Need urgent feedback with regards to schools asap plz!!!

Thankyou! I'm happy to hear that as we are also Arab by origin but as we were born & raised in the UK our Arabic is not perfect but we want our kids to learn as much Arabic as possible. We can read & write to a certain level & we both speak the language in our respective dialects, my son also understands & speaks it as a second language. I think they didn't mention it as we have British passports, so they must have assumed we would go for the Arabic for non-Arabs...I will email them to let them know what we want. Thanks so much for that ☺️ Sounds like your background is similar to mine, in which case if I was you I would push for Arabic for Arabs. At GWPS they have different level groups within Arabic for Arabs, it's not that all children take the same because they recognise that there are children that move to Dubai as Arabs but don't speak Arabic, but have to take Arabic for Arabs so they try to accomodate. As long as you know the basics then you can help with the homework and might find that you learn some things yourself...or at least that's certainly the case with me as I speak our dialect of Arabic but struggle with reading and writing! I told them that we have British passports but I want my daughter to take Arabic for Arabs as we are originally Arabs and that was never an issue with the school. Worst case you always have the option to fall back on your British passports and ask for your children to be moved to Arabic for non-Arabs later in the year (I know people that have done this). If you have decided on GWPS, you'll find that the Arabic teachers are quite personable with the parents and will call to speak to you at any time on your child's progress which is reassuring as they tell you the areas where they may need particular focus. That's great. I've just emailed the registrar about it & hopefully we will be accepting their offer this week ? So happy that's out of the way! Can I just ask where do parents whose kids go to gwps or nearby schools live? We had a quick look and found that the area (jumeirah) is quite expensive! I know they have buses but, if we have to use it, I don't want my child in the bus for too long... If you're not insistent on villa living then apartments on the GWPS side of Shk Zayed road are not very expensive if you pick an older building... we used to stay in Jumeirah Skyline Residence and our rents were AED 110 for a 3 bedroom however if you want to go for villas then you will need to look for villas in satwa or al badaa for cheaper rents... but be warned the area is not the best for families as they have many of the older villas being used as shared accommodation among single women, bachelors, etc.

Thankyou! I'm happy to hear that as we are also Arab by origin but as we were born & raised in the UK our Arabic is not perfect but we want our kids to learn as much Arabic as possible. We can read & write to a certain level & we both speak the language in our respective dialects, my son also understands & speaks it as a second language. I think they didn't mention it as we have British passports, so they must have assumed we would go for the Arabic for non-Arabs...I will email them to let them know what we want. Thanks so much for that ☺️ Sounds like your background is similar to mine, in which case if I was you I would push for Arabic for Arabs. At GWPS they have different level groups within Arabic for Arabs, it's not that all children take the same because they recognise that there are children that move to Dubai as Arabs but don't speak Arabic, but have to take Arabic for Arabs so they try to accomodate. As long as you know the basics then you can help with the homework and might find that you learn some things yourself...or at least that's certainly the case with me as I speak our dialect of Arabic but struggle with reading and writing! I told them that we have British passports but I want my daughter to take Arabic for Arabs as we are originally Arabs and that was never an issue with the school. Worst case you always have the option to fall back on your British passports and ask for your children to be moved to Arabic for non-Arabs later in the year (I know people that have done this). If you have decided on GWPS, you'll find that the Arabic teachers are quite personable with the parents and will call to speak to you at any time on your child's progress which is reassuring as they tell you the areas where they may need particular focus.

In some schools there is Arabic A, B & C A - for fluent Arabic speakers B- for those who speak Arabic as a second language at home C- for none Arabs / none Arabic speakers Agree with Sey - if a child is exposed to some Arabic at home, s/he might be fine with Arabic A. I thought my son will struggle with Arabic at school, he's in FS2, but he is doing fine and he can already read & write in Arabic. His spoken Arabic now is much better since he started school. He was raised bilingual but English was easier for him when he was younger.

Hiya, I can't really help with whether or not you should pay for the assessment or not, because that is really a personal decision. What I can do is give you some reassurance with regards to GWPS. I have a child there in year 2 and my youngest starting in FS2 in September. My eldest has been there since FS2. I honestly have very little negative to say about the school. The current principal only started this year, and the school is going from strength to strength so I can only really seeing it improving. The biggest issue for me personally is probably Arabic and Islamic, but i'm not sure that those would be of much importance to you, and even then I can't say that they are bad it's just that the need to re-evaluate the way that they educate these subjects - which is something that I know is now of high focus for the school. This is an issue in a lot of schools and certainly not unique to GWPS, the methods for teaching Arabic and Islamic are somewhat dated and the curriculum is fixed by the KHDA so it's a tough area. I think if you have been to see GWPS and got a good feeling then I would just go with it. Everyone has a different opinion/feel about schools and you will never get a right or wrong answer, so go with what has given you the best vibe. You will have so many adjustments right now that I would probably try to keep things simple and at least give your mind some rest when it comes to the schools. GWPS is certainly not a bad school and I don't think you will regret your choice. I hope this helps! Sey83 - I wanted to ask you about the Arabic classes at gwps as I forgot to ask the school when I did the tour! I've heard some schools have two types of Arabic classes depending on the child- arabic A for those whose first language is arabic & arabic B for those who don't speak Arabic...is that the case in gwps aswell? If so, do the parents decide which one they want for their child? Thanks in advance. Hiya, yes it's the same as what you have described. They have Arabic for Arabs and Arabic for non-Arabs. The children automatically get assigned into Arabic for Arabs if they have Arab passports and Arabic for non-Arabs for all other nationalities. Having said that we have British passports but we are of Arabic origin so I requested Arabic for Arabs for my daughter which was no issue at all. The Arabic for Arabs have a class every day, Arabic for non-Arabs is three times a week. On top of that my daughter has Islamic three times a week (Arabs have Islamic in Arabic and non-Arab Muslims have Islamic in English). I have always thought that anybody who has a child starting Arabic right from the start (be it Arab or non-Arab) should try the Arabic for Arabs. There is a huge difference in what they learn and they come out properly knowing how to read and write. Even though we are Arabs, my daughter could barely say two words in Arabic when she first started and just spoke English at home and is doing fine. I know children that have done Arabic for non-Arabs for pretty much every year of their school life and can barely speak two words so it seems to be more of a tick the box exercise which is a shame. However, if they are coming to Dubai in older school years then they would struggle with Arabic for Arabs. I think Lolacat also makes a good point which is that you would struggle with the Arabic homework if there are no native Arabic speakers at home. The Arabic workload is higher than the English workload, I can't say we spend hours doing the homework, but as she still struggles with the language somebody needs to sit with her to explain what she is reading and help her writing (usually me but my Arabic isn't great but we get by!) - unfortunately Arabic is a very very difficult subject and there is a huge difference in classical Arabic, which is what is taught and how we read and write, and spoken colloquial Arabic, where every country speaks quite differently - there are some Arabic accents that other Arabs can't even understand! Having said all of this, I also know that a child not doing well, or failing, Arabic would not affect their academic progress in the school. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

There is no *think* about it. Arabic is mandatory for all students in Dubai. Exceptions can be sought for children who have special needs, i.e. dyslexia. All schools have to adhere to the number of hours set by KHDA for non-Arabic and Arabic speakers. Unfortunately Arabic for non Arabic speakers is not always taught to the same standard of other mainstream subjects, even though the number of hours imparted is quite a lot. The KHDA inspection reports often flag this area up. You would need to discuss with the individual school about moving into an Arabic A stream, although this is quite rare and very hard to do, without being a native Arabic speaker yourself you may find the homework load very hard to deal with. I would suggest you settle in to school and see how Arabic and the timetable is implemented before you rush into making any decisions.

Hi I think all schools have Arabic and Arabic B. I think if your child has an Arab passport they have to do Arabic A. You may be able to opt out of this at special request but the policy is designed to promote the Arabic language. Children with a significant special need can app,y to opt out of Arabic altogether.

Go for the smaller more nurturing school, take the WPS place and don’t waste your money with any more schools.

Dont confuse yourself by adding a third option (repton) to the mix. Horizon and WPS are both lovely schools. Accept their offers (whichever comes first) and move on with other more important stuff that comes with moving to a new country,

Hiya, I can't really help with whether or not you should pay for the assessment or not, because that is really a personal decision. What I can do is give you some reassurance with regards to GWPS. I have a child there in year 2 and my youngest starting in FS2 in September. My eldest has been there since FS2. I honestly have very little negative to say about the school. The current principal only started this year, and the school is going from strength to strength so I can only really seeing it improving. The biggest issue for me personally is probably Arabic and Islamic, but i'm not sure that those would be of much importance to you, and even then I can't say that they are bad it's just that the need to re-evaluate the way that they educate these subjects - which is something that I know is now of high focus for the school. This is an issue in a lot of schools and certainly not unique to GWPS, the methods for teaching Arabic and Islamic are somewhat dated and the curriculum is fixed by the KHDA so it's a tough area. I think if you have been to see GWPS and got a good feeling then I would just go with it. Everyone has a different opinion/feel about schools and you will never get a right or wrong answer, so go with what has given you the best vibe. You will have so many adjustments right now that I would probably try to keep things simple and at least give your mind some rest when it comes to the schools. GWPS is certainly not a bad school and I don't think you will regret your choice. I hope this helps!

How old is your child and how academically focused are they? I was in a similar position last year and my children did the assessments for Repton and a Gems school through their own school at home who coordinated it with the Registrar there. Do the tour, don't do the assessment yet and don't rush your decision. If financially it is difficult for you and you find you are happy with the other schools that you have seen, then make your decision on the that basis. But try to see all the schools would be my advice and then decide which fits best with both your budget and your child's needs.

Regarding Repton The 1500 AED ( 500 registration fees+ 1000 assessment fees ) You can go to the tour without paying that sum of money. Check the school facilities and how do you feel about it. Or You can pay registration fees and ask to postpone the assessment if you want to take your time

Is that the original Horizon (near Safa Park) or Horizon International? Is the 1500 for one child or for more? Repton did achieve outstanding in the recent round of inspections. How did the other schools fare? Have you done a tour of Repton to see how it feels to you?