Oil does not mix with water, it just floats on the surface, but in the case of Dubai and other middle east countries, oil has acted as a surfing slide to glide into foreign countries. Though this metaphor showcases Dubai's richness and financial stability, it was not the same case a few decades ago.
When UAE discovered the value of oil towards the end of th the 20 century, from being one of the most underdeveloped countries, it rose to such a great height that today it is one nd of the major financial hubs of the world, ranking 2 largest economy in Saudi Arabia. Besides that, UAE contributes 10% of the total world supply of oil reserves.
As UAE progressed, Dubai became the hub that connected most of the dots worldwide for various reasons. However, st as the light was penetrating into the 21 century, Dubai and UAE saw a large number of students drain out of the country for education.
While Dubai also saw many people coming to the city for job opportunities, it was ironic to notice that the education quality for such a rapidly developing country had been delicately balanced by bare minimum educational support.
However, with the high immigration rate, the need to reestablish the education system based on modern world needs became more evident. In this light, Dubai opened its door to international education with the objective to reestablish the education system. Through this, Dubai aimed to create an ecosystem that would groom both resident and international students for the future in a city where the world says, 'Welcome to the future' .
Today, there are a number of international schools that cater to that dream. However, it has become very hard for the parents in Dubai to choose an ideal school for their wards. The Knowledge Review magazine, through this edition, 'The 10 Most Performing International Schools in Dubai, 2022', aims to highlight those schools that would be appropriate for the students to inculcate holistic development.
Flip through the pages ahead in this magazine to find those schools that are making a difference in Dubai's educational space. Also, read through the articles that may help you choose a better education facility for your child. I hope this edition serves its purpose and help you find the ideal school for you or your child.
Have a happy read! T R
URL
aiadubai.com
Ambassador Group’s purpose is to nurture young minds and help students become responsible global citizens based on the foundation of quality education.
Deira Private School dcsneeds.com
deiraprivateschool.ae
Dubai Center for Special Needs eischools.ae
Emirates International School-Meadows
Ambassador International Academy gemsworldacademy-dubai.com
Hartland International School Road
hartlandinternational.com
Deira Private School offers a futuristic British Education enriched with a special focus on building a positive character and strong foundation for students.
Dubai Center for Special Needs aims to serve the diverse academic, physical, social and emotional needs of special students. All aspects of the organization’s curriculum and activities offer tailored programs, designed to assist individual learning styles to achieve success.
Exceptional academic outcomes, Emphasis on Global Citizenship, Outstanding Personal Development, Caring, Inquiring and Independent Learners, Inclusive Multi-Cultural Environment are just some of the core values taught at EIS.
Since it was opened in 2008, GEMS World Academy has established itself as an international Academy for young world citizens, where students benet from an education that reaches beyond any single national curriculum.
Hartland International School provides an enriched education through the National Curriculum for England, empowering young minds to think creatively, problem solve and to exceed expectations.
jbschool.ae
Jumeira Baccalaureate School nlcsdubai.ae
North London Collegiate School, Dubai rafesis.com Rafes International School
The Aquila School
theaquilaschool.com
Jumeira Baccalaureate School (JBS), an International Baccalaureate World School for PreKG to Grade 12 located in the heart of Dubai, where young people learn, thrive and succeed.
North London Collegiate School Dubai combines an ambitious academic education with pastoral care that genuinely values each individual and a range of extra-curricular activities that caters for every possible interest and talent.
Rafes International School welcomes families from almost 100 different countries.The youngest pre-school learners are accommodated in school's nursery and follow individualized learning pathways based upon ‘Development Matters’ - the earliest stage of EYFS, depending on their language background and personal development.
The Aquila School is an exciting British international school in Dubai, UAE which offers a well-developed and creative learning programme in a safe and secure school environment.
DePS will continue to be the school of choice for high quality, genuinely inclusive, futuristic British Curriculum Education in UAE where all students and staff will feel valued.
Ad Vitam Paramus - Preparing Students for Life
The younger generation is much smarter and is equipped with all the required facilities to take the world forward. However, the world is moving at an unprecedented speed, and it is making all the difference in the way we imagine a child's future.
To take the world forward, along with formal education, there are many things that a child needs to understand and develop. Though most schools, parents and even educators believe that indulging students in personalised learning—in the current educational paradigm—is way ahead of time, but grooming students into such a personalised learning culture from
Personalised learning has been persuaded by schools to be included in their curriculum. Still, it has been a daunting task to constantly monitor and advance with a holistic approach for most of them.
One such school that has successfully adapted to personalised learning is Deira Private School . Being a growing secondary school, the Deira Private School aims to help students maximise their true potential and help them lead a happy life in a happy community.
Primarily established as a primary school, the Deira Private School was established in 2009. However, with the
recent change in school management, some big changes are afoot for the school.
The new management has brought in huge investment from Chubby Cheeks Nurseries, and some significant improvements are seen in the school’s ecosystem. The most noticeable improvement brought in is that the school is now expanded to Year 7 from the current academic year
Also, the school has grown incredibly from 170 students to 690 students, and the school has improved its infrastructure for providing better growth aspects to its students. “We have very well-resourced facilities like Sports Fields, Multipurpose Hall, Science and ICT Labs, Ecolab and Forest School, Music, Dance and Green Room, STEAM Facilities, dedicated Sensory and Speech Therapy rooms and a well-being centre,” the school management added.
The secret behind the school's rapid growth is its vibrant environment. The school has combined its core values with innovative teaching that blended perfectly with the school infrastructure and facilities. Along with that, the school has streamlined its subject expertise in the school with specific subject heads and year heads that aim to channel students’ focus and ensure that every child feels valued, celebrated and happy.
“The school grew incredibely well and credit to most of its improvement goes to newly appointed Principal, who holds a vast experience in leadership and management in July 2021, it is the
last mentioned's vision and leadership that have seen the school grow to promising prominence,” the school management added.
Ad Vitam Paramus - Preparing for Life
Deira Private School proudly informs the parents that it is a Futuristic British Curriculum School that focuses on building a happy community. Along with that, the school aims for overall development by helping students to develop character and prepare them for life. The school has imbibed character education in its curriculum because it allows the student to become Competent, Concious and Committed in doing the right thing. In the world-class schooling setting, the school offers a family-oriented approach in their teachings.
Vision : Building Character, One Virtue at a Time; Building the Future, One Student at a Time!
Mission : The school is on a mission to develop well rounded, confident and responsible individuals who have unlocked their full potential. Deira Private School aims to achieve this by providing the students with a welcoming, happy, safe and supportive learning environment on the school campus where everyone is treated equal.
“We believe, a happy child is a successful child and we intend that all children should enjoy learning, while achieving their potential and become independent life-long learners. Our school empowers all students to embrace learning, achieve their personal best and build their emotional, social and physical wellbeing. We aim to educate all students to the highest levels of academic achievement to enable them to reach and expand their potential. We are prepared to train our students to be successful, confident, responsible, and innovative members of society,” higher authorities at the school added.
Soon after taking over the position of the Principal at the school, Ms Ritika Anand has given the school a whole new look. Being a dynamic educator, Ms Ritika Anand and her incredible
leadership qualities bring in an exceptional experience of fourteen long years. Being a exceptional leader she held various leadership positions in well-established British Curriculum schools in Dubai.
Her inspiring learning experience through inclusive and innovative learning techniques has completely transformed Deira Private School in the academic year 2021-2022. She holds a PhD in Chemistry and started her teaching career with teaching University students in India. She moved on to IGCSE, providing quality education to AS and A level students in Dubai.
DePS believes, a happy child is a successful child and we intend that all children should enjoy learning, while achieving their potential and become independent life-long learners.
She is a prominent leader who aims for perfection and is focused on developing the students’ academic skills and helping them hone their wonderful personalities through exciting and engaging events and activities.
DePS has priorities maximising each student's potential since its establishment. To help students realise their interests and help them in mastering them, the school has adopted the personalised learning and teaching model. This model also allows the school to achieve their long-term goal that focuses on inculcating leadership qualities in students, along with increasing the parental engagements to support students to have a well maintained home-school balance and community involvement so that the world becomes a happy community.
Futuristic Educational Institution that Sets them Apart
Being a truly inclusive school with a triggered growth, the school has turned into a futuristic educational institution that hones students' skills and encourages them to choose the field of their interest and excel at it. “DePS follows the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum primary stage two grade and the National Curriculum for
England for students from Year one through to Year 7. DePS offers an enriching program to its students, brining literacy, science, engineering, mathematics, technology, arts and sports. There is also a very strong languages programme where students study French as well as Arabic,” says Ms Ritika Anand.
Adapting to Modern Ways of Learning
Emphasising on the modern ways of learning, the Principal of the school says, “E-learning has been a part of the curriculum from the day one of the school this academic year and children are using apps such as quizzes, polls, Collins Connect, Classkick, Padlet, Class dojo worksheets, MS forms, etc. along with effective and critical questioning, is used and aligned to year-appropriate curriculum content and higher-order thinking skills are inculcated in children.”
Transformative Engagement Model
DePS has worked hard and implemented a transformative student engagement model, which works on all the factors that drive maximum student engagement. This engagement model helps the student in their overall
personality development by assisting them in completing their growth arc in emotional, behavioural and cognitive factors. Pressing on this unique engagement developed by the school, the Principal says, “At any event at a class level, year group or key stage level, children are supported, motivated, rewarded and reminded of their participation. They are followed up and given support so that 100% participation can be achieved.”
Despite being a growing secondary school, DePS has adapted to their school’s personalised learning model to motivate children to set a goal and work towards it. “Children in every lesson are provided with a learning menu so that they can make choices. Students across all phases are highly motivated and are enterprising learners. They contribute significantly to reflect, evaluate and improve the schools' provision in various capacities and meaningfully enhance the experiences of their peers by facilitating and leading various clubs and workshops,” says Ms Ritika Anand.
With such an intuitive learning model, students can now demonstrate a highly developed ability to transfer learning between different subjects and apply their inter-curricular learning to realworld and hypothetical problems in familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
Talking about preparing students for the future, Mr Ritika Anand says, “They seek and cherish new and creative connections as evident in the numerous interdisciplinary events and lessons. With a high level of personalised care and guidance, students feel equipped to make informed choices. From year eight onwards, we will start with career assemblies for parents and students as well as taster lessons to introduce to new subjects for options in IGCSE.”
The Deira Private School has immensely grown under its new
management. The school grew incredibly well in strength, becoming a family of more than 690 students from 170 in just a year. Apart from that, here are some of the noteworthy achievements of the school:
Ÿ Dubai Schools Games: Chess Championship
Ÿ
Emirates Literature Festival Poetry Writing Contest
Ÿ Chevron Readers Cup - Emirates Literature Foundation
Ÿ Education 2.0 Outstanding Leadership Award
Explaining the future plans of the Deira Private School, Ms Ritika Anand says, “We are very sure that DePS will continue to be the school of choice for high quality, genuinely inclusive, futuristic British Curriculum Education in UAE where all students and staff will feel valued, cared for and progressing to maximise their potential. We aim to develop into secondary school with a wide variety of curricular choices.”
I can trust to build my kid's personality and prepare them for the life journey.
- Ali Family
I have been with Deira Private School now for 4 years, it has a very good teachers with good management, I can say that their CEO is personally following up if there a concern related to my kids.
Best thing I like about DePS is their prompt response to any of queries posted by the parents and of course I want to appreciate superb online teaching for both of my kids. Thanks so much to the teachers and management.
- Wazir Family
- Alabdali Family
Always striving!
The teachers and assistants are caring, stern, loving and always there for the students. They have the determination, skill, and passion to teach.
- Al Ali Family
The school is very supportive and cooperative with parents, they have shown support throughout my child's engagement in the school, with regards to all issues we have faced personal, and work related the school have given all the assistance needed.
- Al Mansoori Family
"There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live."
- John AdamsHumans have received
education in two different modes, one is from school, and another is life. Our elders always recite that life is the most prominent school; it teaches us how to live, and the second most crucial place is schools and colleges, which gives us the vision to live our life better.
As human minds perform beyond imagination, schools and colleges have been a cornerstone in shaping young minds towards developing themselves across the globe.
Not just broadening the imagination but also enhancing one's skills, education is acting as a catalyst in the growth and development of the world economy. Catering to this, the educational sector requires bringing impressive changes in itself. In the recent past, the sector has evolved by adopting technology for its growth and expansion.
The expansion has occurred through many international collaborations of schools and colleges while furthering an increase in international admission. Thus, many governments encourage their students to opt for foreign studies.
This exchange of international studies and culture will result in the enhancement of technologies, contributing to the world economy. The primary focus of leveraging the technology is providing comprehensive classrooms for international students.
The technology is bringing significant impacts through developing the online courses and automating the feedback and scoring system. Moreover, the advancement provides students with personalized learning experiences through inclusive classrooms.
Inclusive or comprehensive classrooms/learning provide adequate knowledge to individual students. The inclusive classrooms allow the faculties to reach out to the students who are overlooked in the offline school systems. It helps the postgraduate studies focus on the specialized subjects' principles and theories.
The new technological methodology has positively impacted and given rise to opportunities not just for the upcoming generation but also for today's generation. Accordingly, it has multiple benefits, which have been discussed below:
The inclusive learning/classrooms help engage all the students with their curriculum, giving them an opportunity to achieve their true potential. This new pedagogy also draws the structure
of the student's interests and increases the regular attendance of the learners.
The comprehensive classrooms' primary benefit is endorsing and nurturing diversity in the education sector. Its pre-eminent approach is to bring students from different countries into one classroom and provide equal opportunities to grow and learn. The students also get the chance to widen their networks through this system. It also enriches the relationships between the countries and boosts the cooperation and collaborations of the schools, universities, and other business enterprises.
Earlier, placing the students in exciting jobs was the biggest challenge for institutions. But, since the inclusive or personalized learning system has been introduced in the education sector, the scenario has changed; now, students choose their interest streams, enhance their skills, and grab the satisfied jobs in premium organizations worldwide.
Technological advancements primarily back these growing opportunities; let's see how they enhance learning!
Ways for Influencing the Technology to Enhance Learning Experiences of the International Students Technology has become an essential part of every business sector, and now it is also vital in the education sector, making learning more accessible for the students. The sector is indulging technology in various ways to enhance the learning experiences of the national and international students. Let's see the different forms of how the technology is influencing the learning experiences-
Improving Communication Technology has improved
communication among teachers, students, and parents. In the absence of students, it becomes difficult for the teachers to clear doubts and make learning effective in offline learning systems.
While taking lectures, the teacher can use Padlet or Synth tools for a brainstorming session. The students can post images, record audio, upload videos, or respond to the questions on these tools. They enhance the active discussion among teachers and students while helping them share their ideas in the session, making the lectures more interesting and valuable.
The schools and colleges are using technology and providing a visual presentation to clarify the concepts of the subjects. Sometimes students are not able to understand through the verbal lectures but understand the topic when they visually see graphic images or related cases.
If you have observed that the students of today's generation are techno-savvy. In the unprecedented times of the pandemic, every child owned devices for study purposes, and they spent most of their time surfing and watching informative videos.
The education system also has to leverage various technological advancements to meet the learning needs of today's generation and make the classrooms more comprehensive and innovative while brainstorming new ideas to make the learning more accessible and personalized for the students.
Nicholas James Vujicic is a popular name across the world. He is an inspirational speaker and motivator who often walks up to the stage and owns the crowd. Now that you have pictured the person in your head, did you know that he suffers from a sporadic disorder, tetraamelia syndrome? Despite all the physical difficulties that he still encounters, he has set his mark on the world and established the narrative that
nothing is impossible, no matter how tough the situation gets.
The world is a beautiful place and holds some stories that are not only inspiring but also life-changing for many. Significantly fewer people know that Walt Disney was also born with a special ability. And his quote, "It's fun to do the impossible," is still imparted in the success of Disney.
At the DCSN,
A highly qualified team of teaching staff and therapists work together with the management to ensure the best practice and highest education standards are met.
All these prominent personalities needed special care at some point in their lives. Even the Guinness World record-holding Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan suffered from dyslexia as a child and attended a special care center. Special care centers are meant for that reason, to care for and provide the required needs to the children who need it the most.
The childhood of children born with a special ability is quite challenging; they require constant care, attention and should be educated in a way that fits them in the world ideally. Dubai Center for Special Needs has taken up the responsibility to provide that special care for the special children of the world.
Dr. Mahshid Salehi , the Director of Dubai Center for Special Needs, has transformed the care center, dedicating it to providing the highest service standards in specialized education, vocational training, and therapy to children and young adults of determination.
The Dubai Center for Special Needs has had a humble beginning dating back to the late 1970s with a different name of ' Five Aces .' With the determination of five parents with special needs children, the inception story began in a villa donated by the Late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed AL Maktoum.
However, the school opened a new chapter in 1983 as the Board of Governors decided to dedicate their time and support the Center; hence, the school was renamed ' The Aseef School .'
With constant progress, steadfast determination, and a will to succeed, the founder's dream was set to become
The 10 Most Performing
a reality. In 1995, the school moved to a customs facility and became the Dubai Center for Special Needs.
Dr. Mahshid Salehi has dedicated her career to DCSN, and in the past 31 years of her journey with the DCSN, she has maintained very high educational standards. She is also the person responsible for the excellent training of the team, and with their support, she has taken DCSN to new heights.
Despite her significant role that contributes to every aspect of the Center, she emphasizes the philosophy, "It's not about me, it's all about providing the best for the children and young adults, whether that is through recruiting the best teachers and therapists for DCSN's education and rehabilitation programs or ensuring the students are able to learn in a welcoming, safe and happy environment equipped with the latest possible technologies and therapy equipment."
Dubai Center for Special Needs, a nonprofit organization and school, has dedicated itself to providing the highest standards of service to children and young adults of determination.
Expressing her views on the learning outcome and course objectives, Dr. Mahshid Salehi says, "Our management and staff aim to improve the quality of life of people of determination by promoting their independence, productivity, inclusion,
empowerment, and social participation in an integrated community setting."
To maintain high-quality education at the school, Dubai Center for Special Needs partners with parents who are involved in the learning process of achieving the set goal. The Center, along with parents, teachers, staff members, therapists, and the management, work together to ensure that the children are in good hands and best practices and the highest education standards are met.
However, the school believes that continuous and rigorous assessment of student attainment is the key to maintaining the students' quality education and learning outcomes.
International Schools In Dubai, 2022The Center has also developed a special individual education plan designed to cater to each student's educational needs. The educational approach plan is reviewed and updated depending on the progress of the student.
Many DCSN students have been offered good jobs in reputable companies. A few examples are listed below:
Professional chef in 'Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel.'
Accountant at 'The One.'
An employee at Social Programs and Services Sector in CDA (Community Development Authorities).
As all the schools in Dubai have implemented an eLearning system, DCSN thought that special needs children are no different. The systems adopted and implemented by the school are Seesaw and Zoom, which are used by many mainstream schools in Dubai and all around the world.
Explaining the challenges that were faced during the adoption and implementation of eLearning, Dr. Mahshid Salehi explains, "Teaching students with special needs has its own challenges. Students have either physical or mental disabilities or both and have to overcome many obstacles as they require constant human interaction and help with all their activities for daily living. However, thanks to our new online systems, students are able to engage with their teachers and therapists visually as well as hear them in order to continue their routines and exercises to stimulate the body and mind. With this new way of teaching, we were able to reach all our students and provide not only professional care but creative and thoughtful lessons that the parents and caregivers can enjoy too."
"For some of our other students have been able to access the class timetable through the online platform Seesaw and continue to study as they would have if they were coming to the Center daily. Some of their classes also include music therapy, art, cooking, and physical education live on Zoom with the teachers," Dr. Mahshid Salehi added.
Also, the Rehabilitation team provides consultations with parents regarding children's health and well-being and updates the information online by posting videos and the information needed about cleanliness, hygiene, and its importance.
Student Engagement through Extracurricular and Co-curricular Activities
Student engagement is considered a high priority at Dubai Center for Special Needs. The school involves and includes the special students in the preparation to successfully conduct any event. The students handle every aspect of the event, from costume preparation, props creation, lighting, stage set-up, music, sound management, etc.
Apart from that, horse riding, work placements, winter fair, annual concert, and sports day are some of the few activities that are included in the school's curriculum.
With the new way of teaching, we were able to reach all our students and provide not only professional care but creative and thoughtful lessons that the parents and caregivers can enjoy too.
Ÿ
Year after year, DCSN students have been winning the first prize in different art projects. Ÿ
WINNER of TIME OUT DUBAI KIDS AWARDS
2015: Special recognition for the education of children with special needs. Ÿ PRINCESS HAYA AWARD FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION: Certificate of Excellence, Outstanding Special Needs Center. Ÿ
UAE STAMP DESIGNED by DCSN STUDENTS: Drawings by DCSN students were selected to be adopted as UAE stamps. Ÿ
DCSN students Silver & Gold Medal holders at SPECIAL OLYMPICS GAMES Ÿ
4 DCSN students won silver & gold medals in swimming, horse riding, gymnastics. Ÿ
DCSN student featured in the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS.
Promote independence, productivity, inclusion, empowerment, and social participation in integrated community settings for special children. Ÿ
Promote high-quality, effective communitybased programs and social support services to individuals and their families. Ÿ
Promote the prevention of disabilities through training, public awareness, and services. Ÿ
Provide advocacy, interdisciplinary training, technical assistance, and information dissemination to accomplish the aims given above.
Roadmap for the Future
Envisioning the future of the Dubai Center for Special Needs, Dr. Mahshid Salehi says, "To further promote the learning opportunities for the students, build relationships with the community including schools and companies, raise awareness for the Center, have more classes completing the ASDAN certifications."
All life has purpose and value.
Every individual has unrealized potential for growth and the ability to learn and benefit from education, experience, and social relationships. Ÿ
The family is the first natural support and the fundamental unit of society. Ÿ
Every individual has the right to give and receive love and obtain the support needed to live as a community member.
The acquisition of knowledge in the pursuit of truth is essential to human progress. It is mutually beneficial for people to live, work and associate with each other in an inclusive environment.
The expression of individual uniqueness is essential to personal development; therefore, diversity should be respected. Ÿ
Society is enriched by the understanding and integration of all members of society. Ÿ
Every individual is entitled to effective education, treatment, and to services consistent with their own unique needs. Ÿ
All people deserve dignity and highquality services and support. Abuse, neglect, and discrimination are unacceptable. Ÿ
Coordination and cooperation between educators, other organizations in society, the family, and the individual are all essential in promoting and encouraging opportunities for a better quality of life. Ÿ
When freedom, support, and resources are given, people can live according to their own definition of quality life.
"Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think."
– Albert EinsteinWhat would you think about the quote mentioned above? It probably defines the whole purpose of education. When life starts, it is the education that equips the youngster with the tools and means to fight world battles. Despite being divided by boundaries, the world is shrinking smaller to become a global village.
To prepare the future generation of this global village in this highly technological world where holistic
development and the primary purpose of education is maintained, grooming the younger generation in that atmosphere is extremely important.
In bringing the world together on the same page, the education sector has been working tirelessly for ages. With a similar vision to provide the students with an updated and revised syllabus while keeping the picture of holistic development in mind, GEMS World Academy was established, aiming to train and groom students to prepare them for the future.
The GEMS World Academy is led by the school's Principal and CEO,
Dr Saima Rana . She brought extensive international teaching experience to the school and has taken the school to new heights.
Established in the year 2008 as a full IB School, the school picked up a quick pace and today, the school has 1500 students from Nursery to Grade 12, representing 87 different nationalities. With world-class facilities provided by the school, a few of its highlights include a full Olympic-sized Swimming pool, Planetarium, Sports field and Athletics Track, an Entrepreneurship Hub, 600seater state-of-the-art auditorium, and
Dance and Drama Studios. Including these facilities with outstanding core education facilities (purpose-designed music rooms, classrooms, food technology and science labs) allows the school to deliver and maintain an exceptional international education standard.
GEMS World Academy is an inclusive school with an international curriculum aiming toward the holistic development of the child—the mind, the heart, the spirit, and the body—to expand their horizons, nurture their ambitions and shape their values so they become powerful, caring and intelligent global citizens.
Mission: Education for a Better World Capturing the sense of optimism and determination to succeed that permeates throughout the Academy, the school is on a mission to educate students for a better world. The school aims to develop resilient students with the ability to be tenacious in their quest to be the best in all aspects of their lives.
Emphasising on the mission of the school, Dr Saima Rana says, "We treat every student as an individual. We know them all well. We respect them all. We draw out their individual talents and rejoice in their personal achievements and their individual contribution."
"Our values are based on our GENIUS principles. We want our children to be Grounded, Entrepreneurial, Nurturing, Innovative, Unique, and Sophisticated. Our ethos is student-centred and personalised learning for every student, in a respectful environment so that all our students are safe, secure and successful," Dr Saima Rana added.
The academic objectives for every child at the GEMS World Academy is to be supported, challenged and extended so that they meet their full potential and excel in all subject areas. A huge breadth complements the high expectations in all subject areas in terms of both courses offered and extracurricular options available to students in the academy.
Talking about the academic objectives, the principal of the school says, "We don't believe that learning begins and ends with expanding and disciplined minds. We educate hearts so that our students learn emotional intelligence, about friendship, love and ethical concerns through reading great literature and involvement in a rich arts curriculum, we educate the spirit so that they learn to appreciate the wonder and awe of the world and their lives, and we teach them how to nurture their bodies through teaching them about how to maintain healthy bodies and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Our priority throughout is to produce a holistic education that encompasses all aspects of a student's wellbeing, intellectually, spiritually and physically."
The educational provision at GWA is overseen by a team of highly qualified and experienced IB teachers and supported by a strong middle and senior management team.
Professional development is a weekly occurrence at the school and ensures that teachers are engaging with research and resources related to current best practices in the field of education.
Dr Saima Rana says, explaining how the quality education standards are maintained at the school, "We are rigorous in our recruitment and retention paractices. We insist that only the very best professionals are brought into the school. We are tenacious in our monitoring and accountability systems that ensure that every member of staff, both teaching and nonteaching, understands the values and aims of the school and are ruthless in their pursuit of excellence for all."
"We have a continuous cycle of internal and external learning reviews with a focus on student safety, progression and success," Dr Saima Rana added.
Dr Saima Rana is the Principal/CEO of GEMS World Academy. Leading the school through an enormous refurbishment in the past 18 months, she has set the school on a firm pathway to becoming one of the world's most recognised and reputable International Baccalaureate schools. She is driven by a belief that every student in the school can succeed and insists on the highest professional standards in all work
Programme has gone from strength to strength with over 150 options available to our students.
undertaken in the school. She is an internationally acclaimed educational expert of the highest ethical standards and has an enormously ambitious vision for her students and staff; she shows tireless energy in pursuit of the school's goals. Moreover, Dr Saima Rana also has vast experience in the field, a great love of schools and education generally and is recognised as a leader in her field.
Aiming for Excellence through a Rich and Integrated Curriculum GEMS World Academy is concerned with enhancing, developing, and extending all aspects of its students' development arc. To do this, the school has curated rich and integrated extracurricular and co-curricular experiences and activities for the students. Serving the school's vision through this, the school also ensures that every child is involved in all the activities.
Shedding light on the curriculum developed by the school, the principal of the school says, "At GEMS World Academy, the Enrichment Opportunities Programme has gone from strength to strength with over 150 options available to our students. Teachers and coaches run clubs and activities in the morning before school starts, at morning break and lunchtimes, and after school. Our clubs and activities include
academic-based clubs (related to literacy, maths, science, expressive arts, STEM, etc.), sports-related clubs (athletics, swimming, football, netball, tennis etc.), and clubs for hobbies and recreational interests (Lego club, coding club, cooking club etc.)."
The GEMS World Academy management tirelessly works to explore opportunities and avenues for the future destinations of all its students in the widest possible settings. Explaining the entire process of preparing students for the future, Dr Saima Rana says, "Recognising the future of employment is not something that can be easily predicted, and so partnerships with universities and world-leading business and enterprises have been something crucial to ensuring that we prepare students to be well prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future. Our very broad and balanced curriculum offer, plus our rich and extra enhanced curriculum, ensures that we are able to provide a personalised and bespoke
We encourage all students to participate in as many clubs as possible over the course of the school year and we even ask them for suggestions on additional clubs that we can add into the programme.
educational offer for each student and therefore remain agile enough to cater for all the dreams and hopes of our wonderful students."
Students of all ages and stages are encouraged to look to the future in entrepreneurship, innovation, and social impact lessons. Entrepreneurship is given special importance at GEMS World Academy and is something that the school ensure all children develop entrepreneurial skills. Ms Helen Al Uzaizi, the school director, oversees the integration of entrepreneurship into the curriculum and additional extracurricular opportunities available to our children. So, whether it is Grade 4 students learning about economics, supply and demand in one of their entrepreneurship units, or Grade 10 students trying to secure funding for a product or business venture in a 'Sharks Tank' competition, the children can explore the opportunity to think beyond the traditional boundaries of school life and explore something that they may wish to pursue in their future.
Asserting on the higher education opportunities for the students, Dr Saima Rana says, "We also have a team of college and careers counsellors at GEMS World Academy who works closely with students in Grades 9-12 to identify their interests
and passions as they look to life after GWA and possible destinations and options at universities around the world. By supporting these students when they are young, they are in a fantastic position to be able to make much more informed decisions about their own futures and the directions they wish to take lives. College and University open days, work experience placements, peer and professional mentoring, and one to one counselling sessions help to facilitate this process and give students every opportunity to succeed in life."
Envisioning the school's future, the principal shares, "As a school, we believe in innovation and looking to the future. At a time when increasingly change to social, political and economic orders has become a norm, we know that we need to be educating
Dr Saima Rana Principal/CEO, GEMS World Academy
students to be capable of facing these changes without fear and with a sense of ambition, courage, imagination and tenaciousness based on broad and balanced understandings, a global perspective, deep values of care and honesty, a can-do, will-do attitude and a sense of hope coupled to a brave heart."
"This is what a great education for the future needs, and this is what we are purposefully building here at GEMS World Academy. We pride ourselves on keeping abreast of innovation and creativity as well as locking down the very best of humane values that will ensure every student coming here becomes a forward-looking, decent and valuable citizen in the global community," Dr Saima Rana adds.
Education plays an important role in a person's life. Many factors affect the process of learning among students, which include surrounding factors, teaching quality, and cognitive ability to process the information.
There have been many debates over the years on the improvement of teaching and learning quality in educational institutions. A constant change has been seen in terms of curricula and
teaching methodologies through the years, but there is always a significant scope for improvement in teaching and learning.
In 1980s Neil Fleming, a prominent educator from New Zealand coined the term- 'VARK'. Neil Fleming's innovative teaching model was invented with a special focus on young students. This model categorizes students into groups of four, where each group emphasizes a particularly preferred learning method of teaching which is enjoyable and effective.
VARK (Visual Auditory Reading & Writing Kinesthetics) model refers to students learning styles. It includes different teaching styles for developing children that help them in learning and understanding the concept clearly.
This advanced teaching model considers that every student is unique in their own way, and the same method of teaching might not work for all. Some might not grasp the essence of the lessons, and it might lead to a 'knowledge gap'. To prevent this from happening, there is critical need to constantly update the conservative teaching styles.
VARK affirms that students have different types of approaches for gathering information, and it strives to optimize the teaching and learning pattern by getting the optimum results.
Parts of the VARK Learning Model. VARK is a blend of four important methods in teaching-learning. The importance of those factors and definitions are explained below:
Visual Model: As the name suggests, the visual model is designed for the students who are efficient at acquiring knowledge from visual content like images, maps, power points, and graphic organizers (pie charts, bar diagrams). The students in this group prefer to see with their own eyes and then create notes on their observations.
Auditory Model: Students who are efficient listeners are categorised in this part of the group that acquires knowledge by listening and speaking rather than reading or seeing. Auditory students are considered good speakers they often take part in group discussions.
Read and Write Model: Students that have a liking to read and write, and who acquire knowledge from reading books, blogs, articles, newspapers, etc are categorised in this part of the group. The students in this group are able to translate concepts into essays and have good writing skills when compared to other learning styles.
Kinesthetics Model: Students in this group prefer to learn from hands-on practice or tactical methods of teaching. These students prefer to work practically rather than theory or visual inputs, like programming, cooking a meal, or fixing an engine.
Why VARK Model of Learning is beneficial for primary and secondary students?
Students often complain about getting bored quickly and losing focus in studying. VARK model is created for this sole purpose of improving learning and teaching quality for students and teachers simultaneously. Students perceive information in different forms. A single traditional teaching method may not be considered best for different students with different cognitive abilities. But still, it is being used in munerous educational institutes worldwide. VARK enables teachers to address all the students equally in their preferred learning style, which makes it one of the best styles of learning which addresses individual students and their learning strengths.
Students in the 21st century are surrounded by technology and modern equipment, and they cant be expected to learn the same way as their past generations through traditional mediums. Today for young students, the information is at their fingertips. Children get more exposure to technology and learn through it a lot
faster than reading and writing. Access of mediums like Kindle, Youtube and Ebooks places a plethora of information in front of them. Many institutes have already turned their course syllabus into an audio-video format for students' because at an early age, the human brain develops and absorbs information at an unprecedented speed.
VARK is Multimodal: While it is still new in the education industry, only a hand full of students take the VARK exam. Out of those examees, there are only 39% of students that fits in a single model, 41% is more than one models –(bimodal student). While there are also some students who are capable of entering 3 models (14%) and 4 models (6%).
Teaching Multimodal: At times it may be challenging for the educators to simultaneously teach the same lesson for different models of students.
Multiple tools for studying: VARK gives access to multiple tools from which students and adults can both learn effectively. Rather than focusing on one tool, students have a wide variety of tools and gadgets they can use to learn, like pie charts, animation, presentations, audiobooks etc.
Dopamine: We all know dopamine is released when our brain is stimulated, VARK is a type of stimulation for students, students learn attentively, are more focused, and are active during classes.
TThe kind of education that children receive in their formative years decides the course of their career and personality.
The commercial and competitive scenario in the country has forced the education sector, especially the schools, to focus intensively on the syllabus.
Schools are for the overall growth of the students. Though the focus has been distracted from the fundamental purpose of schools, some of these are effectively making a difference by providing young minds with overall development.
Providing children with appropriate experience from the beginning of their school education will help them be effective in what they do. It also enhances the students' learning abilities. During our quest to find exceptional schools providing holistic development, for our latest editionThe 10 best International Schools in Dubai, we came across The Aquila School . The school has adopted the English National Curriculum to provide its students with a relevant and engaging learning experience.
This unique learning-focused school
opened its doors in September 2018. In a short period of over three years, the school has grown rapidly. With fantastic learning experiences, the school is close to approaching a strength of 900 students from FS1 to year nine.
The school has adopted the English National Curriculum and has designed its syllabus to emphasise learning through inquiry. This approach has allowed the school and students to rely less on textbooks and worksheets. Instead, the school is focused on creating meaningful learning experiences for every child.
“We are proud to be the flagship school for International Schools Partnership (ISP). Therefore, we are privileged to have a purpose-built facility with a range of facilities that enhance our curriculum offering. These include: two swimming pools, science labs, three libraries, design technology workshops, computer suites, indoor sports halls, specialist EYFS play areas, a food technology suite, a hydroponics farm, and much more,” says the Principal of the school, Mr Wayne Howsen .
There are very few schools that have a clear vision and works on it for the
betterment of the community. The Aquila School has articulated its vision through every member of its community. From every adult present on the campus to its students, the school underpins its vision in everything they do.
Being a part of a happy community means providing an amazing learning experience to its students, The Aquila School is on the mission to boost the growth of every pupil. To achieve this noble milestone, the school has adapted to a unique method that allows the students to make choices and have a meaningful learning experience. This method, along with an overall growing experience, also helps the students to be progress-oriented.
Apart from that, the school's values established in its foundation are respect, kindness, excellence, empowerment, cooperation, and honesty.
The Aquila School has a modern curriculum, yet it believes not to overthrow the traditional methods. The school administration understands the importance of reading and has developed the curriculum to ensure children read.
“We want our children to develop a love of reading and make as much progress as possible across all areas of our curriculum. We want our children to be inspired, to love learning, and for our curriculum to be broad and balanced,” says Mr Wayne Howsen.
The school believes in the continuous learning process for students and teachers. Students at the school are carefully monitored and assessed on the basis of the progress, attainment, and standards they maintain at the school.
“At The Aquila School, we do not take ourselves seriously, but we take what we do seriously. As such, we expect our
teachers to be effective, and we hold them accountable for the quality of education they provide and the progress our pupils make. We also empower our teachers to teach our children what they need to learn right now,” added Mr Wayne.
Adapting to e-Learning Being a modern and new age school, The Aquila School quickly adapted e-learning methods. The changing paradigm of the education sector helped oversee the effective learning means. Despite that, the school values the conventional face-to-face education strategies, which the school's management believes is ideal for a student to grow, evolve, and learn.
I believe that children are the future – teach them well and let them lead the way.
“We adapted to e-learning very quickly, and we are delighted to have received the highest rating of ‘developed’ from the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) for our distance learning provision. As a school, we also know that nothing can replicate the experience of learning face-to-face in school, and that is why we are very happy that this year we have no children regularly learning at home. In our school, we follow the COVID rules strictly whilst ensuring our children are safe, happy, and learning. We are transparent about the COVID situation in our school, and as such, our families have trust in the way we implement the rules,” says the school management.
The school is led by Mr Wayne Howsen, an astonishing personality with a futuristic vision. Under his leadership, the school has seen rapid growth, and within three years, The Aquila School is near to achieving the milestone of 1000 students.
“International Schools Partnership (ISP) empowers every school that they own to be the school of choice of their community, and as such, there is no one size that fits all. The philosophy of our school - supported by ISP, is driven by myself as the school principal, as well as my leadership team led by our Head of Primary and Head of Secondary. ISP provides many international learning opportunities for our pupils, ranging from math challenges, reading initiatives, Model
United Nations, and sustainability projects – enhancing the overall experience for our pupils,” says Mr Wayne, emphasising the school’s development arc and enhancing the educational scenario in Dubai.
“As a school, we want to keep it really simple. We want to keep our children safe, happy, and learning. We regularly communicate with families about what is happening so that they know what is going on in our school. We say yes to as many opportunities as we can, especially if it is going to give our children an experience they will remember forever, or something that will actually help them with their learning, no matter how much work it is for us,” added the school’s higher authority.
The school is home to students aged from 3 to 14 years, and everyone in the school is part of the Aquila School family. The school understands the importance of quality communication
and coordination between students from different grades.
Extra-curricular and co-curricular activities are set at the core of the school. The school hosts various themed weeks that engage students in practical learning with an effective student engagement model.
To maintain maximum student engagement on the campus, the school's Principal has designed a unique CAS activity, an activity-based learning model that encourages engagement and learning. “In terms of our after-school CAS activities (community, action, and service) –because pupil choice is at the heart of what we do, we ask our children what CAS activities they would like at the beginning of the year. These are sorted into creative, cultural, academic, and sporting groups for our teachers to run based on their interest and expertise. We offer these free of charge to all our primary and secondary pupils. Ultimately our CAS provision is chosen and directed by our pupils’ interests,” Mr Wayne added.
Preparing Students for the Future “I believe that children are the future –teach them well and let them lead the way. Every day is about preparing our children for the next stage of their
education. We are not focused on explaining ‘this is what transitioning from FS to year 1, or from year 1 to year 2 is like.’ We are more focused on ensuring that teachers communicate with each other, they are following a shared understanding of learning, and that the children are taught what they need to learn right now. Children are resilient and adapt quickly to change,” says Mr Wayne.
For the secondary school, the school management has initiated one of its kind programs called CEIAG, which focuses on Careers, Education, Information, Advice, and Guidance. This is to prepare and equip students with the required tools to help them receive formal education in later years. “We have implemented this programme from year 7, to ensure all pupils are exposed to all the possible careers they aspire to be. The primary aim of the CEIAG programme is to provide our pupils with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed decisions about their career paths,” says Mr Wayne.
“In our secondary school, we also have a variety of lifeskill-developing opportunities for our pupils. These include Ted talks, the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Residential trips, the World Scholars Cup, International Learning Opportunities with ISP, and other leadership opportunities,” Mr Wayne added.
“We are excited that in the coming months, there will be an extension to our current school. The new building will have a canteen and even more specialist facilities for our secondary pupils. Our school has added a new year group every year and will continue to grow and develop to offer up to year 13 in the coming years,” said Mr Wayne Howsen, envisioning the future of the school.
We adapted to e-learning very quickly, and we are delighted to have received the highest rating of ‘developed’ from the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) for our distance learning provision.
Mr Wayne Howsen Principal
