Swiss International Scientific School Dubai

Since 2021, Ruth Burke BEd MEd. Attended Trinity College, Dublin and later University of Bath, completing her master’s in educational leadership. ‘My mum always tells the story that on my first day of school I came home and declared I was going to be

School has capacity to reach 2,450 students, but with pockets of space. Secondary places generally easier to come by.

Entry assessment is play based for early years (‘It’s great that the room has glass walls so the kids can still see us,' say

Early exit is due primarily to relocation. There are no other schools in the city with a comparable quality of bilingual programme (and that offer boarding). Careers planning starts from grade 6. The university counsellor is diligent in organising

In 2025, the average IB diploma score was 33, with a highest score of 42.

In 2023, the average IB diploma score was 32, with a highest score of 42. The average middle years programme (MYP) score was 41 with a 100 per cent pass rate.

School is

Three learning streams on offer in early years and primary: English/French bilingual programme, English/German bilingual programme, and (in primary only) the IB STEAM programme which sees young children learn predominantly in English (building

'Wonderful' head of inclusion, say parents, committed to educating community and parents on what it means to be an inclusive school. She manages a large team who work on identification, observation and assessment of students. Around 11 per cent of

As children are bilingual (most actually multilingual with 40 languages spoken in family homes), good language support is essential, and the school does not come up short. Around fifteen per cent of students receive extra help from the language

Art spreads deeper than just fine arts and we really enjoyed exploring the grades 8-11 Junk Kouture projects (department lead is ‘mad about sustainability’), with its competition-worthy designs including dresses made of Halloween sweet wrappers,

Teams participate in Dubai's DASSA league in six main sports: basketball, golf, tennis, swimming, football and athletics. Top notch facilities with two full sized tennis courts, basketball courts, large football pitches and both indoor (280m) and

Only 15 minutes from Dubai International airport, the two boarding houses, aptly named Geneva (boys) and Zurich (girls), sit nearby the sports facilities and lodge just over 50 students each (from grade 6 and above, though majority are grade 8

Huge diversity with students from a variety of cultures and speaking different languages - everyone enjoys mutual respect. When problems arise, school adopts a restorative justice approach. ‘It’s an opportunity for the student to learn and reflect,’

Over 100 nationalities; with French, German and Swiss the top three. On walking around the playground, it was clear that children switch languages naturally. No huge segregation though; with few cliques and children seen as accepting and open

Fees high (one of the most expensive in Dubai) and comparable to popular UK public schools. Parents moan about the additional costs (donations, resources, trips etc) but improvements are constantly being made around campus. Academic, sports and

The ‘Little people, big dreams’ books spotted in reception sums the school up perfectly. This is a school dedicated to enabling students to explore what they enjoy, in their languages of choice, while learning skills and gaining good results along