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Finding the right school for your children is a major priority. There are many public and private schools serving locals and expatriates. The decision is based on a personal preference.

You may wish to enlist your children in public schools, however English in Dubai is taught as a second language, while most of the private schools use english as the primary language.

Most of the private schools cater for the expatriate community and some of them will even follow your country's curriculum. The school years are broke into similar education areas such as primary and secondary education, along with tertiary education, which is the equivalent to university.

If you are considering moving to Dubai with family and are interested in finding out about the education system and the availability and quality of schools, one of the best ways is to ask around! Because of the numbers of expats in Dubai there is actually a large number of primary and secondary schools from which you can to choose. Most schools are private fee paying schools and really the best way to get an idea of the reputation of a school is to ask friends, colleagues and other expats who live in Dubai. Many of the schools also have their own websites where you can learn about the curriculum they follow, after school programs etc.

When it comes to enrolling your child in the UAE there are a few restrictions you should be aware of. For example you are not allowed to change your child’s school during the academic year…unless approval is given by the Ministry of Education and the circumstances are ‘special’. This means that you have to make sure the school you choose for your child will definitely suit them. Another restriction you should be aware of is that is you move to Dubai on or after the 1st May each year you can’t enrol your child into the schooling system for that year. Instead you’ll have to enrol for the beginning of the new school year which is usually the beginning of September.

Listed below are some of the more well known schools, we have broke them down into primary and secondary education to assist you with your decision making.

Primary Education

• English High School
• Dubai Modern High School
• Indian High School
• Jumeirah Primary School
• Jebel Ali Primary School
• Jumeirah English Speaking School
• Kings School
• Horizon School

(All the above schools offer a British primary education up to the age of 11)

Secondary Education

• Dubai British School
• English College
• Dubai College
• Jumeirah College
• Emirates International School
• Dubai Jem Private School
• Wellington School
• Cambridge International High School
• St Mary's Catholic High School

(All the above schools offer a secondary school education relevant to the British curriculum of GCSE and A' Level).

International School Choueifat (this school offers both British and American Curriculum. There are a growing number of schools offering the American syllabus including the American School of Dubai and the Dubai American Academy).

Tertiary Education

• The American University in Dubai
• SP Jain Center of Management
• Middlesex University
• Dubai Men's College
• Dubai Women's College
• University of Wollongong
• University College of Brussels
• Dublin's Dubai Business University.