-361-9361
• Admissions: +971-54-991-3009
• General Enquiries: reception@dubaibritishschool.ae
• DBS Website
• DBS Facebook
• DBS Twitter
• DBS Instagram
• DBS YouTube
• DBS Flickr

The cover image is for Dubai British School

What are the timings of the school?

 7:45 am to 3:30 pm but it may differ for different grades. 

Does the school conduct after-school activities?

Yes, the school conducts after-school activities.

How many grades/years are there in the school?

FS to Year 13.

Does the school follow a co-education model?

Yes, Dubai British School has a co-education model.

How many students are currently studying in the school?

Dubai British School Emirates Hills has 1,141 students.

Does the school have any special education programmes or learning plans for students of determination?

Dubai British School is known to be at the forefront to support students of determination. The school also has a dedicated special educational needs coordinator.

Please describe the academic calendar of the school.

The school year starts in August and ends in July.  

Please mention the range of the tuition fee charged by the school.

The school fee ranges from AED 49,026 to AED 73,540.

How does the school communicate with parents?

At, Dubai British School Emirates Hills, parents and teachers are part of Parents Teacher Association in addition to other mode of communication.

Does the school have a cafeteria or a canteen on campus?

Yes, the Dubai British School has an on-site cafeteria – “Leela Lunches” that offers students healthy meals, snacks and beverages including a 3-course lunch.  

How often does the school arrange field trips?

Students enjoy age-appropriate field trips throughout the year.

How many teachers are currently teaching in the school?

There are 84 full-time teachers and 30 teaching assistants.