Durham School Dubai

Acceptable Silicon Oasis, Dubai · British (NCfE)

KHDA rating: Acceptable
Meets minimum standards; may be on an improvement plan. Read the full report before enrolling. Ratings are from the last full inspection cycle (2023–24).
Annual fees: AED 24,000 to 48,000 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 2015
School transport: Bus service available
Location: Silicon Oasis, Dubai
Open in Google Maps

District-level pin for Silicon Oasis — use the Google Maps link for the exact gate.

Link verified against a live domain, July 2026.

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.

In context

Its mid-range fee is about 34 per cent below the median for British (NCfE) schools in this guide (AED 54,632). It is one of 27 schools in this guide currently rated Acceptable.

Worth comparing: The Indian International School DSO (AED 12,000 to 24,000 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 (2024–25 cycle) and its published record — read the complete report on the official KHDA directory.

Strengths the inspectors named:

Inspected in the 2024–25 cycle — one of only four schools in Dubai to receive a full inspection that year, when full inspections were otherwise paused.
Rated Acceptable on debut, with a clear improvement roadmap set by inspectors from the start.

What they asked the school to improve:

Acceptable is the regulator’s minimum expectation, and a debut rating reflects a school still building its systems — read the full report before deciding.
New schools commonly need several years to establish academic and cultural identity: ask which specific recommendations are being funded this year.

Inclusion (students of determination): Acceptable — 50 registered students of determination, and inspectors’ verdict is unusually blunt: provision is caring in intent but reactive in practice, with insufficient infrastructure, inconsistent individual education plans and limited monitoring of impact. IEPs require redesign so they actually inform lesson planning and differentiated activities. Wellbeing monitoring lacks formal data collection and student participation mechanisms, and there are zero guidance counsellors on roll, which inspectors identify as a significant gap. A separate Quality Assurance Visit from Durham School UK found teaching standards high with differentiation a strength in the majority of lessons observed — so the classroom practice may be ahead of the systems around it. For a family whose child needs structured, monitored support, this is a school to question closely rather than assume. 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 — 169 of 169 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:

What did the last KHDA report ask you to improve, and what has changed since?
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?

Special educational needs? Read the inclusion guide before you visit.

Other schools in Silicon Oasis

GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis — Very Good, AED 40,340 to 89,246 a year
The Indian International School DSO — Good, AED 12,000 to 24,000 a year

Work at this school? Correct or update this record — verified corrections are made promptly and logged publicly.

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