GEMS Founders School, Al Barsha

Located in Al Barsha, GEMS Founders School (GFS) is a new addition to the GEMS family of schools. It was launched in 2016 with minimum fan-fare to bridge the gap between the high-end and affordable schools in Dubai. GFS, Al Barsha offers quality education in an affordable price range and has state-of-the-art facilities. This aspect of the school has made it an instant hit amongst parents.

Offering education from Foundation Stage until Sixth Form, GFS has over 4,200 students and 240 teachers. The current teacher to student ratio is 1:18. There are more than 600 students of determination – an impressive number.

Keeping in mind the facilities and quality of education, it doesn’t come as a surprise that GEMS Founders School was rated ‘Good’ by the KHDA on its first inspection. The private and co-educational school offers par excellence education to children aged 3 to 18 years old.

Apart from GEMS Founders School, you can find other quality GEMS British curriculum schools in Dubai.

• Location: Al Barsha
• School fees: AED AED 22,455 - AED 33,683
• Curriculum: British
• Co-ed or segregate: Co-ed
• KHDA rating: Very Good
• Years offered: FS 1 - Year 13

Located at the heart of Dubai, GEMS Founders School is accessible to families residing in:

• Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC)
• Dubai Sports City
• Motor City
• Jumeirah Village Triangle (JVT)

Jumeirah Village Circle is the nearest community to GEMS FS School, Dubai. A project of Nakheel, JVC is a family-friendly community set amidst landscaped gardens with top-notch amenities nearby.

Families looking to move to an area near the school can look into the following options:

• Apartments for rent near GEMS Founders School
• Villas for rent near GEMS Founders School
• Apartments for sale near GEMS Founders School
• Villas for sale near GEMS Founders School
• Townhouses for rent near GEMS Founder School

GEMS Founders School’s campus satisfies the vision of the school of providing a stimulating learning experience to students from primary until secondary level. Campus facilities support the well-rounded development of students at all levels.

Starting with the classrooms, these are equipped with modern facilities such as smart boards, projector and high-speed internet. You will find rooms dedicated to music, art and design, two libraries, a medical centre, a dining hall and a bookstore stocked with numerous school supplies.

GFS is a staunch supporter of physical education for which excellent sporting facilities are available. One can find two multi-purpose air-conditioned halls where one is designed for the primary section, a covered outdoor play area, a full-sized football pitch and three multi-use game areas/courts. You will also find another football pitch and multi-purpose game court on the rooftop.

Besides this, there are technology rooms and fully equipped science rooms to facilitate students.

GEMS Founders School’s location in Al Barsha South is the same as that of GEMS Al Barsha National School for Boys and GEMS Al Barsha National School for Girls.

Being a part of GEMS Education itself is a testament to the quality of education and commitment of the school towards better development of students and society as a whole.

Primarily three answers cater to the question ‘Why?’ when it comes to GFS and those are core values, global classroom experience and great teachers. These three elements are the essence of the GEMS group distinguishing it from other educational institutes.

Moreover, GEMS students have a record of getting accepted into prestigious universities around the world such as Yale University, University of Cambridge, the University of Chicago and many others.

Similarly, GFS, Dubai is working with 2LearnArabic to provide students with an excellent opportunity to further their expertise in the Arabic language.

Finally, parents are also an integral part of the GEMS system. The school introduced GEMS Reward Programme that enables parents, sponsors and guardians to avail the most exciting deals and prizes while getting a concession on annual tuition fees.

GFS, Dubai is a primary and a secondary school offering years from Foundation Stage until Key Stage 5.

GEMS Founders School primarily follows the British curriculum. But for subjects like Arabic Studies, Islamic Studies and Social Studies, it follows the guidelines from the Ministry of Education (MOE) of UAE.

Foundation Stage

As needed for children of tender age, the Foundation Stage curriculum is play-based and child-initiated with strict supervision from class teachers. The main aim of the school is to develop motor skills, foundation-level literacy and numeracy skills and self-esteem in little ones.

Subjects like Science, Maths and English are taught through:

• Shapes
• Colours
• Letters
• Numbers
• Seasons

Key Stage 1, 2 and 3

Three Key Stages are included in the primary section of GFS. Apart from core subjects, several other optional subjects are introduced to stimulate the learning experience of students. Tools such as extra co-curricular activities are now a part of students’ academic career.

Also, monthly and yearly tests and examinations help children achieve the targeted attainment in all subjects. Field trips and overseas trips are also a significant part of students’ life at GEMS FS School.

Core subjects include English, Maths and Science.

Other subjects include:

Key Stage 4

This stage includes Year 10 and Year 11 where students appear for the General Certificate of Secondary Examinations (GCSE) or International General Certificate of Secondary Examination (IGCSE).

Students have six compulsory subjects for the O-Level examination, including English, Maths, Islamic Studies, Moral Education, Physical Education and UAE Social Studies. Besides this, students can opt for optional subjects from the five additional option blocks.

Sixth Form

Sixth Form or Key Stage 5 includes Years 12 and 13, where students appear for Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and Advanced (A) Levels examinations.  Students have the authority to choose subjects from four option blocks.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is a governmental body that ensures that the private schools in Dubai are contributing valuably to the educational sector. The KHDA rates these schools on their overall performance, support for students and facilities provided.

GEMS Founders School KHDA rating is ‘Very Good.’ The annually published report highlights the strong and weak areas of the school with anticipation of a better performance from GFS, Dubai in the coming years.

GEMS Founders School’s academic calendar is 10 months long with three term-breaks. Students get public and Islamic holidays.

Being a non-selective school, GEMS Founders School, Al Barsha encourages all students to apply for admissions. The simple process is divided into four steps to make it even more convenient for parents.

Step 1: Application

GEMS Founders School’s admission process begins with an online application form. Once the application is sent, you will receive an acknowledgement email with a reference number which should be saved for future use.

Step 2: Registration

At the time of registration, parents will have to pay an application fee of AED 500 either online or by visiting the school, which is:

• Refundable if the school does not offer a place to the student.
• Non-refundable if the school offers a place and the student rejects the offer.
• Non-deductible from the tuition fees if GFS School offers a place and the student accepts it.

Please remember that to complete the application process, parents are required to upload mandatory documents online. Emails will not be entertained.

Documents to be uploaded include:

• A copy of the applicant’s and parents’ Emirates ID, passport and residence visa
• A copy of the applicant’s birth certificate (English or Arabic)
• Most recent passport size photographs of the applicant
• Copies of last 2 school reports if your child is seeking admission into Year 1 and 2 (in English)
• Copies of last 2 school reports and CAT4 report of your child for admission into Year 3 and onwards
• Copies of nursery report card for children seeking admission into Foundation Stage
• Applicants with SEND requirement must submit 6 months validity medical or therapy report
• A copy of the applicant’s vaccination report
• Transfer Certificate from the previous school

Step 3: Assessment

Once registration is complete, the school will call or email to inform about the assessment and interview schedule, if applicable.

Observation method is adopted to assess Foundation year’s students, while students seeking a place in Year 1 and 2 have to appear for a written assessment. Applicants for Year 3 and onwards will be either judged on both CAT4 and school reports or asked to appear for a written assessment and interview.

Results will be announced via email or a phone call.

Step 4: Enrolment

The successful applicant will receive an offer letter from the registrar. Upon receiving the offer letter, parents are required to pay a non-refundable and non-transferable registration fee of 10% which will be deducted from the next term’s fee.

However, please note that the child will be placed on the waiting list if a seat is not available. If parents withdraw the child from the list before a seat is available, the application fee will be refunded.

Transfer Certificate

Please ensure that the Transfer Certificate should have the school letterhead with a school stamp and signed by the principal.

If the applicant is transferring from:

• GCC countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman) or from another UAE emirates, transfer certificate must be attested by the Ministry of Education
• Countries other than USA, Australia, Canada, Western Europe, Japan and New Zealand, transfer certificate must be attested by:
  • Education authorities
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • UAE Embassy

Parents must ensure that their child meets the following age placement criteria before seeking admission.

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

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

Approved by the KHDA, GEMS Founders School’s fee structure has a convenient payment schedule.

Some other charges include:

The other charges are based on the info available in KHDA’s fee fact sheet.

Additional charges:

• Application fee of AED 525 (inclusive of VAT) is:
  • Non-refundable if the school offers a place and the applicant rejects the offer.
  • Refundable if the school does not offer a place to the applicant.
  • Non-deductible if the school offers a place and the applicant accepts it.
• A non-refundable and non-transferable registration deposit of 10% of the total tuition fee upon acceptance of the offer letter.

There are multiple methods through which GEMS Founders School fees can be paid including cash, cheques, bank transfer and credit card (Parents can use the GEMS FAB Credit Card to avail discounts).

Student Withdrawal and Non-payment of Fees

All students withdrawing from the school are requested to notify at least 30 days in advance so that GFS can carry out exit formalities and issue the Transfer Certificate.

In case of non-payment of fees, GEMS Founders School reserves the authority to prevent students from sitting in examinations or withhold exam results and reports until the fees are paid. In the worst-case scenario, the school can expel or suspend the student.

GEMS Reward Programme

There’s more than one way that GEMS Education tries to show their gratitude to parents for trusting them with their child’s education. The GEMS Reward Programme has been designed to thank the parents for being associated with the GEMS group. GEMS Points are a virtual currency that can be earned while parents engage in the ambassador program, buy school supplies from GEMS partnered merchants, purchase gift vouchers and booking flights and hotel through the GEMS app.

Parents can avail up to 4.25% concession if they pay tuition fees using the GEMS FAB Credit Card. Similarly, there are numerous other deals for credit cardholders that GEMS group keep providing frequently. Another benefit of being GEMS parents is the GEMS Ambassador Programme. Here, parents are required to play the role of GEMS advocates to their friends and family. Upon successfully referring to another family, parents are offered a minimum of 4% and a maximum of 100% concession on the child’s tuition fees.

GEMS Education has the honour to introduce the largest scholarship network in the UAE. GEMS students can receive 25% to 100% concession on their annual tuition fees depending on how much of a good performer they are in academics, creative or sporting activities.

Students from Year 7 onwards can apply for scholarships in five different categories.

• The application form is assessed by GEMS
• The candidate has to complete the outcomes of non-verbal and verbal reasoning tests
• The written examination is assessed by GEMS School
• The full report is evaluated by GEMS from the candidate’s present school
• The student will be interviewed by the principal of the GEMS school to see the candidate’s passion and commitment
• Finally, the students are interviewed by the GEMS scholarship committee

Other than this, GEMS Founders School Al Barsha has recently introduced iFlourish Scholarships to students in Years 10, 11, 12 and 13 in recognition of outstanding achievement.

Scholarships are available in four categories including Academics, Creative and Performing Arts, Sports and Arabic Studies.

GEMS FS, Al Barsha has a dining hall where students are served nutritious, healthy and delicious meals and juices. Children can gather in the recess to enjoy a fulfilling meal with their friends. The school permits parents to send healthy and nutritious lunch from home as well.

GFS School, Al Barsha has outsourced transport service to School Transport Services (STS) LLC. The organisation manages a fleet of over 1,900 buses with a proven track record of safe and comfortable commute.

Following exceptional safety standards and regulations set by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), STS buses are equipped with surveillance cameras, electronic attendance, child-safety locks, Global Positions System (GPS) and are accompanied by a nanny.

To avail this service, parents are requested to submit the transportation form to the Customer Care Executive of STS deployed at the school. The representative will get back to you with a confirmation if the bus routes cover your area or locality. In such a case, you will be given the details of the driver and your child’s pick-up and drop-off schedule. For more details on areas covered and transport fees, please visit the school transport page.

The school employed ESM Holiday Camps and Delta in the past to conduct camps on the school premises during the holidays. Secondary school students have also participated in various international trips to Cambodia, Kenya and Switzerland organised by the school.

GEMS Founders School campus has several sports facilities. Aligned with the school’s vision of developing all-rounded students, you will find a full-sized 11-a-side football pitch, full-sized and shaded multi-use games areas/courts and two air-conditioned multi-purpose halls for senior and primary sections.

Besides these, roof-top sports facilities include a football pitch and multi-use game areas. One can find a swimming pool as well.

Students from Foundation Stage to Sixth Form have the opportunity to participate in various extra-curricular activities introduced by GEMS Founders private school. There are two main categories of activities that students can be a part of – Interest-Based Activities and Sports Activities.

Interest-based activities are provided as both co-curricular and extra-curricular ventures. It is a way to provide students with opportunities to further their interest in unique skills and learn through real-life experience. These include:

Sports activities are also conducted on an individual and team basis. These sporting activities instil behaviours such as dedication, maintaining common and how to lead. Activities offered at this stage include:

Students from Foundation Stage until Year 12 can participate in any of these activities.

Recreational trips are a part of the school to nourish the soul and mind of students. These trips not only are entertaining but also support classroom learning. GEMS FS School arranges overseas trips as well.

Organisers like ESM and Delta offer paid and unpaid after-school activities like Ballet, Hip Hop and Robotics to GFS’s students. Your child can participate in up to 142 free after-school activities. Some of these activities included the Model UN, a vast array of sports, arts and students leadership opportunities.

The medical centre at the school is supervised by nurses. The facility is well-equipped to deal with any emergency and prove first-aid treatment. Parents should submit the vaccination reports at the time of the registration along with the medical record of the student.

This record helps nurses and the doctor in administering the right treatment if needed. Also, the school requests parents, guardians and sponsors to provide updated contact information to the administration department so that in case of any unseen emergency immediate contact can be established.

Parent association and engagement is not a symbolic aspect of GEMS Founders School. It is a well-researched and well-funded programme. Supported by years of research, GFS believes that for children to reach their highest potential academically and socially, parents must become a significant part of their child’s life.

Keeping this view in mind, GEMS Founders School, Dubai has introduced a ‘3-a-day’ mobile app to help parents provide daily encouragement and inspiration to their children. There are three basic features of this app:

• Something to talk about
• Activities to share
• Guidance to encourage children

Another programme offered by the school is known as Parental Engagement. Here, there are certain expectations that each GEMS school-member has to fulfil when it comes to parent engagement. These basics are:

• Recognising and appreciating the central role that parents play in teaching and learning of their child
• GFS has the responsibility of informing the parent about the study progress beforehand so that they can assist children wherever necessary
• Providing parents with the tools and resources required to support children’s learning process and the academic journey
• Teachers at GEMS school should strive to maintain face-to-face meeting with parents to make them understand the academic needs and challenges of their child
• Organise a parents’ association that will enable the school to convey the best practices to other GEMS parents.

Apart from these two initiatives, GEMS Founders School, Al Barsha South has parents connected to the GEMS Parent Portal. Through this medium parents can have access to the school academic and event calendar, student’s report card, attendance and performance, school gallery and many other features.

You can also make recommendations to the school through their Feedback and Suggestions page on the official website. Finally, parents can be a part of grade-specific WhatsApp groups maintained by the class teacher or staff members to receive immediate notification regarding school events, policies or any other unseen developments.

For more conventional methods, you will find GEMS Founders School’s contact details and links to social media pages in the upcoming section.

• Telephone Number: +971-4-519-5222
• Emails
  • General and Admissions Enquiries: registrar_gfs@gemsedu.com
• GEMS Founders School Website
• GEMS Founders School Facebook
• GEMS Founders School Twitter
• GEMS Founders School Instagram
• GEMS Founders School YouTube

Note that the cover image belongs to GEMS Founders School, Al Barsha

Do you conduct after-school activities?

GEMS Founders School offers paid and unpaid after-school activities in collaboration with ESM Camps and Delta Education Camps.

How many grades/years are there in your school?

The school offers education from FS 1 until Year 13.

Is there any waiting list?

Students will be put on a waiting list in events no seats are available. However, the application fee will be refunded if the parents withdraw the student from the list before the seat becomes available.

How many students are currently studying in your school?

Currently, the school has over 4,200 students out of which 600 are students of determination. The majority of students are Emirati.

Can you please describe the academic calendar of your school?

The academic calendar runs from the last week of August until the first week of July.

Can you please mention the range of the tuition fee charged by your school?

Tuition fee ranges from AED 22,455 to AED 33,683.

Do you offer scholarship programmes to needy and deserving students?

Students from Year 7 and above can apply for scholarships in five different categories offered by GEMS group. Other than this, the Founders School also offers the iFlourish Scholarship for students in Years 10-13 in recognition of their outstanding achievement.

How do you communicate with parents?

The school is keen on effective communication with parents through the 3-a-day application and the parental engagement program along with the GEMS Parents Portal and the Feedback and Suggestions page. You can also join WhatsApp groups and use traditional communication methods and social media pages.

Do you have a cafeteria or a canteen on campus?

A cafeteria on campus offers fresh meals to students.

How often does your school arrange field trips?

The school takes students on educational and recreational field trips. GEMS Founders School Al Barsha organises international trips as well.

Does your school organise holiday camps for winter, spring or summer breaks?

The school partners with third-party organisers to arrange various camps.

How many teachers are currently teaching in your school?

The teaching staff consists of 240 teachers and 67 assistant teachers.