A parent’s tale

Building a high-class education system is one of the biggest challenges that Abu Dhabi faces today.  Yet it remains the vision of the Abu Dhabi Education Council to create a “world class system that supports all learners in reaching their full potential to compete in a global market”.  The criteria for constantly improving the education system are becoming increasingly tough. But with schools throughout the region enticing growing numbers of highly-qualified teaching and coaching staff and professionals to the region, Abu Dhabi is rapidly becoming a hotbed for educational excellence in the Gulf.
It is one of the biggest worries that any parent faces when relocating to another country for work.
The question of finding suitable schooling for your children in a new country is paramount, and understandably one that can prompt countless concerns – from finding schools of the necessary calibre to funding the education.
But for Steve and Victoria Crick the worries over finding suitable schooling for their two children in Abu Dhabi were short-lived.
Their children Tom aged 10 and five year old Erin are both pupils at the British School – Al Khubairat, one of the array of high-quality independent schools in the capital.
“It was one of the first schools we looked at, and from the very beginning I knew that we had made the right choice,” explains event manager Steve. “And I do not think that we are untypical of so many parents in Abu Dhabi who are happy with the standard of education that their children can receive here.
“We have had to make sacrifices to pay the fees, but it has been well worth it. Both are children are thriving in the environment.
Steve sees real merit in the system. “To us, I think it’s like a kickback to the way schools were in the United Kingdom some 25 years ago,” he says. “There’s no bullying and no bad language and the children are motivated to learn in the schools here, surrounded by a whole host of children of various nationalities. There’s no graffiti in the school or any evidence of the downsides of schooling in the UK that we hear so much of today. “It’s a nice place to study and learn.”
With few worries over the standard of schooling since local curriculums are carefully monitored, Steve believes his views are typical of many parents throughout Abu Dhabi.

Mini maestro

Schoolboy Leo Itsuki Foord-Kelcey is a youngster with the world at his fingertips … literally!
The talented nine-year-old from the American Community School in Abu Dhabi created a small piece of musical history by winning the Under-10 section of the first ever piano competition to be held in the UAE. Some 100 entrants took part in the First Open Competition for Young Pianists in Sharjah, aimed at participants from 24 counties aged from eight to 16 years old. It was the first time that Leo, who attends the Elite Music Institute in Abu Dhabi, had entered a competition, since taking up the piano just three years ago.

 

Selected Schools - Abu Dhabi's Finest

Al Shohub is mixed at primary level and a girls-only secondary school (boys up to grade 4 only). Since opening in 1999 it has gone from strength to strength, providing a high-quality British curriculum education within a multicultural environment from a campus in the centre of Abu Dhabi, in Al Mushrif. Annual fees from AED25,800 (Grade 7) to AED33,000 (Grade 12).

The British International School Abu Dhabi (BISAD) opens this September, initially covering ages 3 to 14 with three separate schools (early years, primary and secondary). BISAD promises a personalised approach to children’s development with excellent sporting and technological facilities, world class learning and cultural resources, small class sizes and a wide range of extracurricular activities. Currently it teaches the English National Curriculum and international GCSE; as post-16 years are added, BISAD intends to offer the International Baccalaureate as an alternative. BISAD is operated by Nord Anglia Education, a specialist schools management company with half a dozen other locations around the world. Total annual fees from AED53,997 (FS1 and 2) to AED62,115 (Year 6 to 8).

Located in Al Raha Gardens, the Raha International School (RIS) is the only school in the area to offer the International Baccalaureate programmes exclusively. It opened in 2006 with classes from kindergarten to Grade 8 and has since expanded to add further grades as the students progress – the first grade 12 graduation will be in 2011, when Raha expects to have a total school population of 1,300 students. Total annual fees from AED32,00 (KG1 and 2) to AED48,000 (Grade 7 and up).

The British School – Al Khubairat (BSAK) is one of the best established schools in the capital, a non-profit operation with has a fine reputation (“a very good school with many outstanding features” said an inspection report in 2008). It currently has 1,670 students, 720 of them in the Secondary school. Total annual fees from AE D28,460 (kindergarten) to AED56,195 (secondary).

The American International School offers a complete American school diploma programme and a parallel International Baccalaureate programme. It is part of the ESOL operation (ten schools in the Mediterranean, Middle East and South Asia). Total annual fees from AED24,200 (KG1) to AED44,000 (Grades 9 to 12).

Established in 1972 and one of the city’s oldest private schools, the American Community School of Abu Dhabi (ACS) is a non-profit co-educational establishment on an eight-acre campus on a site originally donated by Sheikh Zayed. It is accredited by the Middle States Association (MSA) and offers an American curriculum with an International Baccalaureate option in grades 11 and 12. It has just over 800 students, 390 of them at Elementary school level. Annual fees from ED23,295 (KG2) to AED59,650 (Grades 11 to 12) plus a one-time ‘Facility Fee’ of AED14,700 and an annual ‘Reservation Fee’ of AED1,500.

The Cambridge High School is one of four schools in Abu Dhabi managed by the international schools company GEMS. It has a proven track record for successes, both in academic and extra-curricular activities; it is divided into Primary and Secondary schools and follows the British curriculum. Annual fees from AED12,216 (KG1 and 2) to AED25,800 (Year 12).
Al Ain English Speaking School (AAE SS) follows the English National Curriculum but is planning a broader international curriculum with a five-year plan to develop accreditation for the International Baccalaureate, American SAT s, and Australian and New Zealand standards. The school buildings are currently being refurbished with new buildings to be ready for the start of the academic year including sports and arts facilities. AAE SS currently has around 850 students, split roughly equally between Secondary and Primary students. Total annual fees from AED17,160 (nursery) to AED34,320 (Year 13).

The International School of Choueifat is one of the schools run by the management company SABIS (which now has 61 schools in 15 countries, having started life in 1886 when the first International School of Choueifat was founded in a village near Beirut called Choueifat). This is one of Abu Dhabi’s oldest private schools – it opened in 1975 and is still located just off Airport Road in the Mushrif area. It is also one of the largest, with around 2,500 coeducational students and excellent sports and other facilities. There are sister schools in Al Ain and Khalifa City.

The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy For Girls was established five years ago to provide an education based on the Canadian curriculum, with plans to introduce the International Baccalaureate Programme. It has excellent facilities and a high reputation for single-sex education; it is managed by GEMS for the owner, HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. Total annual fees from AED36,850 (Grade 5 and 6) to AED54,750 (Grade 10 to 12)
[caption] Children at Al Shohub School, Community orchestra

Counting the cost

Everyone wants their children to have a good education – but are you aware of just how much it might set you back?
The total cost of educating a child from age 4 to 18 in Abu Dhabi will probably be at least AED275,000. At a midrange school the total outlay for school fees will be nearer AED475,000 and at the top end the changes could well exceed AED700,000 in total.
School fees do not usually include uniforms, bus transport or catering. Materials such as textbooks and educational visits may be charged for as well. There may be a flat additional annual charge for these; the British School – Al Khubairat for instance has an annual ‘entry fee’ of AED9,200 in the secondary school which covers such items (as well as the tuition fee of AED15,665 per term).
In addition there will probably be an initial signing-up fee.
In some cases employers will contribute some or all of the costs of education, though current terms and conditions seem to be less generous than formerly – all the schools here are subject to the usual vagaries of inflation, and they reserve the right to increase charges as required.
In practice that means it is likely that fees will rise each year of your child’s education.
If you will have to find some or all of the school fees, you can reduce the financial burden with some advance planning –especially by taking out a Savings Plan, which will be invested to provide a return that aims to cover the fees and hopefully provide a profit as well.
As with any investment, of course, you need to consider the quality of the financial advice you are receiving. Most financial advisors are actually brokers who receive a commission on sales of products like these; others will package the investment for you, in which case it makes sense to check their track record and credentials very carefully.
No savings plan will guarantee to provide a profit

Sporting chance

Some of the famous names in British sport are being recruited to help boost the British School – Al Khubairat towards its goal of becoming a centre of sporting excellence.
As part of its drive to promote sport within the school, BSAK has appointed a number of specialist coaching staff who join in September.
The top names are headed by Richard Illingworth, former England and Worcestershire player who will take up a post as Director of Cricket; and Lyn Jones, the former Welsh international and coach of the Ospreys, who will become Director of Rugby.
To add to the sports drive, Kellie Cogdon, one of the most respected names in netball coaching in the North East of England, will join as Director of Netball.  “It is an exciting time for us and Abu Dhabi,” explained BSAK Principal Paul Coackley. “We are trying to extend our range of sporting activities throughout Abu Dhabi.”
He says he was surprised by the response to the opportunities. “The practice of using experienced and professional sporting personalities for coaching posts is quite usual in many independent schools in the United Kingdom,” he said. “But when I advertised the positions I really did not know what kind of response I would get. In the end, we received over 200 applications for the posts on offer – which was overwhelming, and made it very difficult for us to choose the right candidate.
“But it proves that the interest is there, not simply in our school but also in Abu Dhabi, which is very encouraging
[caption] Lyn Jones

[Originally published in Abu Dhabi Week vol 2 issue 18]