Repton-Where to live? | ExpatWoman.com
 

Repton-Where to live?

4
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 February 2014 - 03:54

Our 12 year old has been offered a place there (we're arriving in March) but we have yet to find spots for our two boys, 9 and 7 (they did not pass the entrance exam). Can anyone recommend a) which neighbourhood we should be looking at to live in and, sub-question, a2) Which schools should we look at for the boys (need to be on some sort of reasonable school-run route involving Repton and have places available NOW). Completely overwhelmed by the whole process...we're coming from Canada and thought, 'easy, they can all go to Repton and then we'll figure out where to live'. It didn't occur to me that we'd have to look elsewhere and we'll not have time for a recon. visit so have to sort all on arrival including any assessments etc. I know there a few new GEMS schools open(ing), but are they within school-run distance of Repton? Would it be crazy to have our 12 year old daughter take the school bus in a new city? HELP!

4
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 February 2014 - 21:54
Wow! Lots of replies! Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply and the great information. It's incredibly helpful. The kids and I could actually stay in Canada until the next school year but we've already sold our house and are staying in a serviced apartment so not ideal for the long term and March might be better in terms of having time to adjust to the heat!
654
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 February 2014 - 19:50
Bit of a radical suggestion here. Have you thought about staying in Canada till the end of the school year? It's only an extra three and a half months and your children wouldn't miss out on any schooling time. It'll also give you time to apply to a bunch of schools for admissions in September rather than mid-year.
2958
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 February 2014 - 16:23
I completely agree about having children in different schools in Dubai - it's horrendous! I was doing over 100 miles per day...... on school run - drop off one - then drop off another - pick up the 2nd drop off and go home and then out back in the car for the first drop off who finished much later. Don't get me on the holidays.....you can end up with 1 child off 1 week and the other child off a completely different week!.... I would never ever do that again and changed as soon as a place became available. I would completely agree with lolacat - can you get your 12 year old into DESC (Dubai English Speaking College) on Silicon Oasis - I know lots of people whose kids are there and they are very very happy with the school. can you see if you can get your younger kids into the Gems Wellington Academy on Silicon Oasis - at least - although they are in 2 different schools - they are in the same area. I've only heard good things about both schools and it will make your life sooo much easier. as far as living is concerned. Silicon Oasis, Cedre Villas, The Villa, Falcon City are all really close by. good luck - exciting times ahead for you all. edited to add - I didn't realise that Wellington Academy now takes older children so maybe that's an option to have them all at the same school. The children I know who are there are younger and are loving it as are their parents...... <em>edited by Clairehdp on 14/02/2014</em>
123
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 February 2014 - 15:37
Having kids at different schools is a nightmare in my opinion. All the schools end/start at about the same time and the travel distance is not usually doable. That said I would be fine sending my 12 year old on the bus as long as the pick up time wasn't too early. Depending on where you live the commute can be more than an hour (because of all the stops in between). If I were you, personally I would homeschool them and apply for a place starting in September. K12 is an option, probably the best one since they are in the KHDA system. The curriculum is very comprehensive as well. But to be honest, with 3 kids I would hate doing it (though I would suck it up since it's only 3 months). Try DESC out in Academic City or GEMS Wellington Silicon Oasis. Then you can live in Silicon Oasis where the rent isn't that bad and the commute won't be either. It's also very accessible to a lot of after school activities like sports, dance, etc. Hope this helps, though I know I'm a bit all of the place.
232
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 February 2014 - 12:55
I have a friend looking to rent out her villa in The Villa if she's not found a tenant do you want me to put you in touch? Also EW has great info on places to live :)
5452
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 14 February 2014 - 09:49
There is a new school in Mirdif. You might want to check it out since you are Canadian. It is called the Ontario Canadian International School. I don't know anything about it and it is nowhere near Repton so I know that this is not what you are looking for but I just thought I'd let you know.
2738
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 February 2014 - 09:38
Hi. What a pain for you! The closest school to Repton would be the Gems Wellington School at Silicon Oasis. Make sure you find the right one as Gems helpfully has several Wellington Schools! There will be lots of school places come September but I guess you need something now. You could try Victory Heights Primary school (in Victory Heights). It is along Mohammed Bin Zayed Rd from Repton. There is also another Gems school called Bradenton in the VH/Motor City area which I think follows a US curriculum if you're interested in that. I am sure that your younger two not getting into Repton is just due to the differences in the primary syllabus they've been exposed to. British schools start reading and writing very early. I'm sure once they have been in a British School for a year or two you could reapply to Repton if you like it . For living areas Arabian Ranches and The Villa are both between these two areas. If you get your two into Gems WSO then you could look at living in Silcon Oasis which is just across the main Rd from Repton. Depending on where you get your younger two into school you might need to put your 12 year old on the bus but she would be fine. By the way there is a time limit set by KHDA about how long children can be out of school. If you have no options you could use K -12, an approved home schooling programme just for the third term and then look for a school place from Sept, which would give you more options. Best of luck! Actually there is a lot of misinformation about home schooling and KHDA deadlines, many kids are home schooled not in any program and slip straight back into schools here. Not every school in Dubai providing a British curriculum will provide sufficient education to get into Repton.
2738
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 February 2014 - 09:35
I would think very hard about your choices and have your three go to the same school. I advise you contact Nord Anglia asap as places there are filling up based on their reputation and excellent feedback parents are getting having met the team there. http://www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/dubai/admissions Do your research with schools, non profits tend to be more popular for good reason. Also look at the American schools here , they are excellent. Research your schools well.
1913
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 February 2014 - 06:57
Hi. What a pain for you! The closest school to Repton would be the Gems Wellington School at Silicon Oasis. Make sure you find the right one as Gems helpfully has several Wellington Schools! There will be lots of school places come September but I guess you need something now. You could try Victory Heights Primary school (in Victory Heights). It is along Mohammed Bin Zayed Rd from Repton. There is also another Gems school called Bradenton in the VH/Motor City area which I think follows a US curriculum if you're interested in that. I am sure that your younger two not getting into Repton is just due to the differences in the primary syllabus they've been exposed to. British schools start reading and writing very early. I'm sure once they have been in a British School for a year or two you could reapply to Repton if you like it . For living areas Arabian Ranches and The Villa are both between these two areas. If you get your two into Gems WSO then you could look at living in Silcon Oasis which is just across the main Rd from Repton. Depending on where you get your younger two into school you might need to put your 12 year old on the bus but she would be fine. By the way there is a time limit set by KHDA about how long children can be out of school. If you have no options you could use K -12, an approved home schooling programme just for the third term and then look for a school place from Sept, which would give you more options. Best of luck!
 
 

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