GEMS Al Barsha National School
GEMS Al Barsha National School
GEMS Al Barsha National School (GNS) is a British curriculum school in Al Barsha South 2, Dubai, teaching an enhanced English National Curriculum from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 13. KHDA records an opening year of 2017; the school as a single entity was formed in 2020, when GEMS merged its separate boys' and girls' schools onto one campus. British Schools Overseas inspectors counted 883 pupils in October 2025, drawn from over 57 nationalities, of whom 64% are Emirati. Girls and boys are taught in mixed classes from FS1 to Year 4 and separately from Year 5 upwards, in line with the school's Emirati and Islamic identity. The Foundation Stage runs a dual language programme that blends the EYFS framework with UAE Ministry of Education standards, with native English-speaking teachers alongside Arabic-speaking teachers and assistants, and a Desert School outdoor programme adapted from UK forest schools. Key Stage 4 offers ten GCSE options alongside IGCSEs and three BTEC Level 2 courses, and the sixth form runs A Levels and BTEC National Diplomas. In 2025 every BTEC Level 3 student earned a Distinction grade (D*-D) and 72% achieved the top Distinction*. KHDA rated the school Acceptable overall in 2023-2024, with Good for wellbeing and for the National Agenda Parameter, and Outstanding for students' understanding of Islamic values and awareness of Emirati and world cultures, which the school describes as its first ever Outstanding judgement. Its October 2025 British Schools Overseas inspection judged it a good school providing a good quality of education, with outstanding capacity for further improvement, and graded its curriculum, personal development, welfare and leadership outstanding.
Fees for 2026/2027, per year group. Excludes registration, uniform, and transport.
The school publishes two columns of its own for 2026-27, the KHDA-approved annual fee and the fee it actually charges, and the second is lower in the early years: Foundation Stage 1 is AED 40,000 against an approved 45,428, Foundation Stage 2 is AED 45,000 against 56,244, and Year 1 is AED 50,000 against 56,244. No eligibility condition is attached to those figures. From Year 2 upward the charged fee matches the approved one to within a dirham. An application fee of AED 525 including VAT applies and is refundable only if the school does not offer a place, and a non-refundable registration deposit of 10 per cent of tuition is deducted from the year's fees. The Najahi Scholarship is open to Years 7 to 13 for 2026-27 and can cover up to 75 per cent of tuition on a points basis, though books, uniform and transport are excluded from it. The school's sibling discount is published only for 2025-26 and has not been restated for 2026-27, so families should confirm it. Tuition covers a bilingual Foundation Stage in Arabic and English, a teacher-led extra-curricular programme and the school's outdoor learning provision; books, uniform and transport are charged separately, with transport outsourced to a third-party operator.
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KHDA 2023–2024 inspection
Dual language programme blending the English National Curriculum EYFS framework with UAE Ministry of Education standards, taught by native English-speaking teachers alongside Arabic-speaking teachers and assistants. Arabic is timetabled five times a week in FS1 and FS2, with English and Arabic phonics lessons, and Desert School is a timetabled weekly lesson. Play-based learning across the seven areas of the EYFS framework.
English National Curriculum enriched with UAE Ministry of Education requirements. Mixed classes to Year 4, with girls and boys taught separately from Year 5. Arabic is timetabled five lessons a week in every year, and Spanish is introduced in Year 6. Year 1 continues the bilingual model with Arabic-fluent teaching assistants, and new vocabulary is given with Arabic translations across the school. Read Write Inc, White Rose Maths and Accelerated Reader are used throughout.
A bespoke Key Stage 3 curriculum taught by subject specialists, in single-gender classes. The published timetable carries English, Maths, Science, Arabic, Islamic Education, Social Studies, Humanities, a combined Arts/Design Technology/Food rotation, PE, Spanish and Information Technology. Students begin preparing for GCSE pathway selection, with tailored academic counselling from Year 9.
GCSE programme in single-gender classes. Every student takes English, Maths, Science, Arabic, Islamic Education and PE; Social Studies runs in Year 10. Pupils choose from ten GCSE options and three BTEC Level 2 courses, alongside IGCSEs. Alternative pathways include second-language English and foundation GCSEs in science and mathematics for learners with additional needs. In 2025 the proportion of students achieving grades 4-9 across all subjects rose by 17.5 percentage points, and 42% of entries were graded 9-5.
A Level and International BTEC pathways, described by the school as a small sixth form offering a handful of A Level and BTEC Level 3 qualifications; 88 students were in the sixth form in October 2025. Most take three A Levels or two BTECs, and combinations are allowed. A Level courses run over five 55-minute lessons a week, BTECs over ten, with the same again expected in independent study. Arabic continues in Years 12 and 13 for students holding an Arabic passport or seeking the Secondary School Equivalency Certificate. In 2025 every BTEC Level 3 student earned a Distinction grade (D*-D) and 72% achieved Distinction*; 36% of BTEC Business Extended Diploma students achieved a triple Distinction* and 50% of BTEC Applied Science Extended Diploma students a double Distinction*. BSO inspectors found sixth-form students attaining well above international averages, almost one grade higher than predicted. BSO inspectors judged the quality of Post-16 provision outstanding, and the proportion of students entering the sixth form with at least five good GCSE passes including English and mathematics rose from 40% in 2023 to 71% in 2025.
Science laboratories, with risk assessments in place for practical work.
Computer lab. As a Microsoft Showcase School the school makes digital learning a strength, with iPads and learning platforms used across the curriculum.
Libraries with a bilingual collection: many titles carry English and Arabic on the same page, and fluent readers can borrow the same book in both languages.
Auditorium used for larger school events.
Design technology workshop, with risk assessments in place for practical work.
Food technology lab. Food and Nutrition is offered at GCSE.
Digital innovation suites.
Art and textile design spaces.
Principal / CEO
A school leader with over two decades of senior leadership experience, whose first headship began in 2004. Recognised as a National Leader of Education and a Lead Ofsted Inspector in the UK, she has guided schools from Special Measures to Outstanding. She became Director of Education at an all-through school in Dubai in 2019, and was previously Executive Headteacher of The New Wave Federation in London, overseeing three high-performing primary schools.
Vice Principal
Head of Primary
Head of Secondary
Assistant Principal — Head of Inclusion
Assistant Principal — Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1
Assistant Principal — Key Stage 2 and Mathematics
Assistant Principal Secondary — Pastoral
Assistant Principal Secondary — Assessment, Teaching and Learning
Assistant Principal Primary — Pastoral and English
Assistant Principal Secondary — Curriculum
Governor of Inclusion
Based on 1 review
Amazing school for my child. 5 star rating
Al Barsha South 2, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
