Aspen Heights British School

Aspen Heights British School was founded in September 2017 in Al Bahia, Abu Dhabi. It delivers the National Curriculum of England from Nursery to Year 10 and plans to grow each year to accommodate classes till Year 13.

Being a part of the International Schools Partnership (ISP), Aspen Heights British School benefits from the international connections this partnership offers. According to their website, ISP has 56 schools in 16 countries following 16 different curriculums.

Read this guide to learn more about AHBS facilities, curriculum, admissions, fee structure, extra-curricular activities and more.

Aspen Heights British School is based on Abu Dhabi’s outskirts – in Al Bahia. It is easily accessible from family-friendly neighbourhoods, such as:

• Al Shahama
• Yas Island
• Al Rahba

Al Shahama is close to Dubai, ideal for people who regularly commute between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This community is divided into Shahama Old and Shahama New.

Yas Island is a well-known tourist centre and offers luxurious villas for rent and sale.

Al Rahba based on Abu Dhabi outskirts is widely known for apartments for sale and rent. It is a family-friendly neighbourhood away from the city centre.

Parents looking to move closer to AHBS can consider:

• Apartments for rent in Aspen Heights British School
• Villas for rent near Aspen Heights British School

Aspen School campus offers high-end amenities in an eco-friendly environment. Aspen Heights British School conducts unique environmental initiatives for students, including:

• Hydroponics Garden
• Caring for Animals

Students cultivate fruits and vegetables and develop healthy eating habits through the hydroponics garden. Students also learn to care for animals such as the school’s tortoises, fish and chicken.

Other amenities the school has to offer are:

Aspen Heights integrates Information and Communications Technology (ICT) within the curriculum and classrooms to enhance the teaching and learning experience. Students and teachers have access to Chromebooks, Tablets and Interactive Smartboards. They are introduced to Augmented Reality (AR), tablet technology and control technology. Aspen Heights British School is one of the few Google for Education schools in Abu Dhabi.

Aspen Heights British School is based on 15 Street in the Al Bahia community near Emirates Park Zoo and Resort.

Aspen Heights British School, Abu Dhabi is a co-educational British school in Abu Dhabi following the National Curriculum of England and Wales from Nursery to Year 10. ABHS is a relatively new school expected to accommodate classes till Year 13 and provide an all-through education to the residents of Abu Dhabi in the coming years.

The school’s robust curriculum ensures students thrive academically, socially, culturally and physically. It is achieved through mentoring, enrichment and personalised study as and when required. Students attending Aspen Heights British School become well-rounded individuals who contribute to society.

The school offers a high-quality British education with an inquiry-based learning approach. Students learn to apply subjects such as Mathematics and English in a real-world context. AHBS benefits from the International School Partnership (ISP) management, a global family of schools throughout the world.

Aspen Heights fosters an inclusive and stimulating environment where they embrace the individuality of each child and ensure all their needs are met. Teachers are dedicated to improving the well-being of students. It focuses on providing an exceptional education at every grade level. Besides classroom learning, the school also offers many enrichment programs, such as dance, drama, swimming, painting, gardening and football training.

AHBS is from Nursery to Year 10. The school will likely accommodate more year groups until they offer classes till Year 13.

The school day at AHBS begins at 07:30 am. Classes end at 02:00 pm for FS1 and FS2 students and end at 02:20 pm for students of higher grades.

The school delivers the National Curriculum for England. The curriculum at AHBS is enforced through inquiry-based learning and collaborative group problem-solving. The curriculum is highly personalised and integrated into the school’s environment.

The school utilises proven strategies to support children’s speaking, listening and writing using Talk 4 Writing by Pie Corbett and Read Write Perform. The curriculum also incorporates public speaking and debating to build confidence.

AHBS teaches students Arabic from the Nursery. Additionally, the school offers French language lessons from Year 3 onwards. The Arabic syllabus is based on the framework laid down by the UAE Ministry of Education (MOE).

Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum

Aspen follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum for England and Wales at the Nursery level. This curriculum specifies the following seven key areas of learning:

• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, social and emotional development
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design

Students take Arabic lessons four times a week. They take additional classes in Music, ICT and Physical Education (PE). For FS2 students, specialist teachers take up one swimming lesson and one PR lesson every week.

Primary School Curriculum

Learning extends beyond the classroom at the primary school. Students partake in outdoor lessons, educational visits and community service projects– all aimed at broadening their knowledge. Arabic, Islamic and Social Studies are taught as mandated by the Ministry of Education.

The four core subjects taught at this level are:

Foundation stage subjects include:

French becomes part of the curriculum from Year 3 onwards.

Secondary School Curriculum

The curriculum is designed on the foundation laid at the primary school level from Year 7 onwards. The Ministry of Education subjects are part of the curriculum.

Core subjects at this level include:

Foundation subjects are as follows:

ADEK is a government entity responsible for licensing and monitoring school. They carry out periodic evaluations of all schools based on the following six criteria:

• Quality of students’ achievement
• Quality of personal and social development as well as innovation skills of the students
• Quality of teaching and assessment
• Quality of curriculum
• Quality of student safety and well-being, as well as the guidance and support provided to them
• Quality of school leadership and management

International evaluators use a scale comprising six quality levels, as shown below:

Aspen Heights British School, Al Bahya, has been rated good for its overall performance for the academic year 2018-2019. The school received a good rating in the following performance standards:

• Student’s achievement
• Teaching and Assessment
• Curriculum
• Leadership and Management

The school also received a very good rating for two performance standards:

• Students’ personal and social development and their innovation skills
• The protection, care, guidance and support of students.

Some strengths of the school as reported by ADEK are:

• Students’ attainment in UAE Social Studies, Arabic as First Language (FL) and Islamic Education
• Students’ respectful relationship with others and their appreciation of Islamic values
• Teachers’ skill to plan lessons that support students’ progress
• Safety and security arrangements for students
• Support of the leadership for an inclusive school and their commitment to UAE values and priorities

ADEK recommended that Aspen Heights British School must:

• Raise students’ achievement in Arabic as Second Language (SL), Mathematics, English and Science
• Work on teachers’ planning to accelerate students’ progress
• Further adapt the curriculum to enable students to be independent, innovative and enterprising learners

An academic year at Aspen Heights Abu Dhabi is split into three terms.

• The first term commences in the last week of August and concludes in the second week of December. The school observes a mid-term break in October.
• The second term begins in the first week of January and ends in the fourth week of March, with a half-term break in February.
• The third term commences in the second week of April and concludes in the first week of July.

For more details, view the school calendar.

The school welcomes students of all abilities and backgrounds. But they must meet the age guidelines stipulated by the Department of Education and Knowledge.

The admission process to enrol at Aspen Heights British School is as follows:

• Submit your application: Parents have to submit an online application. Once this is completed, the school will send an automated confirmation email. The school will then initiate contact and request the following documents:
  • End of year school report
  • Emirates ID
• Assessment: The school conducts assessments and playdates depending on the year group. Currently, weekly assessments are carried out for primary and secondary students on Mondays and EYFS students on Wednesdays.
• **Securing your child’s place:** The school will send a formal offer letter to selected students upon completing the assessments or playdate. Parents will then have ten days to accept, sign and return the acceptance offer. Once the offer has been accepted, parents receive a registration fee invoice. It amounts to 5% of the annual fee or the full term fee (depending on the time of year the offer is made.) The registration fee is deductible from the first term’s school fees.

The age-grade guideline followed by AHBS is given below:

This is based on the age of the students on 31st August (for schools beginning in September). Source: AHBS

* This is to cater to students transferring from systems that admit students of a younger age)

The offer letter stipulates a list of essential documents required within ten days of acceptance. These documents are used to register the student with the Department of Knowledge and Education (ADEK). Parents can refer to the school’s website for more information regarding the availability at Aspen British Heights School.

Parents can pay the Aspen Heights British School fees in three instalments for the academic year. Instalment should be paid before the commencement of each term. The fee for the current academic year is as follows:

Payments can be made by cash, cheque, credit card and online banking. Contact the finance office at +971-2-564-2229 ext for more information regarding payment methods.

The school provides discounts, such as sibling discounts, discounts for Etihad employees, Fazaa, Esaad and Homat Al Watan cardholders.

AHBS promotes healthy eating from a young age. The school suggests parents pack healthy food for Foundation Stage and Primary Years’ students’ breakfast and lunch.

From Key Stage 2 onwards, students have access to the canteen’s pre-ordered lunch. The school has outsourced its catering to a reputable company that supplies lunches to classrooms.

Shanawaz School Bus, a reputable transport provider in Abu Dhabi, is responsible to manage the school’s transportation service. Bus drivers and conductors are highly trained professionals that ensure the safety of students. Routes covered by the transportation facility are as follows:

Bus fees are charged at AED 5,000 per annum. For more information, email at bus@ahbs.ae.

Physical fitness and well-being are an integral part of the students’ development at ABHS. Sports-related amenities available on campus include:

In addition to the rich curriculum, the faculty regularly conducts extra-curricular activities that cater to the talents and interests of students. Both students and staff follow the existing house system, with each person assigned to one of the four houses:

• Earth
• Air
• Fire
• Water

The house system encourages students for healthy competition and teamwork. It is also used as a forum where students can take responsibilities outside of academics.

Extra-curricular activities include a range of clubs and training in hobbies, sports, languages and more. The school has contracted Next Step to provide swimming lessons for students after school and during the weekends.

Other extra-curricular activities are:

Educational trips are integrated into the curriculum at AHBS. Students visit spots of educational and cultural importance around the UAE to gain more exposure. Year 6 students visited the Louvre Abu Dhabi, whereas Year 3 and 4 students visited the Arabic Theatre. Year 5 students also received the unique opportunity to experience Formula 1.

Most extra-curricular activities take place after school hours. Students can choose the clubs they want to sign up for before the start of the term.

A full-time qualified school nurse manages Aspen British School Abu Dhabi clinic. The nurse is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of students. The clinic is equipped to deal with medical emergencies and has been licensed by HAAD.

Aspen Heights British School believes in keeping the parents updated regarding the students’ progress. ABHS has adopted some of the best practices, including a parent portal, to constantly track and evaluate student progress. The school regularly shares progress reports with the parents during parent-teacher conferences and sends out a report twice every year.

At ABHS, parents are viewed as an integral part of the students’ journey and success. Parents and faculty work in partnership to bring out the best in each child. The school keeps parents informed about the latest happenings through the news section on its website. Parents also receive a weekly school newsletter with details of events and learning across each year group.

The school also conducts family consultations (parent-teacher conferences) thrice in an academic year, where students’ learning targets and progress are discussed. Parents can also contact the class teacher through email when needed.

• Telephone: +971-2-564-2229
• WhatsApp: +971-56-538-4416
• Email Address:
  • Reception: reception@ahbs.ae
  • Principal: principal@ahbs.ae
  • Admissions: admissions@ahbs.ae
  • Finance: finance@ahbs.ae
  • Human Resources: humanresources@ahbs.ae
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Note that the cover image belongs to Aspen Heights British School