Why Choose DESS?
Dubai English Speaking School (DESS) is very proud to be the oldest British school in the United Arab Emirates, established in 1963 by the British Embassy on a site gifted by Sheikh Rashid, former Ruler of Dubai.
DESS has won multiple awards including the Bayut Primary School of the Year and Schools Compared Top School Awards, Best Primary School in the UAE and Best School in the UAE alongside our secondary school and Sixth Form, Dubai English Speaking College. As an outstanding British School in Dubai, please take the time to read our ‘outstanding’ KHDA inspection report and ‘outstanding’ BSO inspection report.
Our school is one of only a few not-for profit schools in Dubai and, as such, is administered by a Board of Trustees who guarantee there is generous reinvestment in the school, on both a long term and short-term basis. This has ensured that the facilities in the school are excellent and we continue to make improvements. With an extremely low turn over of staff, our staff are well looked after and continuously strive to improve what is recognised already as an outstanding practice. We also pride ourselves at always being at the forefront of educational development in Dubai and on our innovative new learning spaces.
As a fully inclusive school, we believe in success for all, not just academically but in the many other areas of a child’s development. We provide a wide range of extra curricular provision, which includes a variety of cross-curricular opportunities, sports and performing arts. Our excellent standards in teaching and learning, are evidence of the commitment of all our highly dedicated staff in achieving the best standards across all areas of school life.
The wellbeing of our DESS community, students, parents and staff, is paramount and we place great emphasis on building a direct relationship between the school and parents. Through our Parents in Partnership (PiPs) programme, there are many ways parents can get involved at DESS from one to one reading with the children to being a part of our many community events including National Day, International Day and DESStive Day.
We encourage prospective parents to make an appointment to be shown around the school. You will experience real teaching and learning and get a flavour of the friendly, community atmosphere as well as getting to meet some of the children and teachers.
If you would like to book an in person tour, please view our DESS Tours page.
In the meantime, we invite you to view our videos in order to give you a virtual taste of life at DESS. We highly recommend you watch the experiences of our students, parents and alumni, as their stories capture the essence of our DESS community.
Ready to enrol?
We would encourage you to explore the Admissions section of our website including details of our Admissions Process, Fees and Admissions Policies. If you are ready to proceed with our application form, please select the appropriate form below:
Foundation Stage Application Form
Speak with our Admissions Team
If you have any Admissions queries, our Admissions Team can be emailed at [email protected] or alternatively you can call 04 360 4866 Ext. 203/345.