School Questions

Ah, it looks I am wrong about the KG I vs II for your son. I knew there was a good chart somewhere, and I have found it: http://www.gemsworldacademy-dubai.com/server.php?show=nav.01p009004 Scroll down and it'll show the comparison of grade level for the various curricula and age groups.

I believe the interview process for KG is more to assess the child's "readiness" to be in "proper" school. It's about whether they can follow simple directions, maturity (ie can sit without jumping up every 2 seconds), etc. It's not so much about how much they know (ie ABCs and 123s). If you are looking at an American curriculum (AC) school, I suggest you start getting on the phone w/ the admissions people ASAP. We have fewer options than British curriculum (BC) seekers, so places can be hard to secure especially in certain grades (KG being one of them). Yes, the KG I & II thing threw me off too. Personally, I think it's a way to make more money. But as I understand it, if your child will turn 5 within the same year that the school starts (ie 5 before 12/2011) then he must enroll in school (and I'm pretty sure it's KG I). But the registrar can confirm that (along with all your other questions). I looked into these things when DS was enrolling (for DD, in case we are here that long)...but have since forgotten the details (sorry). And yes, the class sizes are larger than what I think is optimal (especially for young children). I don't think it's something you will get around. There are a couple of BC schools highly recommended here with small class sizes, but are very popular and hard to get into. Good luck!

There are differences in spelling between US and UK English but that is not to do with phonics. I had to change to UK spelling for work when I moved there but the differences are not huge. I find more differences in actual words used and try and teach my kids both when they encounter them just so they are aware (eg English say post Americans say mail). They find it amusing and the American relatives even more so when we go home and the kids speak like the Queen!

You will find that (British) National Curriculum schools will use, teach and expect students to use British standard spellings. This is a good website for understanding the National Curriculum. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/ExamsTestsAndTheCurriculum/DG_4016665 It's worth noting that there has to be some extra elements added to meet with the Ministry of Educations guidelines (e.g. learning about the UAE and its culture, etc) so the reference above is not 100% complete for UAE BC schools.

Sun Devil, We had our fee for Fiona paid by my husband's company as they recognised that without securing school places we would not come to Dubai.It was part of our Relocation Package.I know several families who have used Fiona very successfully and she will alter her fees according to the number of children in the family. If you need any more info let me know

There are many words in British English that are spelt differently to American English, phonics isn't the reason for the difference tho. If you put him into a British school you'll just need to accept that some words he will spell differently like aeroplane - airplane tyres - tires colour - color cheque - check Mum - Mom

If you are struggling to sort out a school then Fiona can be v useful. She charges a flat fee of 6,000 dhs I believe. Not sure if this is per child or what. That would be pretty costly if you have several children!

If you're planning on living on AR - you could look at Bradenton Prep school it's close by and US curriculum I believe.

Dear SunDevil, I suggest you get in touch with the Education Consultant Fiona Coutts.We used her before we arrived in Dubai and I can highly recommend her.I found her details from this forum while I was still living in Europe. I had found it almost impossible to figure out the best options and getting a response from schools was even harder.Fiona was a Godsend.

Hi Sundevil. Input on a few of your questions.... 1) Phonics does not mean that all words are spelled phonetically eg airplane does not become aeroplane. Words that can be spelled correctly phonetically are taught that way. Those that cannot are learned by teaching the kids common rules (eg a short vowel with a silent e on the end becomes a long vowel). And then there are the exceptions which just need to be memorised. I'm American but my kids go to British curriculum school. I'm amazed by how quickly they learned to read using phonics. 3) There is alot of variation in school fees. I suspect DAA which you are looking at is on the higher end of the spectrum (although there are definitely more expensive). Even with an education allowance we top up out of our own pocket to pay fees. Many people don't have any allowance whatsoever. You just need to determine your budget and look at schools accordingly. 4) I don't think you should be worried about the assessment process. At your son's age they are really just looking for anything out of the ordinary with regard to speech, social skills etc. My kids both went through group assessments as we were already in Dubai. In both cases they just observed them playing, read books and asked them a few questions about the story. In neither case were they asked to identify numbers, letters etc - that's what the school is expected to teach them at your son's age. 5) There are some schools which are much smaller than others. I'm sure you'll get recommendations. The way the school is laid out also helps -- we looked at a couple of schools when we came and much preferred the ones where the primary school was separate from the secondary giving it a small primary school feel. Make sure you visit the schools for this reason - you might be surprised how personal what you think is a relatively big school feels. Good luck in your search. It is good you are starting to look now. It might seem silly from a typical US perspective but you will find that places at many schools are very tight and you can't start to look early enough in Dubai. Looking now will give you options you won't have if you look at the last minute. We're in AR with young kids like yours and love it - sure you will as well.