Jumeirah Montessori or IB schools

[canada2010]

We will be moving to Dubai in a few months.

I have two children aged 3 and 5. I am interested in Montessori and/or IB schools in the Jumeriah area. So far I have come across the following schools as possible options and am waiting to hear back as to whether there is any availability:
1. Tiny Home Montessori
2. Raffles International
3. Emirates International
4. Gems World Academy
5. Dubai American Academy
6. Dubai International Academy

Any advice re contacting schools, application procedures, fees, feedback or internal struggles at any of these schools?
Any advice re any other schools to consider?
Are there any educational consultants who can assist with admissions procedures/wait lists, advice?

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

[shawarma]

Helllo Canada and welcome to the Dubai school forums .

1. Tiny Home Montessori - is a nursery only. Be wary of places that call themselves a Montessori school in Dubai. Often they are not. I don't know about Tiny Home but they say they were established with the help of the London Montessori Centre LMC (or London Montessori International LMI or The Montessori St. Nicholas Charity ... maybe, it's not clear exactly what the place is called - try www.montessori.org.uk) so that might be a good sign, or it might just be something made up given that it doesn't seem to be easy to find LMC information. Fees information not supplied, try contacting them directly (and let us know what the fees are if you find out).

2. Raffles International (RIS) - wouldn't be my first choice. There seem to be a larger number of unhappy parents than with other schools in your list, then things might have settled down a bit since they first opened. Fees starting from AED 25,000 for 2009-2010.

3. Emirates International School (EIS) - wouldn't be my first choice either but would be my preference over Raffles, unless there was something significant to put me off, or something particularly appealing about Raffles. Has been around much longer. The Emirates Meadows campus is probably a better place to be, and might even be cheaper? Fees starting from about AED 22k for KG1 at the Meadows, AED 29k for KG2 at Meadows, and Jumeirah / Umm Suqeim for 2009-2010. Not clear if KG1 available at Jumeirah campus.

4. Gems World Academy (GWA) - in Al Barsha South which is further from Jumeirah than you might think, supposed to be one of the flagship GEMS Education schools, facilities excellent, expensive. Some people don't like GEMS schools because of the profit making goals but most private schools in Dubai are driven by profit. Fees start at AED 53,000 for KG1 in 2010-2011.

5. Dubai American Academy (DAA) - another GEMS school albeit one with a decent enough reputation. In Al Barsha but closer to Jumeirah than GWA. Also expensive. Fees from AED 18k for KG1 and AED 46k for KG2 for 2009-2010.

6. Dubai International Academy (DIA) - run by Innoventures who have just announced a tie up with Emaar Education, which means the DIA reputation might suffer. Located in Emirates Hills which is not so close to Jumeirah. Fees starting to get expensive at AED 32k for KG1 and AED 36k for KG2. Might have been my first pick along with DAA, but the fee schedule and tie up with Raffles puts me off a bit.

Here's a topic with voting for the best international school in Dubai. Not that you should read too much into it, but there might be some other possibilities worth considering.

As for Educational Consultants, well there are a few who will happily dispense advice, especially if you pay them (send me some $$$ and I'll call myself an Educational Consultant if you like ). Some of them probably know what they're talking about too. I don't know that there are any that can shortcut waiting lists for schools in Dubai though. Usually the only way to do that is if you know someone working at the school.

My best advice is to make a trip here to visit the schools on your list. It's expensive but nothing beats a first-hand impression. Don't rely on anything anyone else tells you (including me!).
My second best advice is to read the finding a school in Dubai information. The good news is that this info is free .

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

[canada2010]

Thank you so much for the welcome message and info...very helpful. I hope to make a visit to tour the schools soon.

Are their any other IB schools you may be able to recommend in/closer to Jumeirah?

Have you heard much about the Raffles nursery schools that are located in various communities? It appears that some of them are Montessori...

I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again!

[shawarma]

Jumeirah Baccalaureate School - new school opening in Jumeirah 1 in the current American School in Dubai campus, run by Taaleem. Probably expensive but might be worth a look.

Wellington International School Dubai - in Al Sufouh, got an Outstanding rating from the KHDA recently, probably quite good even though it's a GEMS School. Expensive.

Other IB schools are further away. Here's a list of IB schools in Dubai if you want to check them all out - select IB in the criteria, and sort by telephone number to get them kind of grouped by area. Jumeirah tel numbers start with +971-4-34 ...

Yes, here's a list of the Raffles nurseries. I think all charge about 30,000 dhs per year. Not all are Montessori but those that claim to be probably are. And here's a fuller list of Montessori nurseries in Dubai if you want to do more searching (you can do the same sort on telephone number to find the Jumeirah ones) . You could also consider the handful of Regio Emilia nurseries, I think they're probably quite good, and most are in Jumeira / Umm Suqeim ...

Step By Step Nursery
Blossom Nursery
Inspire Nursery Dubai
Kensington Nursery School