< Previous10 Time Out UAE Kids Education 2020/21 school holidays and academic progress. This tool can be fully managed electronically and serves as a reference. Quick facts • If you’re transferring schools within Abu Dhabi, every institution manages its own process, but you’ll require a transcript or evidence of attending school. • All fees are approved by ADEK and schools must only charge the approved fees. • Tuition payment deadlines are set as per school requirements. However, schools can’t demand the full year payment in one bill. • Private schools must charge their yearly fees over three payments, the first of which should be no sooner than one month prior to the start of the academic year. • Schools have to obtain approval from ADEK in order to increase their fees, which is only granted if the school can provide sufficient justification. • There is no rule governing the level of increase allowed for a school as this is on a case by case basis. Mum and Dad Tell your parents about anything you need help with at school. Don’t panic School is a fun journey where you’ll learn plenty of new things. Stay organised Keep every paper they give you at school to review it later at home. FOR KIDS 12 Time Out UAE Kids Education 2020/21 T he UAE is home to hundreds of private schools, providing curricula from all corners of the globe. The most popular options include the British curriculum – from early Foundation Stage to GCSE and A-Level – to American, Australian, French and Indian. The major curricula offered in the UAE are British, American and IB, but there are plenty of other options so if the big three don’t feel right for you, look deeper. Want to know more about curricula and how to choose the right one? You can avoid any confusion by doing your research thoroughly. “There are many great resources online where parents can gather more information about the different curricula offered here in the UAE,” Asia Diaz of Clarion School says. “It’s also important to know your children and how they learn. Do they need a structured environment? Are they more creative? Are they very academic? Knowing your kids will help you pinpoint a curriculum and school that best meet their needs. Yes, it’s hard to know your kids’ style at the young age of three or four, but something will stand out.” Base your curriculum decision on how long you Choosing a Curricula envisage yourself staying in the UAE. Your choice should enable your children to seamlessly go to a school in your home country in the sequential grade, not skipping or delaying a grade. Most importantly, look for your children to be challenged and positively engaged in their learning. With all of that in mind, we have outlined the curricula choices available throughout the UAE to help you make an informed choice as to which one suits your child the best. American curriculum This curriculum doesn’t lock children into a system that they will need to follow up to Grade 10 or 11. Students are encouraged to study a broad range of subjects up to university level and the curriculum is less geared towards in-depth study. Importance is given to the personal development of each child, so subjects that have not been mastered can be repeated. However, there is no standardised core curriculum monitoring, because it is flexible and various states follow their own programmes. There are no “sudden death” Know what options are available so you can make an informed choice that’s right for your childTime Out UAE Kids Education 2020/21 13 exams as the curriculum is focused on constant assessment throughout the year instead. As there are no set standards, though, the quality of education can vary, even among the few American curriculum schools to be found in the UAE. Pros • Students can easily transfer into and out of US schools in Dubai. • Students can repeat subjects if they fail. • There is constant assessment, which helps to reduce stress from facing major exams. Cons • There is no standardised performance monitoring (US curricula vary widely from state to state). • It is less geared towards in-depth study than some of the other curricula. Australian curriculum This curriculum is based on the assumption that every student can learn and that the needs of every student are equally important. This ethos enables high expectations to be set for each student as teachers account for the levels of learning of individual students. The approach aims to develop students’ key skills so they become successful and qualified individuals once they enter their professional lives. Assessment is carried out on a project-by-project basis. There is less emphasis on specific content and greater emphasis on process, Pros • The standards are high and the curriculum is holistic with a strong academic element that’s recognised worldwide. • It’s a broad curriculum with a wide selection of options. Cons • The choice of schools in Dubai is limited. British curriculum Students are encouraged to think for themselves, form opinions, relate to others and gain experience in taking responsibility for their own actions and decisions. The British curriculum is divided into a number of year blocks, which are called Key Stages, as well as the Early “You can avoid any confusion by doing your research” particularly higher order thinking and enquiry. The curriculum also provides students with a wide range of academic options. The learning is holistic, with a strong academic element, and the qualifications gained through Australian schools are accepted at the majority of universities. 14 Time Out UAE Kids Education 2020/21 Years Foundation Stage, which covers pre-schoolers. The term “British School” does not necessarily mean the school is following the British curriculum. GCSE, IGCSE and A-Level qualifications are internationally recognised and respected, and are accepted at the vast majority of universities worldwide, because the British curriculum is a strictly regulated education system. However, some reports suggest that overall marking standards have fallen in recent years. Pros • The curriculum is strictly regulated by the same British government standards that schools in the UK are subject to. • Students study for qualifications that are widely recognised across the world. Cons • Recent reports have suggested marking standards may have fallen. French curriculum This curriculum follows the programme of study that has been established by the French Ministry of National Education and is officially recognised by the French government. At Kindergarten level (ages two to six) the French école maternelle is more than just a play school; the curriculum includes reading and writing, numeracy and sometimes a foreign language, as well as creative activities. Primary school consists of five classes for children aged six to 11. The French primary school curriculum includes literacy and numeracy, with classes in French, arithmetic, geography, history, the arts and English. The college programme (ages 11 to 15) includes French, maths, history, geography, technical education, art or music, physical education, civic education and some science. This is an excellent option for students of French origin who are looking to continue their education in France, but schools are limited if you wish to stay in the UAE. Pros • At Kindergarten level children are taught numeracy, literacy and sometimes a foreign language in addition to creative activities. • The curriculum is assessed at the expense of the French taxpayer, so the French government takes a keen interest in academic standards. Cons • Although French colleges are a good option for students aged 11 to 15, the options are limited in the UAE. Indian curriculum (CBSE and ICSE) There are two choices of Indian curriculum in Dubai: the Central Board of Secondary “The British curriculum is a strictly regulated system”Time Out UAE Kids Education 2020/21 15 Education (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE). Both curriculum choices set high standards and are very challenging for students. The CBSE is considered more scientific in its approach, with each syllabus divided into segments taught throughout the year. This approach allows students to balance the different elements of their studies. The ICSE is considered to be very tough academically, with a lot of facts that need to be committed to memory. For both systems, the academic standard is incredibly high, with the emphasis on core subjects such as maths, languages and science. However, the traditional Indian system is sometimes criticised for its reliance on exam-based grading and rote learning, rather than allowing learners to develop their problem-solving skills through their studies. Pros • The academic standard is incredibly high. • There is an emphasis on core subjects. Cons • The curricula are tough academically, with lots of factual information to be memorised. • A reliance on exams means there is less focus on learning problem-solving and reasoning. International Baccalaureate (IB) This programme runs from FS1 (three years old) through to sixth form. The Primary Years Programme, which is for students up to Grade 6, offers an integrated curriculum, enabling children to learn through guided exploration and structured inquiry. Children take an active approach to learning, taking part in team projects that require them to use a number of skills from an early age, such as public speaking and putting together presentations. The curriculum focuses on developing personal skills that students will require for life after school, rather than just academic achievement. However, students must prove they can keep up with the workload. Pros • The curriculum encourages students to take an active approach in learning, with teamwork and other personal skills included in studies. • Pupils are marked by teachers and moderators, and standards are generally high. Cons • Students are given a challenging workload and many struggle to keep up with it, especially in the later years.16 Time Out UAE Kids Education 2020/21 C hoosing your child’s school is a very serious business. Depending on where you live coupled with so many other important factors and considerations like – whether you work, your family and support network, your curricula preferences, any additional needs your child may have… And a whole lot more besides – it may seem like there’s too much choice or very few options. It’s a huge decision to make so how do you even know where to start? Don’t panic. Rachel Higgins, headmistress at GEMS Jumeirah Primary School has some pointers to help you ensure that the choice you make is the best one for you and your child. Once you’ve decided on which curricula would best suit your family circumstances, Higgins says that a consideration is “whether a parent would like a stand- Choosing a primary school alone primary or for their child to be part of a through school (FS1 – Year 13).” She says both have their merits so it is definitely worth exploring both options available to you. “If selecting a stand- alone primary school, you would need to consider which secondary school they naturally feed into so you are choosing a journey, which suits your family,” explains Higgins. Other things to consider are whether you’d prefer an established school with history and a proven track record within the context of Dubai or a newer school which may offer certain facilities you deem to be important for your children’s education. “Location is also a consideration, many parents prefer a community school where your children can walk or bike to school. This will very much depend on where your family would like to reside while in Dubai,” she adds. Higgins believes that looking at the KHDA ratings are a good place to start. “Within Dubai each school has a report written annually from the Dubai School Inspection Bureau, which gives What to look for and what questions to ask Time Out UAE Kids Education 2020/21 17 you information by curriculum, about a variety of schools.” Higgins explains that if a school is rated as outstanding, this means they have to be outstanding in a wide range of parameters including attainment, progress, personal development and leadership. But she also points out that not all outstanding schools are outstanding in all of those areas, so it is worth looking deeper within a school’s report at the areas which your family deem to be important to get a more holistic feel, before visiting the schools. Once you’ve narrowed down the schools you are interested in for your children, it’s important to book yourselves in for a school tour. “Ask about the level of parental involvement during your child’s learning journey. What support can you expect to receive from the school in order to fully engage with your children? Ask what the school believes makes them unique and why the school believes you should choose their school over other schools with similar features,” she says. The idea should be for parents to have a list of queries they have prepared in order to then be able to use these to compare responses from different schools. “When visiting a school your prime aim is to get an overall perspective for the school and a sense of community. Ask yourself at every point of the tour, ‘can I see my child here?’ and consider whether the children within the school seem happy, enthusiastic and engaged,” Higgins says. “On the tour, ask yourself, ‘does what I am hearing resonate with me and our family values?’ Most parents report on the feel of a school as being the most important deciding factor.” Higgins adds that she would always recommend touring schools from your short list more than once as it can be quite confusing seeing multiple schools within a short space of time. All good schools, will welcome a second tour to help you support a good decision. And what about the children themselves? “Children will see schools from a very different prospective and should be integrated within the tour and able to ask questions. It is important for children to have access to the classrooms and play spaces so that they can gain a better perspective of what life may be like for them if they join the school,” says Higgins, adding that: “Children should have access to current pupils and have the ability to chat to them about the life at the school. Ultimately children, like adults, will always be able to tell whether a school feels just right for them.” BE PREPARED Does the school have an ethos, culture and values that suit my family? Does the school have an option to continue the journey from FS1 to Year 13? Either within its setting or as a natural feed to a secondary school. Is the price point something, which we as a family consider value for money? What do other people say about the school? Does it offer the options I would deem important for my child? How did I feel as I entered the building? Do the resources match what I feel my child would need in order to give them an outstanding education (this includes outstanding teachers)? Rachel Higgins suggests that parents should have specific questions in mind that they want answers to ahead of visiting school websites, school comparison websites and the school itself. Questions such as… Rachel Higgins18 Time Out UAE Kids Education 2020/21 W hen you first hold your tiny, perfect newborn in your arms, thoughts of anything beyond having an infant feel like a lifetime away. But every parent knows that time goes frighteningly quickly and before long they are crawling, saying their first word, toddling off to nursery, being brave on their first day of school, bringing home homework, joining school sports teams and then, before you know it, they are starting the first day of their last year in primary education. It’s a heart-wrenching time for parents in many ways. The teenage years are looming and with that, the bittersweet threat of them starting to become their own person, to be more self-sufficient and utlimately, to need Mum and Dad less. There are of course things for which they do still need your help and one of those is helping them to decide where the next stage of their educational career is going to take them. “It’s important that parents look at secondary schools while keeping the end in mind – once in high school, students need to be thinking about colleges and universities. If they have a preference for a particular college, country or subject, they need to work with the college counsellor to ensure that the pre-requisites for this will be covered at the school,” says Linda Winch, head of upper school at Dwight School Dubai. So what sorts of questions should parents be asking when they have a look around an institution? Winch suggests that: “they should ask about the vision and mission of the school to find out what sets this school apart from others and to discover how a particular school matches the ambitions, interests and aptitudes of their own child.” “The size of a school is also important, will a large school or a smaller one suit their child and their learning style? Class size and teacher ratio is also key, as is looking at how the school practices differentiation and inclusion.” Winch explains. Barry Cooper, deputy head academic at Brighton College Dubai adds that it is “important to meet as many teachers as possible, to find out if they are settled in Dubai. Do they excite you when you talk to them? Are they passionate about what they do? As much as we may focus on facilities, without inspirational teachers the experience at school will be flat and unengaging.” “What does the school look for in good teachers? How do they bring Arabic into the whole school curriculum? Does the school have a focus on cultural education? I would also ask about what the Choosing a secondary school An education in choosing the right school for your children beyond their primary years “The size of a school is important, as is class size and teacher ratio”Time Out UAE Kids Education 2020/21 19 school’s policy is on phones and other distractions. At Brighton College Dubai we forbid personal phones during school hours and also ban designer items,” Cooper says. As a parent it’s important to recognise that the transition from primary to secondary is a huge change in your child’s life that may come with a bit of stress and some anxiety. “Most schools will have orientation and induction programmes in place before the official school year starts, this should be something the parents enquire about. They should find out about the pastoral care, counselling and advisory programmes available at the school,” says Winch. Cooper adds: “You should be asking your children as many questions as you can. Be excited about their new journey and get them excited. The more you engage, the more they will consider what is different and what is the same. Talking about those differences helps young people to identify where they may feel anxious and more importantly, why.” But utlimately, you have to keep in mind that, “every child is different so a school that is right for one may not be right “A school that is right for one child may not be right for another” for another,” states Cooper. Tweenagers they may be, but the truth is, they still need to hold your hand for the big decisions – so our advice? Make the most of it...Next >