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Excellence in Schools
arts and activity hall; six-lane semienclosed swimming pool and learning pool, football and rugby pitches adhering to FIFA and World Rugby standards; as well as a dedicated dining area for primary school students.
The curriculum has been co-developed and influenced by some of the world’s leading researchers on education, motivation and mindsets, as well as cognitive scientists, including Dr Carol Dweck, Matthew Syed, John Hattie, Guy Claxton, and Graham Powell. AN OUTSTANDING TRACK RECORD Having an extraordinary school leadership team is important because education in the 21st -century is a new frontier, and its learners are a new breed. That is why Citizens School has sought to attract the very best people; something it has achieved with considerable aplomb. Dr Adil Alzarooni, Hisham Hodroge, Ciaran Cunningham-Watson, and Kephren Sherry are all visionaries with vast experience, and approach their work with curiosity, persistence, resilience, flexibility and determination, helping to create a culture that encourages learners to do the same. Dr Adil Alzarooni, Founder of Citizens School, explained: “At Citizens School, we are striving to empower our students to craft their own futures by celebrating and nurturing what makes them unique and providing them with choices alongside the right set of life skills to thrive in the communities of tomorrow. We believe in learning rather than educating because learning is a lifelong pursuit that creates limitless possibilities. As a school born out of Dubai and based in the heart of the city, we share its innate spirit, energy, and optimism for what is possible today and tomorrow, as we play our part in positioning Dubai as a global hub of learning excellence in a diversified knowledge economy.”
Hisham Hodroge, CEO of Citizens School, added: “Dubai is a catalyst for innovation and from Dubai, we aim to disrupt the way education is provided in the region by capitalising on a unique offering that centres on the child. Through engagement with our partners, regulators and key stakeholders, we aim to achieve an ambitious school for the benefit of our future generations.” “Blenheim Schools is delighted to be partnering with Al Zarooni Emirates Investments to support the launch of the groundbreaking Citizens Education Hub project. The Blenheim Schools team has a proven track record of outstanding educational leadership with real integrity, a passion for schools as learning communities and a commitment to excellence. Citizens School will nurture and promote the learning and welfare of all students and enable outstanding futures for the children of today and tomorrow,” Anita Gleave, Founder and CEO of Blenheim Schools, concluded. UNRIVALLED FACILITIES The Citizens’ 43,000m2 school campus, programme and approach have been thoughtfully curated to re-shape learning, enabling students to thrive as citizens of the future, by focusing on wellbeing, imagination and enabling outstanding outcomes for everyone. The groundbreaking Citizens School site is double the size of other schools in the same catchment area, with a capacity for 2,600 children between ages 3-18; a 2,900m2 open playing and recreation area; ample parking; a 1,250m2 multi-purpose performing
PAYING WITH CRYPTOCURRENCY Underlining its visionary nature, Citizens School has announced that it will accept cryptocurrency as a mode of payment, making it the first of its kind in the Middle East to let parents pay tuition fees using digital currency. It will accept payments from the two major cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), providing parents with flexible payment options. This is in addition to traditional forms of payments and interest-free monthly payment options that Citizens School will offer. Payments using cryptocurrencies are accepted through a tie-up with a digital currency platform that processes cryptocurrency payments and automatically converts them to dirhams. Hisham Hodroge commented: “Introducing the ability to pay tuition fees through cryptocurrencies goes beyond just providing another payment option. It is aimed at creating an interest in growing trends and breakthrough technologies that will have a profound effect on the lives of young generations. It is also a means to further drive interest in the applications of blockchain – a technology that Citizens School intends to deploy, in time, across several aspects of its academic and administrative operations.” 8BILLIONIDEAS Citizens School has also announced that it will be joining forces with leading global education platform 8billionideas to build a unique programme centred around developing the entrepreneurial skillset for children, providing them with the opportunity to create and develop new ideas. Students will get to work on an invention every week, have access to an entrepreneurial mentor, experience world-class lessons and experiences in the field, as well as take advantage of a Citizens Ventures funding programme. Children will be able to share their learning among a close-knit community, giving them real-time insight on future
