GEMS Founders School - Nad Al Hamar
Nad Al Hamar, Dubai
School
Overview
About GEMS Founders School - Nad Al Hamar
GEMS Founders School - Nad Al Hamar (GFH) is a co-educational British curriculum school opening in August 2026, with the first day for students on 31 August 2026. It is the fifth school in the GEMS Founders family, which the group says already supports more than 14,000 students across the UAE. The school opens with Foundation Stage 1 to Year 8, for children aged 3 to 13, and will grow year by year to Year 13. It follows the National Curriculum for England, enriched by the UAE Ministry of Education requirements for Arabic, Islamic Education where applicable, UAE Social Studies and Moral, Social and Cultural Studies. Arabic begins in FS1 and is offered as Arabic A for native speakers and Arabic B for non-native speakers. Key Stage 3 adds French, Food Technology and Textiles alongside the core and foundation subjects. Teaching is shaped by the school's "GFH Way", built on three pillars of Grow, Flourish and Honour, and the ethos "Serve to Lead". Classroom practice follows the GEMS "Teach Like A GEM" (TLAG) framework. Pastoral care runs through a four-House system named for Islamic values: Ihsan, Rahmah, Amanah and Sidq. Every student joins a House on arrival and stays for life, with siblings placed together. The purpose-built campus covers 250,000 square feet. Facilities include spacious classrooms, STEAM labs, dedicated art and music rooms, dedicated classrooms for Arabic and Islamic Studies, an indoor play area for Foundation Stage, a football pitch, multi-purpose sports halls, and basketball and netball courts. An optional Service Leadership Activities programme runs every Monday from 7:30am to 8:15am in partnership with ESM, with further after-school activities during the week. Core stationery, exercise books and curriculum learning materials are included in the tuition fee. The school is nut free, mobile phones are not permitted on site, and students in Years 6 to 8 are issued signal-blocking phone pouches. While the campus is being completed, a temporary admissions centre operates at GEMS Founders School - Al Mizhar.
Curriculum
Year Groups
Language
Established
August 2026Opening
250,000 sq ftCampus
5th UAE schoolFounders Family
15% discountFounding Families
4 HousesHouse System
Fees
Annual tuition fees
Fees for 2026/2027, per year group. Excludes registration, uniform, and transport.
Fee range
AED 34K – 44K
Annual fees shown are the KHDA-approved rates for 2026/2027. Families joining the opening cohort receive a 15% Founding Family discount, which the school states is subject to KHDA approval; fees for subsequent years are subject to review. KHDA has approved the full ladder up to Year 13 as the school grows: Year 9 AED 44,000, Years 10 and 11 AED 48,000, and Years 12 and 13 AED 51,000. Core stationery, exercise books and curriculum learning materials are included in the tuition fee.
Registration feeAED 525
Deposit10% of annual tuition
DiscountsAvailable
Payment termsThree termly instalments of 40%, 30% and 30%. For 2026/2027 the Term 1 payment is due 11 August 2026, Term 2 on 1 January 2027 and Term 3 on 1 April 2027.
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Inspection
KHDA Rating
Not Rated
KHDA inspection rating
Source: Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB)
Curriculum
Stages & pathways
Early Years Foundation Stage
FS1 - FS2The EYFS curriculum delivered through purposeful play, hands-on discovery and child-led exploration in calm, purpose-designed classrooms and outdoor learning areas. Arabic is introduced from FS1 through immersive, play-based methods.
Key Stage 1
Year 1 - Year 2The English National Curriculum across core and foundation subjects, with the UAE Ministry of Education requirements integrated throughout.
Key Stage 2
Year 3 - Year 6The upper primary phase of the English National Curriculum, enriched through theme days, educational visits, visiting speakers and student leadership opportunities.
Key Stage 3
Year 7 - Year 8The opening secondary provision, taught by specialist teachers as students transition from primary into a broader and more demanding curriculum. Year 9 follows as the school grows.
Key Stage 4
Year 9 - Year 11Not offered in the opening 2026/27 year. The school opens with FS1 to Year 8 and adds a year group at a time, so Years 9, 10 and 11 follow as each cohort moves up.
Key Stage 5
Year 12 - Year 13Not offered in the opening 2026/27 year. Sixth Form follows as the school grows year by year to Year 13; KHDA has already approved fees for Years 12 and 13.
Admissions
How to apply
Campus
Facilities
Spacious classrooms
Classrooms across the 250,000 square-foot campus designed to support high-quality learning.
STEAM labs
State-of-the-art laboratories for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.
Art rooms
Dedicated creative studios for art.
Music rooms
Dedicated specialist rooms for music.
Arabic language classrooms
Classrooms dedicated to Arabic language teaching, offered as Arabic A and Arabic B from FS1.
Islamic Studies classrooms
Classrooms dedicated to Islamic Studies, delivered in line with the UAE Ministry of Education framework.
Foundation Stage indoor play area
An indoor play area for the Early Years, alongside outdoor learning environments for FS1 and FS2.
Football pitch
Outdoor football provision on the school campus.
Beyond the classroom
Extra-curricular activities
Service Leadership Activities
Sport
Performing arts
Robotics
Innovation challenges
Entrepreneurship
Leadership
School leadership
A
Akram Tarik
Founding Executive Principal / CEO
Akram Tarik brings more than 20 years of educational leadership across the UK and UAE. As CEO and Founders Brand Leader he has helped shape one of GEMS Education's fastest-growing school brands, which currently serves more than 14,000 students across the UAE. His leadership was central to the growth of GEMS Founders School - Al Mizhar, which expanded from 1,800 to nearly 5,000 students and was judged Outstanding in all standards in its 2025 British Schools Overseas inspection. He is also a Designated Safeguarding Officer at GFH.
P
Phil Yates
Vice Principal / Head of Primary
G
Grace Musto
Senior Assistant Principal
H
Hana Aslam
Teaching and Learning Coach
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Location
Where we are
Nad Al Hamar
Nad Al Hamar, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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