Cranleigh Abu Dhabi

Cranleigh Abu Dhabi was founded in 2014 in Saadiyat Island. The school closely follows the systems adopted by its sister school, Cranleigh UK, established in 1865. Teams from Cranleigh UK and Abu Dhabi worked together from 2011 to 2014 to bring the essence of the school to the UAE while also embracing Emirati culture. The school offers the British International Curriculum from FS1 to Year 13.

The school has over 1,000 students, 134 teachers and 41 teaching assistants. The teacher to student ratio is 1:9 ensuring each child gets plenty of care and attention.

In 2019, the school was awarded the International School of the Year at the Tes Independent School Awards and the Red Crescent Charity, School of the Year, making it one of the top schools in Abu Dhabi.

• Location: Saadiyat Island
• School Fee: AED 67,560 to AED 100,130
• Curriculum: British curriculum
• KHDA rating: Outstanding
• Years Offered: FS1 to Year 13

Cranleigh Abu Dhabi in Saadiyat Island is close to many residential communities such as:

• Yas Island
• Al Reem Island
• Al Nahyan

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The impressive 7-hectare campus has a modern architecture, and the general theme of the school’s interiors is bright and airy with plenty of windows.

The campus is divided into junior and senior sections. The early years and junior schools are set on the ground floor with a central area dedicated to playing and group activities.

Older students are based on the second floor. Cranleigh classrooms are designed in two ways: classrooms with ‘lecture hall style’ seating and classrooms with practical workspaces.

Other campus facilities include Science labs, IT labs, three libraries, dance studios, drama studios, and junior and senior dining rooms. Activities-related facilities include music rooms, 150- seat recital and lecture hall, professional theatre facilities- a black box theatre, art and design labs, a 650-seater auditorium, art department, two music schools, extensive playgrounds, recreational spaces and informal social areas.

Cranleigh School Abu Dhabi is based in Saadiyat Island, next to Manarat Al Saadiyat.

Cranleigh has become a highly sought-after educational institute in the capital and has made a very good name quickly. The school works together with Cranleigh UK to bring the essence of Cranleigh education to the UAE. Apart from the outstanding rating received by ADEK, the school is the winner of the ‘International School of the Year’ at Tes Independent School Awards 2019.

The school’s location is a desirable feature as the campus is centrally based in the cultural hub of Abu Dhabi. The school has developed close partnerships with many nearby establishments and introduced extra-curricular activities such as golf to its students.

The school has a unique multi-layer pastoral care system that ensures that students’ individual needs are identified and met. As part of holistic education, students get the latest academic and recreational sports facilities. The school has been recognised on various platforms for its outstanding breadth of academic, technical and ECA options.

Cranleigh offers a well-adapted British curriculum through which students have gained very good results in their IGCSE and A level examinations. This has been made possible through innovative teaching methods of highly experienced teachers. The school encourages students to explore and develop their curiosity through innovative STEM programs.

Cranleigh is an all-inclusive school from Nursery to Year 13 for children aged 3 to 18.

The curriculum in Cranleigh Abu Dhabi shares the same ethos as its sister school in the UK. It aims at striking a balance between the academic curriculum and the wide variety of extra-curricular activities.

Academic subjects at Cranleigh include:

Pre Prep (Nursery, FS2, Year 1 and Year 2)

This curriculum includes core subjects such as Science, English and Maths and is complemented with specialist teaching in P.E., Swimming, and Music.

Prep School (Year 3 to 8)

In Year 3 and 4, students are taught in mixed ability classes by their class teacher and supported by a teaching assistant. Specialist teachers handle drama, music, sport, art, languages, Arabic, and Islamic Studies classes. French is introduced in Year 3.

In Years 5 and 6, the format of learning changes to specialist teaching. Students in Years 7 and 8 cover the Common Entrance 13+ curriculum. At Cranleigh, students are prepared enough to take the internal Common Entrance examination at the end of Year 8 in Maths, English, French and the Science subjects (Physics, Chemistry and Biology).

Senior School (Year 9 to 11)

Students take at least eight (I)GCSEs.

The following subjects are compulsory: English Language, English Literature, Mathematics and a combination of Sciences. Able pupils will study full (I)GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. There is an option for students who are less scientifically oriented to study two of the three sciences or Dual Award Science. Other subjects are selected from a list of choices given above. The Arabic language is an ADEK requirement.

Sixth Form (Year 12 and 13)

The sixth form offered at Cranleigh is unique compared to other schools.

The Harkness style teaching is a dialogue-based approach adopted at Cranleigh Abu Dhabi. In this approach, students develop independent thinking through tutorial style lessons around an oval table.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is a government entity that licenses all private education institutes and monitors their service in accordance with regulations. Through the Irtiqaa Programme, ADEK carries out periodic evaluations of all schools based on six basic criteria as listed below:

• 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 wellbeing, as well as the guidance and support provided to them
• Quality of school leadership and management

ADEK has rated Cranleigh ‘Outstanding’ for its overall performance. As per the inspection report, the following are the key strengths of the school:

• The teachers are very good at encouraging and bringing the best teaching practices to promote students learning and skill development.
• Students’ attainment in national and international examinations.
• The school’s leadership which ensures a high quality of care and guidance for each student.
• The curriculum is adapted well to support students’ aspirations.
• Self-evaluation by the school leaders is very comprehensive, which has, in turn, resulted in a very effective and fully inclusive school.

ADEK has also made the following recommendations:

• Raise the level of Arabic so that it is at par with the outstanding levels in other subjects
• Improvements can be made to make students fully independent and self-reliant learners.

The academic year at Cranleigh starts in August and ends in July. Cranleigh School Abu Dhabi term dates are as follows:

• The first term starts in the last week of August and ends in the second week of December, followed by a 3-week winter break.
• The second term commences in the first week of January and ends in the last week of March, followed by a 2-week spring holiday.
• The third term begins in the second week of April and ends in the first week of July, followed by 2-month summer vacation.

Due to the high demand, the admission form links are open only briefly. Parents interested in enrolling their children should apply as soon as the links are open on the webpage.

Students in Abu Dhabi looking to transfer to Cranleigh within the academic year can do so before 15th October (of the current academic year.)

The school encourages parents to book a school tour and talk to the admissions team. The admission process can be summarised in three simple steps:

Registration

Students can register on the links available on the website. All applicants go through the same process. However, admission priority is given to siblings and students who are best suited to thrive at Cranleigh based on assessments. Children who are still suited and cannot be placed due to the unavailability of seats will be placed in a wait pool. Parents must also be aware of age equivalence to apply to the correct year groups.

Cranleigh follows the UK system to determine the age for each year group. Age as of 31st August should be:

• 3 years old- FS1
• 4 years old- FS2
• 5 years old- Year 1
• 6 years old- Year 2

Parents must upload the following documents with this form:

• Passport with a valid UAE residence visa of the candidate (1 copy)
• Recent passport-size photograph
• Birth certificate of the candidate (1 copy, in Arabic or English)
• Emirates ID of the candidate (1 copy, both sides)
• Latest academic record
• Immunisation record (1 copy)
• Original transfer certificate (if applicable)
• Records indicating special needs (1 copy, if applicable)

Evaluation

After applying, children will be called for an assessment. Depending on the year the student is applying for, Cranleigh follows different assessment plans with set targets.

The main outlook of the assessment plans for each year are as follows:

FS1, FS2, Year 1 and Year 2

In this pre-prep stage, the school invites students for what is referred to as a taster session.

Students are evaluated for their literacy and numeracy skills and social, emotional and behavioural development.

For Year 1 and Year 2, parents must submit an academic report that shows the child’s level of attainment across all subjects, i.e. English, Math and Science. The school reviews these reports to ensure that children have a positive attitude towards learning and their peers. The school also requests a confidential reference from the child’s previous school.

Year 3 to Year 13

From Year 3 until Year 10, the candidate needs to clear the assessment test based on a short piece of writing in English and an online evaluation.

Sixth Form applicants have to complete two subject papers of their choice and an online evaluation.

The exact structure of the tests varies depending on the year group. However, they are designed to provide the school with insights into three areas of cognitive abilities: numerical, verbal and non-verbal.

Abu Dhabi applicants have to come to the school for a short, informal interview with a member of the admissions team. The interview aims to allow the school to get to know each child a little better and understand his or her particular academic and extra-curricular interests.

Overseas applicants can schedule assessments at their current school. Applicants may also be asked to go through interviews on Skype.

Evaluation results help the school to understand students’ current performance levels and their ability to adapt to the competitive curriculum.

Please note that no specific preparation can be done for the tests, although parents can help their children by encouraging them to work quietly on their own, complete homework set by their school and read. Children should also be encouraged to try to solve problems by looking things up for themselves.

Nevertheless, parents must ensure that their child follows the following age placement criteria.

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

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

Cranleigh Abu Dhabi fees are as follows:

Cranleigh offers scholarship programs. Students in Year 7 and above can apply for scholarships in the following categories:

• Academics
• Sports
• Visual Arts
• STEM
• Performing Arts

The school attracts talented students who have interests in their chosen fields. The scholarship programs are part of the initiative to enhance the availability of the education model to students who are not financially capable of studying at Cranleigh.

The school canteen is clean, and special care is taken to provide healthy snacks and drinks during break time. The canteen food at Cranleigh Abu Dhabi School is provided by Slices – an external company. They specialise in providing healthy and balanced food options in schools.

Parents are expected to drop off and collect their children.

The school does not offer boarding facilities but may offer them in the future. Cranleigh Abu Dhabi has an extended day program. Students start their day at 07: 30 am and finish at 03:30 pm. Students can opt to take on more than one cross-curricular activity. This results in a school day that ends at around 6:00 pm.

This approach reflects the sister school in the UK that offers boarding facility and their approach to home/school balance.

Cranleigh offers limited holiday camps managed by external providers. PASS Abu Dhabi for example offers a football camp during the midterm break for children aged 5 to 12. Parents are informed about the camps before the school holidays.

Cranleigh PE curriculum has various sports options. There is a whole department of PE specialists dedicated to helping students grow and develop their interests in sports.

The core sports included are football for both boys and girls, cricket, dance, athletics, badminton, basketball, swimming, field hockey, gymnastics, martial arts, netball, riding, rounders, rugby, sailing, golf (at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club), tennis and volleyball.

The sports facilities available at the school include:

• Indoor Sports Complex that features a large sports hall, two basketball courts and a dance studio.
• Two shaded swimming pools- one a 25m 6-lane competition pool and a 10m beginner pool.
• Two shaded grass pitches for cricket and football
• Two junior school netball/tennis courts and three senior school netball/tennis courts.
• The school also has indoor cricket nets to supplement their cricket coaching.

At Cranleigh, holistic education is the prime focus. So, students have a wide range of extra-curricular activities to suit their tastes and interests. The school also offers scholarships to encourage students to excel in their chosen talents.

Music, drama, dance, art and design are given equal importance in Cranleigh. Musical exchange workshops are run on a bi-annual basis with the UK school. This gives students from both schools an opportunity to work together through workshops and performances to develop their musical skills.

The school calendar includes regular formal and informal concerts, presentations and events in each term. Students are introduced to small studio productions, dramatic presentations and fully staged plays right from the early years.

The school firmly believes that learning should not be limited to classrooms. Students in pre-prep, prep and senior school participate in various activities to develop both socially and educationally. Here is a summary of the list of co-curricular activities available:

Cranleigh Abu Dhabi participates in the Abu Dhabi Schools Sports Association (ADISSA) leagues and tournaments weekly with other schools. The school also actively engages in the BSME games, netball, golf and swimming.

The school arranges educational trips, visits, overnight trips, and international excursions as part of the curriculum. Past trips include the Austria Ski Trip, Borneo Eco Expedition, Qasr Al Hosn festival, Little World and so on.

The school day of nursery at pre-prep school finishes at 12:00 pm, after which parents can opt for their kids to stay till 02:30 pm. During this time, kids are offered several after-school activities.

For students in the higher grades, there are after school activities from 03:30 pm to 06:00 pm which include music, dance, sports, drama and more.

The school has a fully equipped clinic managed by three full-time nurses. The clinic provides students with first aid and medication with the approval of their parents.

The official website is the primary source to share information with parents. The school has a parent portal where parents can see personalised reports and information about their child.

The school arranges the following to discuss child’s progress in detail each academic year:

• Meet the Tutor Evening (start of term)
• Interims (just before half-term)
• Parents’ Evening (second half of term)
• Interims (just before the end of term)
• Exam Report (just before the end of term)

• Telephone Number:
  • Reception: +971-2-497-0000
  • Headmaster’s PA: +971-2-497-0101
  • Admissions: +971-2-497-0000
  • Arabic Secretary: +971-2-497-0114
  • Uniform Shop: +971-2-497-0218
• Email: admissions@cranleigh.ae
• Cranleigh School Website
• Cranleigh Abu Dhabi Facebook

What are the timings of the school?

The school is operational from 07:30 am to 04:30 pm.

How many years are there in the school?

FS to Year 13.

Does the school follow a co-education model?

Yes, Cranleigh School follows co-educational model.

Please describe the academic calendar of the school.

The school year starts in August and ends in July.

Please mention the range of the tuition fee charged by the school.

AED 67,560 to AED 100,130.

How does the school communicate with parents?

 Parents and the school stay connected throughout the term through regular meetups and parents portal.

How many students are currently studying in the school?

Cranleigh School, Abu Dhabi has 1,773 students.

Does the school have a cafeteria or a canteen on campus?

Yes.

Does the school arrange field trips?

Yes, the school takes students on field trips every year.

How many teachers are currently teaching in the school?

There are 169 teachers in the school.

Note that the cover image belongs to Cranleigh School Abu Dhabi.