Safa British School

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

Safa British School (SBS) in Al Safa is amongst the top primary schools in Dubai. Opened its door in 2004, Safa British School Dubai offers the England and Wales based National Curriculum. It is a private and co-educational school providing education till the secondary stage.

Students’ well-being is at the heart of Safa British School’s management. Thus, its primary focus is to provide a nurturing and friendly atmosphere.

In 2020, the school moved from Al Quoz to Al Safa on a new campus. The purpose-built new campus has top-notch facilities to support teaching and learning.

Currently, SBS offers classes from Foundation Stage until Year 9. At the moment, SBS has over 700 students, out of which 91 are students of determination. The school has 61 teachers and 30 teaching assistants; the teacher to student ratio is 1:12.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) rated SBS performance as Very Good. Continue reading Safa British School Review by Bayut to learn more about this school.

Safa British School’s location is a blessing for families in Al Safa and neighbouring communities. Residents of the following communities can easily send their children to SBS:

• Al Safa 2
• Al Quoz 1
• Jumeirah
• Umm Suqeim

Al Quoz 1 is nearest to Safa British School**.** Parents and guardians seeking residence near the school should look the following:

• Apartments for rent near Safa British School
• Villas for rent near Safa British School
• Villas for sale near Safa British School

At present, there is only one branch of Safa British School. However, the school relocated to a spacious campus to Jumeirah in September 2020.

The new two-storey campus has high-end facilities for students’ learning and convenience. The school has added new specialised rooms, including computer and science laboratories. Also, the campus now has two ICT suites, physical learning areas and a new learning support base.

SBS also has multi-purpose studios for dance and drama and a 334-seater indoor auditorium. Students also have access to netball, basketball, and gymnastics indoor playing areas.

The school has various outdoor facilities to support the holistic development of students. There are two temperature-controlled swimming pools, one of which is for beginners. One can find a multi-purpose hall for netball, tennis, basketball and football. The Astroturf field can be used for football and other sports.

Additionally, two outdoor well-equipped play areas are built for students of Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1.

Previously known as Al Safa Private School, the SBS private school relocated to Al Safa 1 in 2020. The school shares the locality with other institutes like:

• Al Ittihad Private School
• Jumeirah English Speaking School
• GEMS Jumeirah Primary School

Safa British School has been offering quality education since its inception. It aims to provide high-quality education and personal development skills to students. The school has a top-notch campus suitable for the British curriculum to support its ambitions. Moreover, some school practices have made it a popular choice among parents.

The school’s core values have set it apart from other educational institutes. These are:

• Purposeful learning opportunities
• Creating respectful and independent thinkers
• Personalised academic success
• Caring family culture

The school follows a house-based system to create a sense of belonging and engage students in healthy competition. Four houses are named after local parks: Jumeirah, Mamzar, Creek and Mushrif. Students in these houses participate in friendly school competitions, including Write up, Lip Sync Battles and much more.

Safa British School is a staunch supporter of an inclusive policy framework. Every child gets an equal opportunity when it comes to admissions. SBS private school grants admission on merit and supports 91 students of determination.

The Government of Dubai has developed protocols for schools to follow until the pandemic is over. These protocols are an accumulative effort to keep everyone safe and healthy, including students, teachers, parents, and relevant third parties.

The KHDA has uploaded FAQs for schools on the official website for your convenience. Here’s an overview of the preventive SOPs in place.

• Sterilise the school building, classrooms, laboratories and other facilities regularly, according to the recommendations of the National Authority for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management.
• Assess the temperature of everyone who enters the school building daily.
• Maintain physical distance guidelines and reduce the headcount capacity in classrooms.
• From this academic year, 1-metre distancing is recommended. Schools must take appropriate precautions to ensure that students and teachers stay physically distanced where possible.
• Buses may run at full capacity provided they comply with health and safety protocols.
• Schools shall reinstate Physical Education, swimming lessons and sports activities. Changing rooms and sports areas will be sanitised after each group of students.
• The canteen shall reopen and resume live cooking.
• School trips, excursions and holiday camps shall be resumed. 
• After-hours care, extra-curricular activities, performances, assemblies and other events at school or external venues are allowed.
• Students older than six years, staff and visitors to schools must continue to wear face masks.
• Vaccination is not compulsory for students studying in Dubai. Unvaccinated staff must submit a negative PCR test each week. Students are not obliged to submit negative PCR tests.
• From October 3, 2021, all teaching and learning at Dubai private schools will only be face-to-face. Students who wish to continue with distance learning after the stated date must provide a medical certificate issued by Dubai Health Authority.

Initially, SBS started as a primary school; however, the school started the secondary section in 2020 and is now offering classes till Year 10.

The school follows the National Curriculum of England and Wales for its educational programme.

Foundation Stage

SBS follows an Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. The school focuses on providing a stimulating experience for students at this stage. The curriculum covers seven areas of learning and development, including:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Literacy Development
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Art and Designs

This English medium school also imparts mandatory classes for Arabic. This English medium school also imparts mandatory classes for Arabic. Non-native speakers learn the basic Arabic B curriculum. Whereas native Arabic speakers learn more intensive Arabic A curriculum of the Ministry of Education.

Primary Level

Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Key Stage 2 (KS2)

At this stage, the school works on children’s moral, social, and cultural development. It prepares students for the responsibilities, opportunities and experiences of life.

Subjects offered in KS1 and KS2 are:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• ICT
• Geography and History
• Design and Technology
• Music
• Art
• Arabic
• Islamic Studies
• P.E and Sports
• Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE)
• Citizenship and Drama and Sustainability

Key Stage 3 (KS3)

The KS3 curriculum consists of challenging tasks to help students discover their true potential. From Year 7 to Year 9, SBS supports students to work on their social, intellectual, spiritual, emotional, cultural and physical potential.

Subjects offered at this stage are:

• English
• Mathematics
• Biology
• Physics
• Chemistry
• History
• Geography
• Social Studies
• Moral Education
• French
• Arabic
• Islamic Studies
• Music
• Drama
• Art
• Design and Technology
• Computing
• Physical Education

To further facilitate parents looking for British curriculum-based schools, here are the top British schools in Dubai.

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.

To maintain quality in the private education sector in Dubai, the UAE government established the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). This governmental body supports all stakeholders to create a remarkable education sector focused on the well-being of the children. It evaluates all private schools based on six parameters; the rating ranges from ‘Outstanding’ to ‘Very Weak.’

Safa British School’s KHDA rating for the current year is ‘Very Good‘. This is a step up from the ‘Good’ rating that the school received last year. The below table depicts the school’s performance in a decade.

The report highlights areas where the school has shown improvement.

• SBS Students have shown above-average performance in key subjects of English, Mathematics and Science.
• Teachers have shown a good grip on the use of assessment information to plan and implement their lessons. This has led to a better understanding of subjects like English, Mathematics and Science at the primary level.
• Students have also shown exemplary behaviour, attitude and skills regarding personal development, social skills and environmental awareness.
• Policies regarding safety, health, guidance, security and care of students are closely followed and implemented.
• The senior leaders of the school show strong leadership skills. This further increases the room for improvement in the school.

However, there are a few areas where the school needs to step up their game to get a higher rating from the KHDA.

• Progress in Arabic needs to be made by re-balancing the curriculum and the teaching so that children have more opportunities to develop listening and speaking skills.
• Set high-quality teaching as a benchmark for all the teachers to follow and implement a consistent teaching method throughout the school.
• Teachers need to go through the self-evaluation process to identify their strengths and areas of improvement in teaching.
• Foundation Stages’ achievement should match the higher standards observed at the primary stage.
• English, Mathematics and Science at Foundation Stages require more attention.

Parents looking for more options in the catalogue can view our blog on ‘Best schools in Dubai‘.

Like other British schools in the UAE, Safa British School follows a 10-month academic calendar. The calendar has three terms with the following important dates:

• The winter term starts in the last week of August and ends in the second week of December. It is followed by a three-week term break.
• After winter break, the spring term starts in the first week of January and ends in the last week of March. This is followed by a two-week break.
• The summer term starts in the second week of April and ends in the first week of July. Students then go for a two-month summer holiday.

You can view the SBS academic calendar for information on Islamic and national holidays.

Parents have two options to start the admission process. The first option is to download and fill out the application form and submit it to the school with supporting documents. The more convenient option is to apply online. If parents cannot physically visit the campus, they can email the filled application form and supporting documents to registrar@safabritishschool.com.

Parents need to provide the following supporting documents:

• A copy of the birth certificate of the applicant
• A copy of the passport of the applicant
• A copy of the Emirates ID of the applicant
• A copy of the residence visa of the applicant
• A recent photograph of the applicant
• Copy of the latest End of the year and mid-term school report (excluding FS1)
• Parents need to provide details, including assessment reports for their children if they require additional support in the school.

To complete the application process, parents need to pay a non-refundable administration fee of AED 500. Once the application process is complete and all mandatory documents are submitted, the school will reach parents for further information.

Students applying for Year 1 to Year 9 will be asked to take assessments individually or collectively to judge their capabilities. The test includes knowledge of basic math, writing and reading skills.

The assessment or observation period is 30 to 50 minutes long. After the assessment, the school will decide whether to offer the child a place at the school or not. In either case, the school will reach parents within one week of assessment.

However, in the case of over-subscription, the school will place the child on the waiting list and offer seats on a first-come, first-served basis.

Parents are advised to visit the application process given on the school website to clear any ambiguity that they might have.

Nevertheless, parents must ensure that their child meets the following age placement criteria before initiating the admission process.

This is based on the age of the students on 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)

SBS fee structure for the current academic year is as shown below.

Please note the following:

• Parents registering for Sept 2021 will continue on the discounted fees till their children finish Year 9, subject to only annual approved percentage increases.
• Parents who enrol their children before September 2020 will follow the founder fee structure with annual increments.
• Only one discount applies at a time. In the case of a sibling, the school will offer a sibling discount instead of founding family fees. The sibling discount is 15% on the tuition fee from the third sibling.
• The registration fee is AED 500 (non-refundable, non-transferable, non-adjustable.
• Security deposit for students joining in term 2 is AED 4,000
• The re-registration fee is AED 2,000

The school encourages all students to bring healthy and packed lunches from home.

SBS has provision for transport with a well-known service provider. The charges depend on the location. The website also mentions that the transportation service is available for students from the foundation stage to Year 6.

Safa British School Dubai takes children to Holiday camps to provide them with the platform to experience their classroom learning in a real-life setting.

Students of Safa British School Dubai have access to world-class facilities for pursuing their interests and passion for sports.

The school has two temperature-controlled swimming pools for swimming lessons. Students can also play netball, basketball, tennis, foosball and gymnastics in the indoor and outdoor multi-purpose halls. An Astroturf field and outdoor areas are also available for outdoor sports and activities.

Over 40 extra-curricular are accessible to students at Safa British School. Extra-curricular activities are divided into broad themes: community-based**, sports, performing arts, academic, and STEM activities**.

Each year SBS school arranges residential activity school trips. These trips are 24-hour long and allow children to experience team building and bonding, confidence build-up and individual skills development.

A medical centre is available on site to cater to emergencies and injuries that children might incur while on the school premises.

There are a few communication modes for parents to contact the school or teachers. The first is a parent portal where parents can sign up to receive details regarding school events, holidays, attendance records and much more.

Furthermore, to support local and international charities, SBS school has formed Friends of Safa School — a group of volunteer parents who organises different fundraising events.

For a more conventional method, parents can visit the contact page on the website to message their queries to the school or book a school tour.

• Telephone Number: +971- 4-388-4300
• Email:
  General Enquiries: reception@safabritishschool.com
  Admission Enquiries: registrar@safabritishschool.com
• SBS Website
• SBS Facebook

Please note that the featured cover image belongs to Safa British School.