GEMS Wellington Academy – Al Khail
Very Good Al Khail, Dubai · British (NCfE)
- KHDA rating
- Very Good
High quality across the board with minor areas to improve — often better value than Outstanding. Ratings are from the last full inspection cycle (2023–24).
- Annual fees
- AED 19,460 to 93,959 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 2014
- School transport
- Bus service available
- Location
- Al Marabea Street East, Exit 18, Dubai Hills / Al Khail, Dubai
District-level pin for Al Khail — 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.
In context
Its mid-range fee is in line with the median for British (NCfE) schools in this guide (AED 54,632). It is one of 46 schools in this guide currently rated Very Good.
Worth comparing: Ambassador International Academy (around AED 54,000 a year) — a lower-fee option in the same area; Ranches Primary School (AED 50,436 to 61,643 a year) — a lower-fee school with the same Very Good rating and curriculum.
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 (2023–24 cycle) and its published record — read the complete report on the official KHDA directory.
Strengths the inspectors named:
- The principal’s pivotal role in sustaining a shared vision among staff, students and parents.
- Outstanding progress in English and mathematics in FS, Primary and Post-16.
- Outstanding self-evaluation, governance, parent partnership and management of staffing, facilities and resources.
- Strong procedures for keeping students safe, cared for, guided and supported.
- Rated Outstanding by British Schools Overseas, reconfirmed in February 2023 — a second inspectorate reaching the verdict KHDA has not yet awarded.
- A curriculum exceptionally well adapted to diverse learning needs, with capable teaching assistants making a significant contribution to student success.
What they asked the school to improve:
- The 2023–24 report shows a school a hair’s breadth from Outstanding overall — ask leaders precisely which measures remain, and what the plan for them is.
- Very Good across consecutive cycles after the climb from Good: momentum is real, and the final step has not yet come.
Inclusion (students of determination): Very Good — inspectors record that ‘an inclusive culture is well embedded throughout the school’ and that ‘the inclusion department is extremely well led by a highly-skilled team who have a very sound knowledge of students of determination and their needs’, with careers and therapeutic specialists providing exceptional guidance including for gifted students. The team includes Directors of Inclusion, SENCOs, specialist teachers, English-language staff and counsellors, with 107 teaching assistants across the school and GCSE, BTEC and ASDAN pathways at Key Stage 4. The fee structure is tiered and you should know it before applying: Level One and Two students receive classroom or small-group support at no extra cost, while Level Three students requiring one-to-one learning support assistance are funded by parents. 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:
- 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?
- How long is the real waiting list for my child’s year group, and how does sibling priority work?
Saved only on this device — never uploaded, never shared.
Special educational needs? Read the inclusion guide before you visit.
Other schools in Al Khail
- GEMS New Millennium School — Very Good, AED 23,143 to 33,557 a year
- GEMS International School Al Khail — Good, AED 35,000 to 65,000 a year
- Ambassador International Academy — Good, around AED 54,000 a year
Work at this school? Correct or update this record — verified corrections are made promptly and logged publicly.