Guaranteeing a Gateway to Excellence
One of the most compelling benefits for families considering a place at our new Primary School, is the guaranteed pathway it provides into DESS College.
Consistently ranking among the top British curriculum schools in the UAE, DESS College students are immersed in an environment that emphasises not only academic success but also the development of essential life skills. Knowing that a place at DESS Primary Academic City secures this quality of education offers increasingly rare peace of mind.
As with DESS Primary Oud Metha, the close relationship between our new Primary School and the College will enable DESS Primary Academic City students to make a culturally seamless move into a Secondary environment with shared values, which means they will be able to focus immediately on their learning and growth without the typical adjustment period.
With small class sizes, tailored support and world class resources, DESS College students can excel in both core and extracurricular activities and continue to grow in an environment that champions their individual strengths and potential. Our students go on to attend top universities around the world, equipped not just to succeed, but to excel in a fast-changing world.
Throughout the DESS family, we have always viewed education as more than academics. It is about character, resilience and preparing children and students to make a positive impact in the world. The continuity from DESS Primary Oud Metha and DESS Primary Academic City to DESS College will reinforce this approach, providing a stable environment where students can develop both as scholars and as individuals.
Although the British curriculum is offered widely across the UAE, each school’s interpretation can differ. Within DESS, collaboration across our school leadership teams ensures students experience a consistent approach to learning. It is like being on the same train, on the same track, just travelling through different areas of the curriculum. The view might change over time, but the vehicle remains familiar and constant throughout the journey. Our students know what a great DESS lesson looks and feels like, and they can trust that they are in familiar territory. This continuity not only reinforces academic consistency but helps reduce the typical anxieties children face when transitioning to a new school.
Though the new school has rightly been grabbing headlines, students joining DESS College from any other primary school are of course, also welcomed into the fold - and with equal enthusiasm.
A place at DESS College from anywhere is an invitation to join a community that supports each student’s journey through to the world’s top universities and beyond. Students can feel confident that they will be prepared not only academically, but also as thoughtful, globally minded citizens.
To help achieve this, we actively encourage new students from primary schools outside the DESS family to join new friendship groups, and our House system is designed with inclusivity in mind, bringing everyone together. Teachers play a special role in supporting students by encouraging collaboration and ensuring that new students quickly feel part of the community.
Looking to the future, we appreciate that having two DESS primary schools feeding the College will likely limit spaces available for students from outside the DESS family. We never take for granted the privilege of leading a very popular College, but at the same time, it is tough knowing we cannot say yes to everyone.
By Matthew Cotgrove, Head of School, DESS College
