Welcome to Brighton College Dubai: Offering the Very Best in British Education

Brighton College was named as the ‘The Most Forward Thinking School in Britain’ in Autumn 2017 by The Week Magazine.

Our campus will give expression to this as we open and develop in the years ahead. An example of what is meant is seen in our own ‘Creative Learning Centre’ which will be a true reflection of that recently opened at Brighton College UK. The use and development of this Centre is one of the many areas that BCD will link to our sister Schools around the world.

Across my professional experience of 4 leading HMC independent schools in the UK, I have seen many great features of traditional British education, each with a forward-thinking ambition. Our purpose in the UAE with Brighton College is to found in Dubai our authentic vision of leading British curriculum schooling based on the excellence seen at Brighton College UK.

This is already exemplified by our sister Schools in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain who have established themselves among the top schools in the Middle East, and that will also be my goal for Brighton College Dubai.

Brighton College Dubai offers the excellence of a broad and enriching Brighton education to the pupil of Dubai in what will be a unique combination of facilities in Dubai based out of our self-contained campus for Brighton College as well as access to common additional resources for sport, arts and performance adjacent to the School.

The campus construction has met each development milestone and is on track to welcome our pupils on the first day of school in September.

The Centre of Excellence for Arabic Language, Culture and Arts will offer a comprehensive and engaging educational program focused on the learning and retaining of the Arabic language for pupils of all ages, including native and non-native speakers.

It will also provide training and support for teachers of the Arabic curricula subjects to guarantee the implementation of excellent pedagogical practices and standards across all Arabic subjects, and ensure a positive learning environment for all pupils. The Centre will also provide opportunities for immersion in the rich Arab culture and heritage through an appreciation for its art, music and traditions.

Brighton College Dubai is a member of the family of Brighton College Schools. The branch structure within Brighton recognizes the uniqueness of each school but supports the educational development of children by benefiting from being linked in initiatives and best practice across all the Schools; here in the UAE, in Thailand and of course from the UK itself.

The UAE Vision for outward engagement is based on fundamental appreciation of the importance of communication and connectivity.

To support this, a key focus for Brighton in Dubai will be the enrichment of the teaching and learning of the Arabic language, so that we can make a notable contribution to the Emirate’s National Agenda for education. I want our Arabic teachers to enthuse about their subject and to inspire their pupils to achieve outstanding results.

Our ‘Creative Learning Centre’, which I previously mention, is also a source of generating innovative approached to learning which is very learner centered and ties in with priorities on engagement in learning and innovation.

Everything that is achieved within a school is based on the hard work and endeavor of pupils, staff and the wider community. My aim is to provide an environment where individuals and groups feel confident and empowered to make decisions and then follow these through with concerted action.

Delegated autonomy with accountability is how I know Brighton College Dubai<?strong> will flourish and I am excited by the enthusiasm of applicants as they have come forward seeking positions at the School.

My task, and that of the school management team, is to structure and direct that enthusiasm, just as all staff are charged to structure and direct the enthusiasm of our pupils.

We live in a world that is unrecognizable compared to previous generations in terms of the interconnectivity of people. The opportunities for partnership, innovation and progress in so many areas of life are truly immense.

The challenge for the educator and the learner is to not be swamped by opportunity. Rather the focus for this year, and many to come, is to interpret the areas where core personal qualities and attributes can be developed.

These include traditional aspects of communication and mathematical literacy, alongside scientific enquiry and cultural awareness. Content knowledge is important in learning but the ease of access to information which is so available now leads us to conclude that it is the attributes of learning that ultimately will have greater impact compared to the specifics of curriculum content.

Therefore our focus in the year ahead at Brighton College Dubai is to establish our school which will impart or provide:

• A love of learning for its own sake
• A foundation of knowledge and body of skills with which to understand and question the world we live in and to prepare them, through an innovative approach to education, for the world which they will inhabit in the future
• An awareness and appreciation of the spiritual dimension in our lives
• An enthusiasm for the world beyond the classroom – in particular, sport, music and the performing arts
• A respect for difference in others and a recognition that the efforts and achievements of every individual in our community are valued equally.