IB Elementary through to IB Diploma
The school caters to students from KG1 to IB Diploma and first opened in 2005. DIA says that it offers a rigorous curriculum as well as a rich language programme in an international setting, based on the three prestigious programmes from the Geneva-based International Baccalaureate – these are the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP). The school says it was the first in the UAE to be authorized by the International Baccalaureate to offer the full continuum of the IB curriculum. In September 2010, the school had over 1840 students from 75 nationalities and over 240 staff from over 35 nationalities.
Location
The school is located in Emirates Hills and can easily be reached from the Sheikh Zayed Road (between interchanges 4 and 5), Emirates Road and Al Khail Road.
Who runs the school?
DIA is a private school run by the Innoventures Group which also has two other international schools in its portfolio (Raffles International School West Campus and Raffles International School South Campus).
Is this a non-profit school?
No
What facilities does it offer?
DIA offers a campus built on 350,000 sq ft of land, with facilities including 90 classrooms, a networked library, specialist rooms for music, music technology, art, dance, drama and language learning. There are also science, computer and robotics laboratories, two swimming pools, four climate controlled multipurpose halls, fully grassed outdoor playing field, shaded play areas, outdoor basketball and tennis courts, cafeterias and music and movement sprung-floored rooms for kindgergarten classes.
Field trips and excursions are offered for primary and secondary students, with students in the MYP and Diploma groups undertaking overseas trips to countries such as Morocco, France and the UK. The Duke of Edinburgh award and the Model United Nations are also in effect at the school and these provide travel opportunities as well as all round development.
What is the school’s philosophy?
The school’s website states that its challenge is to prepare students for leadership roles in a world where change is the only constant. DIA says it responds to this change by delivering international programmes of study that provides students with the tools to communicate across the world and helps them prepare to become lifelong learners. The school says that its mission is to empower students with a holistic, rigorous and international education for success.
Curriculum
| Overview of the International Baccalaureate Programmes | ||||||||||||
Dubai International Academy focuses on pursuing excellence in a balanced academic programme that nurtures intellectual, emotional, physical and social development.Its stimulating curriculum integrates a variety of extra-curricular activities and uses structured inquiry as an ideal approach to learning.The school offers a broad-based continuum of international education from early childhood to school graduation based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes:
More information on the IB programme is available at:
These programmes of study offer a well-rounded, rigorous course of study at each level from Elementary School and throughout Secondary School. All three programmes reflect the IBs commitment to internationalism and to producing flexible, informed, global citizens for today’s rapidly changing world. An emphasis is placed on intercultural awareness throughout the programme, problem solving, and adapting information learned in all subject areas to the real world situation. As of August 2011, the number of schools offering the programmes from the IB is over 3,293 all over the world across 141 countries, with approximately 963,000 students |
Admissions requirements
| The first thing is to submit a completed application to the DIA admissions office, online through the website at: www.diadubai.com/admission. There are no application fees to apply to DIA.Once the application has been received, the admissions office will inform parents regarding availability of places. When Admissions are able to proceed with the application, they will invite the student to sit an assessment test, either online if residing abroad (for ages 7 upwards) or at the school premises in Dubai. This test incurs an AED 500 administration fee and is English and Mathematics oriented.The Admissions office will notify the parents, on the basis of the assessment test results coupled with information from previous school reports, whether DIA is able to offer the applicant a place. |
| What documents are required for admissions? |
| 2 x copy of student’s passport2 x copy of student’s UAE residency visa1 x copy of student’s birth certificate (in English or Arabic)1 x copy of student’s previous 2 years of school reports1 x copy of student’s immunisation record
6 x passport photographs Original Transfer Certificate from previous school (for Year 2 and upwards) The abovementioned documents are only required when your child is invited for the assessment test. |
Fees
Fees start at Dhs32,170 per year for KG1 students and go up to Dhs57,000 per year for students in year 13. There is an entrance test fee of Dhs500 (non-refundable), an annual re-enrollment fee of Dhs500 (non-refundable)and for ESL students (English as a Second Language students) an annual payment when the student starts ESL, also non-refundable.
KHDA Rating (as of 2011)
Good
Hello, my name is Rebecca Haywood. My Husband has just gotten a job with Emirates Airlines and will be moving there Feb 2nd. I have two children, Emelia (5yrs) and Lee (4yrs). My daughter is currently in Kindergarten here in the US. We have gotten our Villa information and we are in the Jumeriah area. We have been looking at primary schools and we are interested in your school. I understand that you are no longer accepting students for the current school year and will be accepting applications in March for the next year. Also, that we need to be in the Country before the children can be accepted. My daughter will not be out of school here until June and we will be moving to Dubai then. I want to get them on the list as soon as possible. How may I go about doing this? Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Haywood
Hi Rebecca,
You might want to write to the school directly, if you are particularly interested in Dubai International Academy (DIA). If you are going to be living in Jumeirah, there are several good school options – however they are not American curriculum schools. From what we know, this is around the time that schools are freezing their lists, and a lot of schools in Dubai are already full, and children are on waiting lists.
If your daughter is moving to Dubai in June, and you are then going to consider a school in Dubai, it’s way too late. The same for Lee who is 4 yrs old. You will need to contact schools quickly. School contact information is available on each relevant school info page. Good luck.