The School of Research Science

Good Al Safa, Dubai · British (NCfE)

KHDA rating

Good

Good standards in most areas. The most common rating among Dubai schools. Ratings are from the last full inspection cycle (2023–24).

Annual fees

AED 34,000 to 62,000 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 2010

School transport

No bus service listed

Location

Al Safa, Dubai

Open in Google Maps

District-level pin for Al Safa — use the Google Maps link for the exact gate.

In context

Its mid-range fee is about 12 per cent below the median for British (NCfE) schools in this guide (AED 54,632). It is one of 62 schools in this guide currently rated Good.

Worth comparing: Al Maaref American School (AED 28,000 to 52,000 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 (2023–24 cycle) and its published record — read the complete report on the official KHDA directory.

Strengths the inspectors named:

• Good in 2023–24, held since 2018–19 — with Very Good ratings between 2015 and 2018 in its history, and an Outstanding British Schools Overseas verdict in 2021 that DSIB inspectors did not match.
• Protection, care, guidance and support rated Outstanding across all four phases, and health, safety and safeguarding Outstanding across all phases — among the strongest welfare infrastructure in Dubai.
• Eighteen guidance counsellors for 3,209 students, described by inspectors as extensively trained and offering age-appropriate support — well above the Dubai norm.
• Management, staffing, facilities and resources rated Outstanding, with high-quality provision sustained across all subjects in Foundation and Primary.
• Arabic as a first language and as an additional language both rated Outstanding — a reversal of the usual pattern in this market, and a significant strength for Arabic-speaking families.

What they asked the school to improve:

• Teaching is Very Good in Foundation Stage and Post-16 but only Good in Primary and Secondary — the ceiling on academic progress until consistency improves in the two largest phases.
• Work in lessons is not always well matched to students’ learning needs, guidance given on students’ work varies, and assessment data is not consistently used to personalise learning outside FS and Post-16.
• Inspectors point to secondary and sixth-form curriculum and teaching approaches as the route to a higher rating.
• The group’s separate US High School section has been rated Acceptable in both of its inspections, with a governing body inspectors found lacking stakeholder representation and not holding leaders sufficiently accountable, and nearly half of staff new in one year — if you are considering that section rather than this one, treat them as different schools.

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?

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

Other schools in Al Safa

• Al Maaref American School — Acceptable, AED 28,000 to 52,000 a year
• Horizon English School — Outstanding, AED 43,849 to 58,825 a year
• Al Ittihad Private School Al Safa — Good, Fees not listed — confirm with the school

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

← Back to all 169 schools