Al Diyafah High School
Good Al Nahda, Dubai · British (NCfE)
- KHDA rating
- Good
Good standards in most areas. The most common rating among Dubai schools. From the 2023–24 inspection cycle — now more than two years old. KHDA has not completed a full cycle in two consecutive years, so this rating, and every rating on every other site, is older than it looks.
- Annual fees
- AED 11,596 to 24,655 a year
Varies by year group; confirm current fees with the school. 2026–27 fees are frozen by KHDA directive.
- Curriculum
- British (NCfE)
- Established
- Founded 1982
- School transport
- Bus service available
- Location
- Al Nahda, Dubai
District-level pin for Al Nahda — use the Google Maps link for the exact gate.
Link verified against a live domain, July 2026.
Check travel time from your location
Opens live directions in Google Maps — real traffic from your own address beats any published estimate. School-run traffic peaks roughly 7–8am; test your route at drop-off time.
How far is this from another school? What the bus costs
If your children may end up at different schools, the distance that decides your mornings is the one between them, not from home to each.
In context
Its mid-range fee is about 62 per cent below the median for British (NCfE) schools in this guide (AED 48,202). It is one of 79 schools in this guide currently rated Good.
Worth comparing: Dubai Carmel School (AED 8,912 to 15,124 a year) — a lower-fee option in the same area.
These comparisons are computed from the verified data in this register, not editorial opinion.
What the inspectors said
Paraphrased from the last full DSIB inspection we could verify (2023–24 cycle) and its published record — read the complete report on the official KHDA directory. These findings are from the 2023–24 cycle and are now more than two years old. Leadership, staffing and provision can change substantially in that time — see the note below on why every rating in Dubai is older than it looks.
Strengths the inspectors named:
- Good, held consistently across more than a decade of inspections, in one of the oldest UK-curriculum schools in Dubai — founded 1982 and still under family ownership, with the founder’s daughter now running it.
- Personal development rated Outstanding, and the thing parents consistently name is continuity: teachers who remember birthdays and notice moods, at a price point where that is rare.
- Genuinely affordable for a full FS1 to Year 13 British pathway at roughly AED 11,600 to 24,700, with IGCSE and A Level through Cambridge and Edexcel.
- Three senior routes rather than one: A Level, BTEC Level 3 Diploma, and the ASDAN curriculum for students who benefit from a different kind of programme — which for a student who will not thrive on a single academic track is a real structural advantage.
- 1,714 students drawn predominantly from the Indian expatriate community, with 23 other nationalities represented.
- Published outcomes are strong for the fee level: 61% of IGCSE entries graded A* to A, and a 100% A Level pass rate, with leavers going on to Waterloo, UBC, Newcastle, Sheffield and Loughborough among others.
- Inspectors record progress and attainment good in Primary, very good in Secondary, and at least good in Post-16.
What they asked the school to improve:
- Good is the regulator’s benchmark, not its ceiling. The trajectory is worth knowing precisely: Acceptable for three years, then Good for the eight years since — a genuine climb that then plateaued. Ask what the current improvement plan funds and who owns it for moving beyond it.
- Curriculum breadth is the real constraint. Subject choice is heavily weighted to Science and Commerce, and Art and Design is the only creative arts subject offered. If your child’s life is in music, drama or the visual arts, this is the limitation to weigh, not the fee.
- Family ownership brings continuity but concentrates decision-making: worth understanding the governance structure if you are enrolling for the long term.
- Fee figures vary slightly between published sources — confirm the current KHDA-approved schedule directly with the school before budgeting.
Inclusion (students of determination): Good for inclusive education in KHDA’s official Inclusion Rating Table, with 21 students registered under SEN requirements — a small cohort in a school of 1,714, and this register’s standing caution applies: a low number can mean low need or needs that are not being found. The most practically useful fact here is structural: the school runs ASDAN alongside A Level and BTEC Level 3, so a student who cannot access a full academic programme has an accredited route through the school rather than a holding position. That is worth more to some families than any rating. Ask which of the four statutory inclusion roles are filled, and what is charged beyond standard tuition. See the special educational needs guide for the questions to ask on a visit.
Inspector summaries are being added school by school as each report is read — 212 of 212 so far, dated per cycle, never invented. A school without a summary yet is unread, not unjudged.
Visit kit
Questions worth asking on a tour — tuned to this school’s rating and curriculum:
- Who leads inclusion here — and may we meet them before enrolling?
- How much staff turnover did you have last year, and why?
- What are actual class sizes this term — not the maximum?
- How and how often will I hear about my child’s progress?
Saved only on this device — never uploaded, never shared.
Special educational needs? Read the inclusion guide before you visit.
Other schools in Al Nahda
- American School of Creative Science — Good, AED 20,000 to 38,000 a year
- Buds Public School — Acceptable, AED 8,000 to 15,000 a year
- Pristine Private School — Good, around AED 22,000 a year
- Dubai Carmel School — Acceptable, AED 8,912 to 15,124 a year
Work at this school? Correct or update this record — verified corrections are made promptly and logged publicly.