Moving to Dubai- schools advice please!

Irishgirl2016

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Latest post on 07 September 2016 - 15:38

Hi! We are moving to Dubai soon and I'm trying to research schools but it's very confusing! My kids are 6 & 8.

I'm hoping some of you could give me advice on schools that are within a reasonable driving distance from The Springs. Don't want to be stuck in traffic all day. Anyone know if GEMS founders & Oak tree primary are very far from there?

Any advice on choosing schools would be most welcome. I'm a total novice at this .

Thanks!

Shardee

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Latest post on 13 October 2016 - 17:08

Hey, Sorry to be writing a different query, but i am living in dubai for past couple of years but trying admission for my lo in FS1, just wanted to know if anyone has a heads up on whether its easier to get through your preferred school in FS2, in case you missed one in FS1?? please do write in your inputs at tle earliest, TIA

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Irishgirl2016

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Latest post on 17 September 2016 - 10:18

Bump

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RosaHibiscus

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Latest post on 15 September 2016 - 11:13

My son is happy there. Everyone seems really nice.so far a very good experience. I think the number of students will increase over the year but so far is a relatively small school. We live downtown and it's about 15/20 minutes drive.

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Irishgirl2016

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Latest post on 14 September 2016 - 16:26

Bump! Anyone currently got their kids in Oak Tree primary? How are they getting on? Where are good locations to live for convenient drive to Oak tree? (20 mins max!)

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Irishgirl2016

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Latest post on 11 September 2016 - 23:24

Thanks for all the replies, all very helpful. I'll certainly check out all the other schools you mentioned. Would love to hear more feedback from anyone who has kids in Oak Tree.

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RosaHibiscus

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Latest post on 11 September 2016 - 14:21

We are new to Dubai, so I can't really advice on the traffic. We moved from Scotland and the curriculum is different but my son goes to OakTree and so far we are very pleased with it. Everyone seems really nice and the school has good facilities. I know another mum from my son's class who lives in the springs and she seems to be okay with the traffic, I think she mentioned anything around 15/20 minutes which is the same for us (we stay in downtown). Good luck

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nicnac2015

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Latest post on 10 September 2016 - 11:12

DBS, is great location for living in the Springs. We were in Springs 2 and our kids age 12 & 15 were able to walk to school. We have recently moved but still in walking distance to the school. When we moved to Dubai we organised the school first, then found somewhere to live close by. Good luck with your search!

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Silvstet

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Latest post on 10 September 2016 - 07:42

Hi! We are moving to Dubai soon and I'm trying to research schools but it's very confusing! My kids are 6 & 8. I'm hoping some of you could give me advice on schools that are within a reasonable driving distance from The Springs. Don't want to be stuck in traffic all day. Anyone know if GEMS founders & Oak tree primary are very far from there? Any advice on choosing schools would be most welcome. I'm a total novice at this . Thanks! The Oak tree school is far from the Springs, you will soon get fed up with that school run and the roads here in Dubsi has heavy traffic, lots of erratic driving and generally unsafe, try to find a school close to where you live is my biggest advice. DBSin the Springs is a very good school kind of within budget,but can be difficult to get a space. Regent in the Greens is also British curriculum and also one of the lower priced schools. I think most of the new schools has fees of +50k a year.

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Irishgirl2016

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Latest post on 09 September 2016 - 16:50

Thanks girls! Good to hear positive things about oak tree primary. Very excited about the move.....but nerve wracking too though! Is it hard to get to meet people?? Not working will be a very new experience for me!!!

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Gummiebear23

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Latest post on 09 September 2016 - 01:48

Hi there, can I join this thread? I'm an Irish mom too. Dollybird, what ages are your teens? My older two are 14 and almost 13. Younger two are 8 and 3. The older two are currently in 1st and 2nd year in Ireland. Not sure I'll be able to get the older lad into a age appropriate class for Sept 17 as the GCSE course is two year course. Are many companies paying for school fees now, I hear many differing comments on this.

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The Russian

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Latest post on 08 September 2016 - 14:32

Oak Tree Primary would be about 15-minutes drive, and the traffic would be better compared to GEMS Founders. I pass by the latter in the morning around the drop off hour and it's a nightmare. Oak Tree is a new school but sounds lovely and they seem to have gotten off to a great start. Class sizes are small, whereas in GEMS you can easily expect 25+ children per class. You should definitely check it out. Other options could be Horizon International School, Horizon British School and Safa British School, although the fees for Y3 would be slightly above your budget. You might want to check whichschooladvisor.com, they have a lot of school reviews including location and fee information. As long as the rating is 'Good' and above, you'll be fine. Make sure you read through the individual school reports though as it will give you an idea of the strong and weak sides. Good luck with your move.

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Irishgirl2016

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Latest post on 08 September 2016 - 11:25

Thanks, will have a look at that one! Budget is up to about 40,000AED per child. It's not included as part of DH's relocation package? Forgot to mention, it's British curriculum schools we're after. Also- looking at the KHDA reports, are schools that are rated 'good' of a similar standard to Irish/british schools or should we only be considering ones rated 'very good' and above? I'm a teacher myself so quote particular about svhool standards . (Won't be working though, wihoo!!!)

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sourskittleashnut

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Latest post on 08 September 2016 - 08:53

Theres a new Dubai British School in Jumeirah Park, and DBS has a good reputation. [url=http://www.dubaibritishschooljp.ae/'>http://www.dubaibritishschooljp.ae/[/url'> Maybe if you give your budget for fees we can suggest some good schools :) All the old established ones will be fulll for the 2016-2017 school year, so you'll probably have to look at new schools.

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