The school season is upon us again after a lovely long summer recess, so we thought we’d better update you on the schools available in Dubai, their addresses, contact details and any pertinent information about the educational establishments themselves.
In this series of articles about education, schools and colleges in Dubai, we’re starting at the very beginning with pre-schools, nurseries and kindergartens in and around the city for expatriates moving to Dubai who want an international education for their children.
Note, although it’s September and back to school time for children all over the world, in Dubai many of the best and most popular schools and colleges have long waiting lists, so if you are thinking about relocating to the UAE, it’s never too early to get your child enrolled or on to a waiting list.
Some nurseries in Dubai are equipped to take babies from as young as three months old – these are ideal for the working mother whose career is critical or who has to earn a wage to support the family home. Most kindergartens prefer to take children from 12 months however, as by this time they are usually fully weaned and also more ready for social interaction. Some of the independent nurseries are only open for part of the day it seems, but some of the primary schools have pre-school facilities within their campus which can be perfect for parents who have older children too, or who want a smooth transition for their baby from nursery to primary school.
As you would expect in Dubai, there are even waiting lists for nursery places, so you might like to think about getting your baby enrolled before it’s even born! You will need to look around for a nursery that’s open the hours you require. There are some that allow for earl drop offs and/or late pick ups, others that run throughout the year even during traditional school holiday periods and the final thing you need to consider is whether you will want meals provided or whether you will provide food for your pre-school child.
Look at each nursery in person, see how children are looked after, whether they are interacting well, what the facilities are like, what training staff have, the ratio of children to staff members and whether or not any of the staff have first aid training.
There follows a list of some of the most popular nurseries in Dubai, you will find others through word of mouth referrals, as recommended on forums about living in Dubai, once you move to the emirate and through searching hard on the Internet and in offline media such as newspapers and magazines. We are not affiliated with any educational establishment in Dubai and have no personal experience of any of the following pre-schools.
Contact details: -
Um Suqeim 2, Al Manara Str. Road 8a villa 11
P O Box 75460, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel 04- 3485991 or 04-3489488 Fax 04- 3485992
Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
This nursery follows a mixture of the Montessori teaching method and the UK’s Early Years & Foundation Stage Program. The day can start from as early as 7.30am and last until 5.30pm with various options available to parents, and there is a collection service for children as well. The nursery takes children from 14 months to 4+ years.
Contact details: -
Baby Land Nursery
P.O.Box: 72299
Dubai
UAE
Tel : 04-3486874
This is a Montessori nursery through and through and the pre-school’s website states that: “the Montessori educational equipment is self directed in that it provides the children with motives for purposeful activity perfectly adapted to each stage of their development.” The structured day begins at 8am and lasts until 12.30pm.
Contact details: -
This is a two campus pre-school which follows the British style nursery curriculum: -
Mankhool Branch
Villa #20A, Street #33
Mankhool, Bur Dubai
Tel: 04 398 3536
Fax: 04 398 3525
eMail : .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Jumeirah Branch
Street 6B
Jumeirah.
Tel: 04 395 3570
Fax: 04 395 3540
eMail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Following the British National Curriculum EYFS, the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, children can be taken from 6 months old and the day can run from as early as 7.30am until 5pm.
Contact details: -
P.O.Box 34239, Dubai
United Arab Emirates.
Tel: + 971 4 2828290
email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Children are accepted at the Yellow Brick Road Nursery from 4 months old and it’s open from 7.30am until 6pm making it a favourite with very hard working parents or those who prefer not to see their children! The website is appalling and badly written though, so go along and see whether actually your children will be well looked after in an environment where they will learn and play because the website does not fill one with much confidence. Sorry.
Contact details: -
This is a multi site nursery and a very popular choice: -
Jebel Ali Village Nursery
St. Francis Church, Jebal Ali (behind Al Muntazzah Complex)
Tel: 04 424 3791
Marina Village Nursery
Tel: 00971 4 4243791/2
Fax: 00971 4 4243790
Polo Village Playgroup
Tel: 00971 04 3689882
Meadows Village Playgroup
Tel: 00971 4 4224222
According to the website: “The Nursery follows a carefully prepared early childhood curriculum based on recommendations by the British Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the Office for Standards in Education, UK (OFSTED). Providing an age appropriate and balanced coverage of six early childhood learning goals.” Late classes are available.
Contact details: -
The Palms Nursery
P.O. Box 51814,
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates
Telephone: + 971 4 3947017
Fax : + 971 4 3947017
E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
“The aim of the Nursery is to operate a curriculum that will help the children to acquire the skills and values that will enable them to develop socially, physically and emotionally.” The pre-school day runs from 8 until 12.30 with late classes available until 1.30pm. Unlike most nurseries, this one lists it’s fees and charges in detail on the website.
The Knightsbridge Nursery School
Contact details: -
Street 17, Bungalow 24, Umm Suqeim 3
Mailing Address : P.O. Box 213744, Dubai, U.A.E. el : 04 - 348 - 1666
E-Mail : .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
This nursery describes itself as “the ivy league for the junior set” – but other than that we can tell you very little about it as the website is under construction! However, the contact details work so get in touch and learn more about this establishment that at least teaches pre-school children through the medium of English and endeavours to give nursery age children the skills they need to “fly.”
Jumeirah International Nursery School
Contact details: -
Al Wasl Branch (JIN 1)
Tel.: +971 4 349 9065
Fax.: +971 4 342 0627
P.O. Box 24857, Dubai, UAE
E-mail.: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
This is one of the longest established nurseries in Dubai and it follows the British curriculum for pre-school. It has an early bird and a late class in place so can look after your child from 7.30am until 5pm. Fees are also detailed on the website.
Contact details: -
Small World Nursery
PO Box 73173
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 4 349 0770
Fax: +971 4 349 5284
Email :swndubai@emirates.net.ae
The school is open from 8am until 12.30pm with attendance days flexible. The nursery has excellent facilities and seems to nurture children in a relaxed way without any particularly structured emphasis on curriculum at such a young age. Beware though, the website is cute in an annoying way!
Contact details: -
Located at the Boutique Offices in Dubai Media City (DMC) next to Knowledge Village.
Boutique Offices #23
Dubai Media City
P.O. Box 500570
Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Tel: 04-367 1636
Fax: 04-367 2961
Mobile: 050-667 0462
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
If you’re not put off by the sickly sweet name of the nursery and you happen to live or work in or near Internet or Media City then this nursery may well suit you. It’s open from 7.30am until 5pm for children from 18 months of age. The website has a lot of useful information such as a typical day at TLC as well as some fee and registration details.
Conclusion
The above list is a million miles from exhaustive but should give you some good places to start looking for the right pre-school environment for your child or children. Whether you need full time care for your nursery aged child or you would just like them to attend part time to get to know other children and learn how to interact and play, share and communicate, Dubai is incredibly well serviced with kindergartens and pre-school facilities.
All Four Education in Dubai Articles Can Be Found Here: -
Education, Schools and Colleges in Dubai - Pre-School, Nurseries
Primary Schools and Education in Dubai
International Schools in Dubai for Secondary Education
Internationally Recognised Universities in Dubai
