At the heart of our new DESS Direction strategic plan is a simple but powerful ambition: to create great people for life.
Structured around six core pillars; Wellbeing, Inclusion, Community, Learning & Teaching, Curriculum, and Professional Growth, the strategy commits every part of the organisation to growth with purpose.
To mark the launch, our DESS Direction brochure reflects on our schools' legacy, our family ethos, and the belief that continues to drive our future.
Legacy
Our story begins in the early 1960s, long before skyscrapers, superhighways, or the world stage Dubai commands today. Back then, a small community of European families had made their home in the Gulf, and education was improvised; lessons held in living rooms and spare corners.
Among those early pioneers was Flight Lieutenant Freddie Loughman, an RAF education officer who began teaching a small group of children in a Bur Dubai apartment in 1963.
As numbers grew, so did ambition. A move to Port Rashid followed. Then in 1966, by sheer chance, a passing encounter on horseback changed everything. The late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum offered a piece of land in Oud Metha; a gift that became the permanent home of DESS Primary. That moment shaped a legacy rooted in care, community and aspiration.
Family
From that modest start, DESS has grown into a family of schools, with three campuses now forming a shared story: the original Primary in Oud Metha, DESS College launched in 2005, and our newest chapter, DESS Primary Academic City, opening in 2025.
What’s remained constant through every phase of growth is the heart of the model: not-for-profit, people-first, and committed to character. We don’t just aim to shape strong learners. We aim to grow thoughtful, confident people who are ready to contribute - to their communities, to their professions, and to the world around them.
Belief
Looking ahead, we’ve asked ourselves a simple but important question: what does it really mean to create great people for life?
Our new three-year strategic plan sets out that answer. Built on six core pillars, it captures both where we’ve come from and where we’re going. Each school will lead its own path through:
It’s not just a document. It’s a mindset. A shared commitment to doing things well and doing them with purpose.
Anchors
Legacy, family and belief are themes that run through everything we do. Sometimes they’re obvious - the milestones, the big decisions. Other times, they show up in quieter ways: how a child is greeted at the gate, how a colleague is supported behind the scenes.
These are our anchors. They shape how we lead, how we grow, and how we stay true to what matters.
Legacy reminds us of the standards set by those who came before. Family keeps us grounded in care and connection. Belief moves us forward, pushing boundaries, challenging assumptions, and trusting one another to make it better.
This is the DESS way. It always has been. It always will be.