Gems World Academy

Hi Marykar, My child has been in the school for 4 years now and we're very happy with the school as a whole (teachers, admin, management and facilities). There is no such thing as a perfect school, there is however a good fit to your child or not. My child is happy, doing very well academically and socially, communication is great and I know almost day by day what is happening in class and in the school. I do see changes (school went from 800 students to almost 2000) and I also see the school doing their best to fix issues. As a parent I keep a close eye on things as at the end of the day the school is also run as a business and the fees are very expensive so I want to make sure that quality of education stays in the top priorities. The number of kids in classes varies depending on the grade, the school should be able to answer that question if you ask them. Regarding the major nationalities: well, it's a mix, it is a true International Baccalaureate and my daughter always had between 12 and 16 different nationalities in her classes (student counts was between 18 and 24 depending on her grade). Difference between GWA & GWSO is the curriculum, IB in GWA & British in GWSO. Maybe you could do another tour of the school and ask to speak with the IB coordinator? They organise them every day. Hope this helps,

Hi, I'm looking for any update about GEMS world academy as my daughter is supposed to enter this school in September 2014 in KG1. I'm looking for all the kind of details (number of the kids in the classes, major nationalities attending this school, etc) thank you in advance for responding ... Also I'd like to know the difference between GEMS World Academy in Ad Barsha and GEMS Wellington in Silicon oasis? <em>edited by marykar on 01/12/2013</em>

We don't have a child at GWA, but looked at it. Have to say we were very imlressed with the facilities and the Administration from the outside at least appeared to be very efficient. With regards to Mamasrock point 1 for Negatives, would just like to add that GWA is not alone in this. From what I hear Secondary Ed has a bit of catching up to do across the majority of schools here. Good Luck with whichever choice you make...

I can only say positive things about the elementary school. My DD is thriving at this school. The teachers, the curriculum, and the facilities are perfect for her. A++ However, I cannot give a rave review for the secondary school based on my child's experience there. Unfortunately, there are many problems the school needs to address. Positive observations of GWA secondary school are: The administrators have recruited highly talented teachers. They are amazing! My kids went to two other schools in Dubai before GWA. (Good teachers are at the top of my wishlist.) The facilities are conducive to optimum learning, and provide a holistic, creative environment. My child's favorite aspects of the facilities are the planetarium, film studio, music studios, DT labs, computer labs, writing center, and the pool. Overall, my daughter is socially content, highly motivated, more studious, and enjoys her project work. Negative things to consider: 1. The school is not selective in who is offered a place. I presume they need to recoup their costs, so they are trying to fill places and will accept anyone if they are willing to pay the high tuition. There are quite a number of students who are lazy, psychologically troubled, spoiled, and not academic- focused. I feel bad for the teachers who seem a little exasperated by this. In fairness, I don't know if this is the case for every grade or for only my child's grade. 2. There is a lot of homework. I wouldn't actually mind this if my child finished school earlier. School finishes at 3:45pm, and my DD has at least 1 1/2 hours of homework every night. She's about OP's daughter's age. 3. Students are required to surf the internet for research with little or no guidance as to where to find reputable websites, age appropiate information, and credible sources. This really frustrates me! What happened to the library, or teacher- reviewed internet sites? 4. Parents are not consulted about controversial material that the child might be exposed to, such as an R rated movie, inappropiate music videos, disturbing research material that would definitely be classed as R rated. Grrr! I would like GWA parents to be more vocal in opposing this. 5. Where are the textbooks? Some classes have them, some don't. I know of one family who pulled their kids out because of this. No school is perfect, and overall I would recommend it. In my view, I think it has the potential of attaining a reputation as a top, elite school to match and justify the ridiculously high tuition, but it has a ways to go. My advice if your DD attends GWA secondary, is to demand improvements where you see fit and assert your expectations to the teachers and administators.

Good school but just be aware that if you go to GWA you will not be able to transfer to any other GEMS schools as they do not allow it. Something about not taking away students from the high price point school. Maybe it depends on situations? I know 2 families who have transfered their kids from gwa to other Brit curriculum GEMS schools and none raised any difficulties with the school. @mioumiou: my dd is at GWA and we are very happy.She's in the pyp program so much younger that your daughter. I hope you can find some mums here with similar age children that can share their experience about the curriculum & school x