rocu

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Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 08:45

Also, if you are considering the move and a year 10 start begin contacting schools now and start the application process. Some schools will be full but often at the end of year 9 there is movement as families may choose to repatriate or send children to boarding school.

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Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 08:35

It may be difficult to find a school that exactly matches the exam board that your son is following for each subject as some English curriculum schools follow two boards and even transferring a child from one school to another within Dubai mid- GCSE would not be practical. If you are considering repeating year 10, as a July birthday your son would not be unusual as many children entering Dubai at different stages are placed in the year below their correct year group (by age) as they have transferred from different systems. One of my children has at least four friends who will turn 15 before they turn 14 as they have a June birthday. Children here are used to new children arriving so if he is sociable that is always a bonus! Perhaps you could contact some of the schools here and speak to the admissions officers directly and see what they advise. Mention the possibility of repeating a year as an option. If he enjoys sport there are plenty of opportunities here and btw RE is not taught in schools here as a general subject. Muslim children have to attend Islamic studies but no other religions are taught.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 24 February 2014 - 13:22

I bought a jelabiya from Deira City Centre last week - I think the shop is called Al Jaber Gallery. They have a branch at Dubai Mall as well - it is the shop that sells all the tourist gifts such as shawls/bronze camels rugs/ornaments etc. The jelabiya only cost 49dh and is cotton/floral with long sleeves but they had different colours and patterns and the sizes were ranging from age 6 upwards. I couldn't get one in Carrefour or hyperpanda with long sleeves although hyperpanda had a few with short sleeves for kids. Tried the souq at the creek but they only had them on the deira side and were asking 180dh! Naif souq had nice jelabiyas last year but I haven't checked this year - I got one for 60DH there last year.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 13 March 2013 - 11:31

I have children at DESS and it is a great school. Best places to park are over the footbridge or in the hospital grounds at the back and walk....Have never had any issues with admin staff - the only admin to come in contact with is the receptionist who is lovely and there is no great need to be in contact with admin staff anyway. I have no experience of EC primary but have a child in the secondary who is also very happy and the parents that I know whose children attended the primary seem as pleased with it as I have been with DESS. You are in a fortunate position choosing between the two! Think about which secondary you might want them to attend later as of course it will be easier for them to feed into EC secondary or DESC if they attend the respective primaries. Cost is vastly different as well with EC fees being much lower. Overall academic results seem to be very similar at GCSE and A-level.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 05 March 2013 - 12:04

The problem is that the most selective school in Dubai leaves it until March to offer places. Many of their prospective parents are irritated when they have to put down deposits on other schools to secure back-up places and from the initial post it seems that they are taking out their frustrations on the back-up school rather than the cause of the problem. If the selective school could allocate places for example in October/November, the other schools could be organised by December.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 13:09

My children have only attended DESS so I don't have any firsthand experience of the other schools in Dubai to draw comparison. I have had children attending DESS for the past eight years and am happy with the school. My children all have completely different strengths and weaknesses from academics through to sports and arts and I feel that their needs have been well met. Obviously the school is old and does not have the new facilities of many of the schools in Dubai and whether you prefer that or not is down to personal choice. There is also a greater multicultural mix at DESS than seems to be the common belief. I have found the school to be very good at promoting confidence in the children and in general DESS provides a pleasant environment. You really have to go with your own gut feelings however as everybody has different requirements in a school and it seems from the previous messages that the RDS and the DESS parents are all happy so you are onto a winner either way!!

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 09:21

Well at 1am I would probably have gone out and shouted at them but I would do that to anyone who chose to make a noise at that time. However I don't see the great problem with a few firecrackers in the street to celebrate a festival. My neighbours were having a great time last night and good luck to them - we just stayed inside. As for firecrackers being illegal, so are part-time maids/gardeners/stepping outside of a hotel with alcohol in the system/driving the next day after having a few drinks the night before/going over the speed limit if only by a km etc etc but I bet the majority in Dubai have done at least one of the above. Some people don't like halloween with children banging on doors until late in the evening and wandering into the roads unchecked but generally let it pass for one night.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 13:22

Just noticed you are considering Mirdiff - have a look at Garhoud as well - nearer to DESS, villas available but I think they start at 140K whereas Mirdiff is much cheaper. A large 3 bed apartment in Oud Metha is over 120K and I know that with our landlord he is charging 140K now non-negotiable as the apartments are never empty for long.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 13:17

I live in Oud Metha and have children at DESS - I enjoy living in the area as the school run is approximately 5 minutes. I believe there are apartments called Al Nasr Palace right next to the metro station on Oud Metha Road - friends of mine used to live there and the building is nice with an indoor children's play area/pool etc but the apartments may be 2 bedrooms with a maids room. There are lots of apartments at Healthcare City and near the Movenpick Hotel. It depends what type of area you want to live in - there are hardly any DESS families in the area as they are scattered all over the place and most people prefer villas - you will have to travel about for playdates with schoolfriends. I prefer the ease of living close to the school and I like being near to Lamcy Plaza/Karama/Creek Park/Deira but the downside of living in an apartment block is the cooking smells coming through the aircon units - fortunately we do not have many noisy neighbours and the children aren't running around the block at night which can sometimes be a problem in apartments. We have a good gym/sauna/pool but don't have a garden which would be nice with children. Lots of restaurants nearby - this area has a huge mix of nationality and is quite busy and interesting.

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