Schools - opinions on Winchester and JESS AR | ExpatWoman.com
 

Schools - opinions on Winchester and JESS AR

576
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 13:11

Hi ladies,

After being told a few times recently how "shocked" people are that we dont have our 8 month old DD registered at any schools yet, thought we'd better get a wriggle on and start the ball rolling. Been looking at the schools and their ratings and the ones that so far seem to fit in terms of location, ratings and fees are Winchester and JESS (was thinking the one at AR would be better as she could stay there beyond primary level) Whilst there are other schools like Kings I would love to register her at, unfortunately their fees are out of our budget at the moment and DH does not have education allowance in his package.

Please can anyone with experience of either of these schools give me some feed back on your experiences there?

Also, when KHDA rate a school as "Good", how good are we talking??

Many thanks! :)

142
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 March 2013 - 08:16
Hi Feefmick, no, its the Winchester school in Jebel Ali. Still part of the Gems group tho. Thanks for the heads up on the other schools - will have a look at their websites. Thanks for explaining to me about debentures aswell! :) Do you usually have to pay this at every school or just certain ones?? My daughter goes to Winchester School in Jebel Ali...and the level of education is brilliant. It is of a very high standard according to my/my daughters personal opinion and experiences..I have no complaints. Each to his own really but whichever school you choose..i wish you all the best.
158
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 22:11
Sorry to sound a bit stupid but what is "Corporate Debentures"? It also mentions it on the JESS website as Corporate Debentures AED20,000, but i dont know what this means. :( From what I understand about school debentures in Dubai: a specific company will comit to pay for x number of places per year. Usually a debenture is for more than one year. Due to the transient nature of Dubai, if a company buys a 3 year slot, that slot remains the companys, even if the student leaves after 1 year. Make sense? GEMS also offer debentures.
1370
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 20:06
The only school I came across with Debentures was JESS - don't think other schools have them but I may be wrong. I would suggest your husband pushes for allowance for schooling - we don't get an allowance and it's financially crippling us.Fees increase the older the kids get as well. Check out DBS and EC.
576
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 17:19
Hi Feefmick, no, its the Winchester school in Jebel Ali. Still part of the Gems group tho. Thanks for the heads up on the other schools - will have a look at their websites. Thanks for explaining to me about debentures aswell! :) Do you usually have to pay this at every school or just certain ones??
204
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 17:18
The new branch is in oud metha. The other is near JAPS.
1370
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 17:03
My understanding of debentures is that it's basically like giving the school a loan. My husband's company used to have debentures at JESS which meant that they'd paid a sum of money to JESS. I believe the company cashed them in a couple of years back and now his company no longer has a debenture at JESS. If company has a debenture then your child gets priority over kids who don't have debentures. Wait lists for some classes are closed unless you have a company debenture. I thought Gems Winchester was in Oud Metha (I'm sure i drive past it just before DESS) - that would be a fair way from Tecom. Closer to Tecom you have DBS (Dubai British school) and also EC English College) Both are cheaper than DESS/DESC/JESS etc but more than Gems Winchester. Our kids are currently at DESS/DESC but due to financial situation we may have to look at seeing if we can get them places at English College . Gems Winchester personally wouldn't be an option for me. <em>edited by Feefmick on 14/03/2013</em>
576
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 16:59
JESS has an outstanding rating. You do need to know what you want from a school, what curriculum, teaching staff from particular countries, and more. Everyone has to pay a debenture at JESS which you can get refunded when you leave. If your company 'owns' debentures in the school then you would goto the top of the list. Sorry, the KHDA report we looked at lastnight must have been an old one that stated "Good" just checked the 2013 one and you are correct, JESS is down as Outstanding. My mistake :s We want British curriculum, preferably teachers who have English as their first language, and preferably not overly large class sizes. I am sad to say that we are restricted on budget and obviously want to try and get the best that we can for our DD, for the money we can afford. We are in the Tecom/Greens area. If anyone has any other schools they could suggest which they think may fit the bill, I'd be interested to look at other options. Sorry, but I still dont understand what a Debenture is. can somebody please explain?
3863
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 16:04
No comparison at all. JESS is highly sought after with very long waiting lists. Fees in primary are 30-38K Winchester has much bigger classes. Fees in primary are 9-12.5K Does highly sort after with long waiting lists represent the standard of education provided in a school in Dubai? Can that really be used as a comparison? Does a bigger class mean the education provided is not as good as a school with smaller classes? JESS has an excellent reputation as a school many of my friends children attend It is highly sought after based on the level of education it provides I believe it is also non profit however as the other poster said getting children into it is not easy unless you have a sibling attending or debenture
142
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 16:03
No comparison at all. JESS is highly sought after with very long waiting lists. Fees in primary are 30-38K Winchester has much bigger classes. Fees in primary are 9-12.5K Does highly sort after with long waiting lists represent the standard of education provided in a school in Dubai? Can that really be used as a comparison? Does a bigger class mean the education provided is not as good as a school with smaller classes? I was just about to ask the same question?
576
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 16:02
Aren't their 'locations,ratings and fees' quite different? They are, however they are about the same distance from where we live, are both KHDA rated as "Good" and are both within our budget. Sorry to sound a bit stupid but what is "Corporate Debentures"? It also mentions it on the JESS website as Corporate Debentures AED20,000, but i dont know what this means. Are waiting lists likely to be full for 2015 already? If so....what do i do now? :(
2738
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 15:58
No comparison at all. JESS is highly sought after with very long waiting lists. Fees in primary are 30-38K Winchester has much bigger classes. Fees in primary are 9-12.5K Does highly sort after with long waiting lists represent the standard of education provided in a school in Dubai? Can that really be used as a comparison? Does a bigger class mean the education provided is not as good as a school with smaller classes?
1913
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 13:39
No comparison at all. JESS is highly sought after with very long waiting lists. Fees in primary are 30-38K Winchester has much bigger classes. Fees in primary are 9-12.5K
204
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 March 2013 - 13:39
Aren't their 'locations,ratings and fees' quite different?
 
 

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