Regent International School

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

Founded in 1993, Regent International School (RIS) is a well-established school in Dubai. It is a project by Fortes Education, an experienced educational group that has been providing excellent educational opportunities to children for decades.

In its early days, the school operated under a small building in Jumeirah providing quality early years and primary education to students.

It moved to the current campus in The Greens in 2005. Initially, the school offered secondary education too for a few years. However, it reverted to a primary-only school after establishing Sunmarke School in Jumeirah. After that, the school has focused on providing top-notch education to children aged 3 to 18 years old. However, the school is now offering secondary and sixth form education.

With an overall experience of 28 years, the school is renowned for its outstanding educational and co-curricular facilities. They follow the National Curriculum of England, which is popular among international schools in Dubai.

RIS is an inclusive school that respects and welcomes students irrespective of their nationalities and other special needs. As per the latest inspection report by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), there are over 1.000 students belonging to 80+ nationalities. Majority of students hold Indian and British passports. They are taught by a teaching staff of 72 full-time teachers and 19 teaching assistants, mostly British nationals.

The management is continuously striving to improve the educational experience for their students. They further provide a suitable environment so students develop the necessary competencies and skills for further education. All of this has resulted in attaining a Very Good rating by KHDA, cementing the school’s reputation as one of the best British schools in Dubai.

Read this comprehensive guide by Bayut elucidating key features, curriculum, admission and fee details and facilities offered by Regent International School.

Regent International School is located in The Greens. It is a vibrant living community developed by Emaar with 40 low-rise buildings across 10 complexes. It is a part of the Emaar’s Emirates Living Project consisting of some well-established residential communities in Dubai. The school is situated in proximity to the following areas:

• The Lakes
• Barsha Heights
• Emirate Hills
• Jumeirah Lakes Towers

The Lakes, a well-reputed project by Emaar has six friendly neighbourhood families with luxurious and freehold villas for living. Living at The Lakes will shorten the time required for the children to commute to and from the school.

• Apartments for rent near Regent International School
• Apartments for sale near Regent International School
• Villas for rent near Regent International School

Regent International School’s campus consists of a modern building with several storeys dedicated to academic and extracurricular activities. The school has made efficient use of their space to ensure that students have access to the best possible facilities, including sports facilities on the rooftop.

• Multi-court sports deck with four courts
• Two multipurpose sports halls
• Performance halls
• Semi-Olympic sized and learner pool.
• AstroTurf playing field
• Outdoor playing fields

The school’s building also includes an assembly hall, 75 activity rooms, dance and art studios, spacious classrooms with adequate furniture and a separate library for the EYFS and Primary section. The school’s resources, such as specialised laboratories, food technology rooms and digital technologies room, complement the school’s focus on STEAM Education.

Corridors of the building depict information related to famous scientists and scientific inventions. This sparks an interest in science among children.

Other facilities available on the campus include two dining areas, an e-library, radio broadcasting room, software and hardware support to students and access to high-speed internet.

The school has planned major improvements in terms of facilities. This involves the refurbishment of important blocks and facilities, such as administration block, front reception area, café, conference room, finance department, transport office, SLT office, staff pantry and performance art stage.

Regent International School is located on the right of the Panorama Towers 3 facing First Al Khail Street in The Greens, Dubai. The school is near Al Arta – a gated complex in The Greens and is 5-minute drive away from Jebel Ali Race Course.

There are several reasons why parents prefer Regent International School. RIS is one of the few schools in Dubai that not only follows but also leads in terms of Positive Education (PosEd) standards. It uses the power of impeccable teaching strategies, positive psychology and other positive emotions and feelings to open students’ minds to innovative and creative ideas. This results in the development of skills like critical thinking, self-esteem, confidence, literacy, numeracy and other character-building skills necessary to compete in the 21st century.

RIS also attracts a lot of parents’ attention because of its strong academic values and practices. As a STEAM school, it offers exceptional learning facilities to its students in Science, Technology Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. Coupled with the National Curriculum of England, they offer high-level education to their students.

They have further improved the curriculum by integrating MultiSmart Learning. They target 8 forms of intelligence: Logical-mathematical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Linguistic, Spatial, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Musical and Naturalist. Besides the aforementioned, the school also has an extensive range of extra-curricular activities that support the personal and social development of students.

Another reason parents prefer to enrol their children at Regent International School is its diversity. The school accommodates people from different nationalities and provides special attention to Special Education Needs (SEND) students. For students with SEND requirements, the school attempts to offer individualistic support to each student based on identified needs.

KHDA has issued a revised set of protocols once the Ministry of Education decided to reopen schools for the academic year 2021-2022. Most COVID-19 protocols remain the same with slight modifications considering the current health and safety situation in Dubai. The revised COVID-19 protocols followed by Regent International School are as follows:

• COVID-19 vaccination is not mandatory for students and staff members. Employees eligible for the vaccine but who are not interested will have to submit a negative PCR test result every week. Unlike schools in Abu Dhabi, students are not obliged to submit negative PCR test results.
• All students must physically return to school by October 3. The remote learning programme will be offered to students that show a relevant medical certificate issued by the Dubai Health Authority. Schools can switch to distance learning if a positive COVID-19 case is identified.
• 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, KHDA 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.

For more information, read the detailed COVID-19 protocols and guidelines issued by KHDA.

Regent International School (RIS) offers education from Foundation Stage to Sixth Form Stage.

Regent International School, Dubai, follows a curriculum based on the National Curriculum of England. Their educational practices extend well beyond academic values and include moral, spiritual and cultural values to develop well-rounded students with superior physical and mental capabilities.

Foundation Stage

At the foundation stage, the syllabus involves the use of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. This framework guides the student to work on the seven key areas of learning:

• Literacy
• Personal, social and emotional development
• Physical development
• Communication and language
• Understanding the world
• Mathematics
• Expressive arts and design

The school’s curriculum for FS1 and FS2 is based on a multisensory approach involving the use of a ‘play and learn’ strategy to develop key skills. For this purpose, they utilise various activities involving the use of indoor and outdoor playing facilities. In addition, they teach students Arabic and other foreign languages like Chinese, French, Spanish and Russian from this early age.

Primary Section

The primary section of RIS follows Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Key Stage 2 (KS2) of the British curriculum. The subjects offered in KS1 and KS2 are:

To ensure a smooth transition from foundation stages to KS1, students are introduced to more formal activities that result in achieving greater self-reliance. Besides the aforementioned subjects, the team of specialists provides lessons in Arabic, French, ICT, PE and music.

The curriculum for KS2 ensure the development of competent learners with self-confidence and superior communication skills. The PosEd and STEAM education further strengthens the curriculum to ensure students develop all-round capabilities. From Year 4 onwards, the school uses differentiated teaching strategies to teach subjects like Mathematics while specialists teach Physical Education, Music, Digital Technology and Second languages (Arabic and French).

Middle School

In the middle school, the school follows the Key Stage 3 (KS3) curriculum. The school has modified the curriculum to incorporate project and STEM-based approach. This is to ensure that students learn the four key skills essential for success: critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity. Subjects, such as English, mathematics and science, are interwoven with humanities and liberal arts. In addition, students learn to handle and find solutions to real-world problems.

Secondary School

In the secondary stage, the school continue to follow the National Curriculum of England. It prepares students to sit the external GCSE/IGCSE examinations in Grade 10 after which they can pursue the sixth form education. In this stage, the school starts some subjects in Grade 9 to accelerate students progress in Grade 10. Students study a combination of GCSE core, GCSE optional and non-GCSE subjects. The non-GCSE subjects are typically Arabic, Islamic Studies and Social Studies mandated by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

The subjects taught for the GCSE exams are:

Please note that English as a subject in GCSE consists of Language and Literature sections. French is studies as the Modern Foreign Language. On the other hand, the school offers an alternative career path as BTEC Level 2 Courses. Currently, the school is only offering sports for such students.

Sixth Form Curriculum

In the sixth form stage, students have three options. They can either opt for the regular pathway (AS Levels and A Levels) or they can opt BTEC Courses or hybrid A Levels and BTEC Courses.

The A Level courses available at Regent International School are:

Those opting for BTEC Courses study Hospitality, Business Studies and Sports. The school considers the aforementioned subjects as vital for students living and working in the UAE.

As per the new COVID-19 protocols issued by KHDA, schools are discontinuing the distance learning programme from October 3, 2021. Those wishing to continue their education via distance learning have to show a relevant health certificate issued by Dubai Health Authority (DHA). Schools may revert back to distance learning if COVID-19 cases are detected in a class or a group in a class.

KHDA is responsible for the growth and improvement of education offered by private schools. They annually inspect schools and publish reports stating key strengths and recommendations for improvement. The criteria used to rate private schools in Dubai include the adopted curriculum, teachers’ and students’ effort, role of leadership and utilisation of tools and facilities. They follow a six-point rating scale that ranges from outstanding to very weak.

Over the last eight years, KHDA rated Regent International School as good. However, this year they were able to secure a Very Good rating because of vast improvements in students’ outcomes, provision for learners and leadership and management. Here is a 10-year history of KHDA’s ratings for Regent International School:

The following are the main highlights of the 2018-19 report:

• KHDA identified strong investigation, independent learning and critical thinking skills among students. In addition, students exhibited a high level of achievement in science, mathematics and English, while their progress in Arabic and Islamic education is acceptable.
• Students in the foundation stage also exhibited strong creative and thinking skills. The majority showed outstanding personal and social responsibility that resulted in developing a sense of maturity and responsibility, which is beyond the KHDA’s expectations.
• In terms of provision for learners, KHDA reported a satisfactory use of computers by teachers and students for educational purposes. They also observed improvements in teaching strategies and assessments for Islamic education and Arabic. Besides this, they also identified an increasing range of extra-curricular activities as compared to those observed in previous inspections. KHDA also praised RIS for providing a safe, hygienic and secure environment to its pupils.
• They also observed improvements in leadership and management of Regent International School, Dubai. The report clearly points out improvements in the school’s evaluation process.

To improve its rating, Regent International School must share exceptional teaching practices throughout the school. Governors should also extend their support to their school’s leadership to improve the quality of education.

Regent International School follows the academic calendar issued by KHDA. There are three terms in an academic year: Autumn, Spring and Summer terms. The key dates of each term is as follows:

• The first term starts with the induction of students and start of classes in the last week of August. The mid-term break is expected in the third week of October and term ends in the second week of December. This is followed by a 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. The school remains close on the mid term break generally expected in the mid of February. After second term, students go on a spring break that ends in the first week of April.
• The last term starts in the second week of April and ends in the first week of July. There are no mid term breaks in the last term as the school remains close on Eid Al Fitr holidays in the beginning of May.

For more information, check out the academic and event calendar of Regent International School.

Admission Policies and Preferences

Regent International School, Dubai, understands the challenges and uncertainties associated with the admission of children in a new school. Therefore, they have devised policies that ensure a smooth and straightforward admission process for parents. In addition, the helpdesk available on their website assists parents in getting key information related to the admission process. However, it is important to note that the school gives priorities to students living in Emaar’s communities, other schools owned and managed by Fortes Education and applicants with siblings in schools.

Admission process

As mentioned above, the admission process in RIS is straightforward. The school encourages parents to visit the school before applying, but they only entertain parents who have already booked their appointments. This is to ensure that parents are aware of the school’s facility and features before applying. The school staff is more than happy to respond to parents’ queries and concerns. To book an appointment, contact the admission department or visit the school tour page on website.

The admission process starts with filling out the online enquiry form to register your interest in enrolling child to Regent international School. You can also fill out the request a call back form, if you have some queries.

This is followed by an assessment, where RIS conducts tests to gauge students’ skills. Clearing the assessment test is mandatory for getting admission to RIS.

After clearing the test, the school will confirm the applicant’s admission. Parents need to pay a deposit of 30% of the annual tuition fee as Acceptance and Confirmation Fee, which is non-refundable but will be adjusted in the first term’s fees. To speed up the admission process, the school advises parents to provide relevant documents at key stages of the admission process

Assessment Test

Every applicant must clear the assessment test conducted by the school. For FS1 and FS2 seats, an informal assessment test and interview will be conducted in which the applicant’s suitability and readiness for the school will be assessed.

For Year 1 to Year 3 seats, an assessment test and interview will be taken. The assessment test will be conducted to judge the applicants’ skills in English, Maths and Arabic. For getting admission from Year 3 onwards, the school will judge a student’s skills through an assessment test, an online test and an interview.

Age-grade guideline

This is based on the age of the students on 31st August (for schools beginning in September). Source: Regent International School

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

The tuition fee for the academic year 2021-22 is as follows:

Bank Account Details

The school accepts fees in cash, cheque, credit card and bank transfer modes. The RIS bank account information is given below:

• Bank Name: National Bank of Fujairah PJSC
• Account Title: Regent International School LLC
• Account Number: 012000894069
• Branch: Jebel Ali
• IBAN: AE700380000012000894069

To enquire about the discount in fees, contact the admission office of RIS. For further information pertaining to the fee policy, view the fee structure by RIS.

Currently, there are no scholarships available at the school.

All the schools owned and managed by the Fortes Education Group, including Regent International School, focuses on developing healthy eating habits among children. For this purpose, they have collaborated with Keita, a popular event catering company in UAE that also offers food items for educational institutes, to provide healthy food options to students at an affordable price.

Kieta offers both hot and cold food items to RIS pupils made from fresh raw materials. These items are available in the student’s cafeteria, which offers a vibrant and laid-back environment for students.

Regent International  School offers a safe and secure transportation service to its students. They have outsourced transportation services to My Bus Transport Service LLC, which is a popular school bus transportation service provider in the UAE.

With an outstanding track record and dedication, they offer a safe and reliable commute to children. These buses have air-conditioners, safe and comfortable seats and a grease-free platform to prevent accidents. To ensure the maximum level of safety, the school buses have GPS trackers, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) attendance system, video surveillance, sleeping child check and panic button facilities.

Please bear in mind that only those students with cleared transportation charges will be able to avail this service.

The areas covered by the My Bus School Transportation LLC for Regent International primary school are:

• Arabian Ranches
• Business Bay
• Discovery Gardens
• Dubai Marina
• Emirates Hills and Emirates Living
• Jumeirah Lake Towers
• Jumeirah Village
• Motor City, Sports City
• Palm Jumeirah
• Al Satwa
• Sheikh Zayed Road
• The Springs, The Meadows
• Tecom, The Greens, Al Barsha (near Mall of Emirates)
• The Gardens

To gain more information, contact My Bus School LLC on transport.ris@forteseducation.com.

Regent International School does not offer boarding facilities to its students. However, parents can move to nearby areas like The Greens by renting or purchasing an apartment available at affordable prices.

Currently, Regent International School offers a limited range of holiday camps to its students. The school collaborates with the external bodies to provide these holiday camps. One of the most prominent holiday camps at RIS is Summer Multi-Sport Camp for students aged 4 to 14 years.

In this camp, Elite Sports Academy offers activities like action sports, Olympics, American sports and other engaging activities.

RIS offers several sports-related facilities to its students. Just to the left of the main entrance lies a large grass football field. To the rear end of the football pitch lies swimming pools for learners and experienced students. Also, the upper floors of the buildings have 3 play zones where the foundation stage and primary students can play and interact with other students in the school.

To the left of the reception lobby lies a multipurpose hall for various indoor games like basketball and badminton. Another multi-purpose sports hall exists on the second floor of the campus and the third floor of the building has a large basketball court.

Regent International School believes in balancing academic and extracurricular activities for the effective growth of its students. For this purpose, they offer a plethora of extra-curricular activities to their students for developing social and personal skills. The school changes these activities in every term to ensure that they take part in a diverse range of extra-curricular activities (ECA). The following are the available fields of extra-curricular activities:

Dance

The drama related extracurricular activities offered by RIS supports the Music and Drama Programme in the curriculum. For this purpose, the school uses its expansive dance studios with ultra-modern dancing facilities.

Art and Drama

RIS believes in inspiring the artistic flair of its students. Those students with creative and artistic skills can join arts-related extracurricular activities, which are supported by the amenities available within art rooms. Besides, RIS also offers several workshops and field trips to students, inspiring them to take part in dramas as either performers or backstage crew.

Music

They also offer opportunities for students to participate in music-related extracurricular activities. RISSPAA, the RIS’s academy for performance art provides opportunities for such students to develop an appreciation for music.

Club, Sports and Athletic Activities

Regent International School encourages every student to participate in at least one sport of the designed ECA programme. The major sports-related extra-curricular activities in RIS are football, netball, basketball, rugby, cheerleading, tennis, and swimming. Since RIS is a part of the Dubai Affiliated School Sports Association (DASSA), their students participate in various national leagues and competitions. In addition, the students have access to over 60 clubs and can choose according to their own interest. Some of these clubs include but are not limited to debate, ballet, book, drama, gaming, fashion, chess and science.

To participate in such events, contact Ms Elaine Baillie at activitiesmanager@forteseducation.com.

Regent International School also takes its students on local and international field trips. The school’s leadership believes that such trips and opportunities help students to take responsibilities and learn through real-life experiences. In addition, the aim of such trips is not only to support the curricular goals but also to develop skills like cultural understanding and tolerance. The RIS teachers and staff undertake some activities while outside bodies like Camps International manage most of the overseas field trips. The field trips offered by RIS include curriculum field trips, local school expeditions, curriculum field trips, city tours and sports tours.

RIS has one of the most extensive after-school programmes for its students. They developed after-school plans in such a way to ensure well-rounded students. For this purpose, they collaborate with renowned third-party service providers to offer individual or group-based after-school activities. The major after-school activities in RIS include the following:

Sports

In sports, the most renowned after school activity in RIS is badminton coaching by Professional Sports Academy (PSA).

Performance arts

They also offer after-school activities based on performance arts. This includes ballet and fine art programmes for creative and artistic students. Unique Dance offers a ballet programme that focuses on choreography, aerobic exercise, ballet exercises, and much more. The ballet programme is available for students aged 4 to 14 years of age. Classes occur every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Fine art programmes include Kidzart and Little Masterpieces Art Appreciation and Creation that develop participants’ skills in basic and advanced fine arts. Kidzart is available for kids from FS1 to Year 3 whereas Little Masterpieces Art Appreciation and Creation is available for children aged 5 to 13 years old on Thursday and Saturday.

Fun, development and learning

Premier Genie is one of their main third party service providers that offer handy courses on robotics, 3D printing, coding and app development and mathematics. Those parents looking to foster the mathematics skills of their children might like the after-school activity by Whizz Kids. Most of the exercises covered in this activity are based on the school’s curriculum. Also, students can learn foreign languages such as Russian, Chinese, Spanish and French from Headway Institute and Nihao Institute.

The school provides two full-time nurses and a fully equipped medical clinic. The nurses are also available during the after school activities.

Regent International School, Dubai, believes that parents play an important role in the student’s growth. To engage parents within school activities, they offer several modes of communication through which teachers and parents can talk about their child’s progress. One noteworthy initiative undertaken by RIS is a drop-in period where parents can talk with teachers regarding their child’s progress. Now, the drop-in happens every Thursday to provide continuous feedback.

Besides this, the school notifies parents of upcoming events, grades and other information through an online portal. Other initiatives taken by the school to promote parents engagement include Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) mobile application, parent curriculum workshops, Friends of Regent International School (FRIS), Regent International School Advisory Council (RISAC) and Parental Engagement (twice a year).

Another convenient mode of communication between teachers and parents is the WhatsApp groups in which teachers and parents of the students studying in the same years can be notified of various upcoming events.

Various social platforms are also used to display student achievements like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Blog, and LinkedIn.

To assist parents of potential candidates, RIS offers an online helpdesk on their official website, where representatives are available 24/7 to handle their queries.

• Location: First Al Khail Street, The Greens, Emirates Living Community Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Telephone Number: +971 4 360 8830
• Fax Number: +971 4 360 8831

Social Media:

• RIS Website
• RIS Facebook
• RIS Twitter
• RIS Instagram 
• RIS Pinterest 
• RIS Blog
• RIS LinkedIn

Note that the cover image belongs to Regent International School.