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School age

14

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 August 2011 - 11:13

Can someone tell me what is the min school age for children in Dubai? Some people have told me its 3 years but I have also heard it is 4 years. So the child has to be at least 3 years old in Sept. A little confused - please help!

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Hello.Again.Kitty

1861

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 02 August 2011 - 15:11

The legal requirement in Dubai is that they have to be "IN" school before their 5th birthday. However, homeschooling is also legal here.... Yup, but I'd venture as far as to say that enforcement is... zero. DD is coming up for 4 and we've had no communication from any official body telling us that she's coming of age to start school. I think that also, in a system where everything is private and there's no fall-back or help if, say, you can't afford the fees, any "legal requirement" is just lip-service.

9

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 August 2011 - 14:56

Thanks all for your comments. It does feel a little daunting putting my DD in "big" school at age 3. Being fully potty trained is a challenge at times!!....but we'll keep that as another discussion thread :)

134

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 August 2011 - 13:25

Look at this website: http://www.dubaifaqs.com/education-dubai.php It has a table showing the different ages for the different curricula

142

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 August 2011 - 13:02

The legal requirement in Dubai is that they have to be "IN" school before their 5th birthday. However, homeschooling is also legal here....

498

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 02 August 2011 - 12:02

HI There, the norm is the child has to be 3 by 1 Sep. American system also offers Pre-KG which is equivalent to the British FS1, so they too can start at 3 yrs. The biggest question really is if you think your child is ready for it. They must be fully toilet trained, this means being able to clean themselves well as well. If in a kindergarten environment, they can still do a FS1 program and have the added bonus of 'hygienic assistance'. At school, they are on their own so you have to train them as much as possible to clean themselves well - a very difficult task at 3yrs.... The school is in a much more 'mature' environment, so only you can tell if your child would be ready for this. If you are not sure, put them into a KG environment for FS1, and then move them into a school at FS2. Only risk with this is that it is generally harder to find a FS2 place than an FS1 in the schools in Dubai. It's a tough call. My daughter was so ready at 3 (birthday in May). My son's birthday is in November, so only 2 months past deadline, but I don't think he would have been ready regardless, so I am kind of glad for him that he had to wait until the following year - so he will be one of the older ones, but I think it is better for him. Good luck!!!

255

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 August 2011 - 11:21

It depends on what curriculum you go into. In BC, FS1 starts at 3 yo. In American, KG1 starts at 4 yo. I don't know for sure about the other curriculums.

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