Global English School, Al Ain

Global English School was inaugurated as one of the oldest private schools in Al Ain in 1982. Managed by Global Educational Solutions, it offers standard quality education to students from KG1 to Grade 12.

Started as a small school in Al Ain, it gradually expanded over time and in 2002, it catered to the international community by following the National Curriculum of England. From then, it offers IGCSE, AS-levels and A-levels opportunities to students in secondary and high school stages. The University of Cambridge, the Ministry of Education and Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) accredit it. It is also accredited by the Associated School Project Network (ASPnet) – a body who accredits schools in 140 countries and is supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Today, the school educates over 1,100 students with the help of a teaching force of 80 full-time teachers and 20 teaching assistants. Most students at this school are in the primary phase while the least students are in the secondary and higher-secondary stages.

Students from 42 different nationalities co-exist at Global English School with Egyptians, Sudanese, Pakistanis and Filipinos topping the list. The student to teacher ratio in the secondary and high school stage is 1:5, ensuring plenty of individual attention and care. However, the student to teacher ratio in kindergarten and primary school is 1:24 and 1:16, respectively. ADEK rated the performance of the school as Acceptable – an improvement from the previous inspection.

The school facilities are modern and the extra-curricular programme ensures all-round development of students. This Global English School review by Bayut elucidates the quality of education, school facilities and information on school fees and admission process.

Global English School is located at the southern edge of Al Muwaij’I. It is easily accessible to the following residential communities:

• Majlood
• Falaj Hazzaa
• Asharij

Al Ruwaikah is the nearest residential community to the Global Elite School. Those living far from the school can opt for any of the aforementioned areas in Al Ain.

• Apartments for rent near Global English School
• Villas for rent near Global English School

Global English School is housed inside a purpose-built campus with a plethora of academic and non-academic facilities. 60 SMART classrooms are available at the campus that are spacious and bright. Each classroom is equipped with technological support such as E-beam, projector, laptop, and high-speed internet connection, to elevate the learning experience. Additionally, they are provided with comfortable furniture to aid in students’ learning. The school also has fully-equipped physics, chemistry and biology laboratories where students work on the theoretical concepts taught in lectures.

Computer studies is a crucial part of the curriculum taught at Global English School. There are two computer labs: one for primary stage students and others for secondary and high school students to support the curriculum. Both computer labs have fast-processing computers and internet connection. There also exists a range of updated software from major brands, such as Microsoft and Adobe, to aid students in completing their projects.

The school library, also known as the learning resource centre, is spacious and well resourced. Here, students have access to many fictional and nonfictional books, journals, newspapers and other forms of reading materials. It has study rooms where secondary and higher school students can study alone or in groups. The learning resource centre also has access to ICT support and high-speed internet connection to support students’ learning.

It has a spacious and air-conditioned multipurpose auditorium. The auditorium is used for co-curricular activities and physical education. Other facilities at the campus include prayer rooms and cafeteria.

Sports-related facilities at the campus include:

• Shaded playgrounds
• Basketball courts
• Volleyball courts
• Badminton courts
• KG playground (under construction)
• Artificial grass soccer field

Global English School is located next to The Gulf International Private Academy on 28th Street at Al Muwaij’I, Al Ain. Those interested in visiting the school can access it through the 28th Street 138th street in Al Muwaij’I.

Global English School is an experienced education provider in the UAE. Since 1982, the school has been catering to the educational needs of locals and expatriates alike. The newly appointed school’s leadership has undertaken certain actions to improve the quality of education offered by this private school. It is also a part of the Global Education Solutions – a reputable education provider in the world, especially the UAE. It aims to offer the best quality education to students to support all the facets of growth.

The school offers a standard quality educational programme to its students. The syllabus followed at Global English School is based on the National Curriculum of the UK. It is an internationally recognised curriculum popular for its updated and international context-based education. It is also accredited by the Cambridge Board of Examinations and conducts ICSE examinations in Grade 10, Cambridge AS Levels in Grade 11 and Cambridge A-Levels in Grade 12.

Another key strength of Global English School Al Ain is its campus facilities. The purpose-built campus of the school has exceptional ICT support for students. Each classroom has interactive screens, projectors, laptops and other technological support. Classes for the foundation stage have Apple’s iPad, iTV and internet connectivity for building foundational skills. The school also has several other academic and non-academic facilities for its students.

It is an inclusive school that accepts admission applications from all. This is evident from the fact that the school represents 42 different nationalities. The diverse and inclusive school environment ensures that students embrace people from different backgrounds and impose a positive impact on society.

Considering the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications on humans’ health and safety, Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) issued guidelines to assist schools in re-opening. The following initiatives must be taken by schools, including Global English School to ensure the safety of students and staff:

• Parents must ensure that their children must not have a travelling history at least 14 days before school re-opening. In case of any travelling history, they should return to school after 14 days as mentioned by the UAE governments.

• It is expected by the parents to prefer distance learning to on-campus learning. Therefore, schools must arrange provisions for distance learning. Parents shall remain committed to the chosen model of learning.

• Schools can consider the following learning models to start the academic year based on their capacity and parental surveys:

  • Full-day School: Children has to attend the school for a full day

  • Half-day School: Children has to attend school for half of the day

  • Alternating day or week: Children has to attend the school for a day or a week and continue their education at home the other day or week

  • Hybrid: Combination of any of the aforementioned learning models

• Check the temperature of those entering the school. No one above 37.5 degrees should be allowed to enter.

• Sterilise the school building and school facilities regularly with disinfectants

• Make provisions for handwashing and sanitisation throughout the campus

• Children above 12 years need to provide a COVID-19 PCR test result before the start of the academic year. Students with a negative result will be allowed to enter the school.

• Prepare isolation rooms for students and staff with symptoms similar to those of COVID-19.

• Practice social distancing by maintaining a distance of 1.5 metres

• Staff and students above 6 years old should wear a mask at all times.

Global English School Al Ain is a private K-12 school that educates children aged 4 to 18 years old. The following are the phases of education available at the school:

From 2002, the school has followed the National Curriculum of the UK. It is followed through every phase of education where students clear IGCSE examinations and afterwards complete their A-Levels. The medium of education throughout all the phases of education is in English

The school has recently adopted the Early Year Foundation Stage (EYFS) education framework for its foundation stage. It is a popular early years’ framework in the world, focusing on the development of foundation skills through seven areas of learning. The following are the seven key areas of learning targeted by the Global Education School:

• Physical Development
• Language and Communication Development
• Social, Personal and Emotional Development
• Understanding the World
• Mathematics
• Expressive arts and design
• Literacy Development

The school further adopts the Montessori approach to help young learners thrive and prosper. Most of the school activities are based on ‘play and learn’ strategies and teachers use outdoor spaces and playing equipment to develop their foundational skills. Besides, the school also teaches Islamic Studies and Arabic to students from the foundation stage.

The syllabus for KS1 to KS4 is based on the formal teaching approach via the National Curriculum of England. It aligns the syllabus with the Cambridge based checkpoints and CIPP evaluation. The school follows a continuous assessment approach in which students have to complete their learning objectives based on rubrics.

Students in Year 9 and Year 10 prepare for IGCSE examinations. In year 9, students sit an internal assessment whereas, in Grade 10, students sit an external board examination. In the high school stage, students have the option of studying either the business stream or science stream.

For more information, read the curriculum guidelines by Global English School.

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is an education regulatory body by the government of Abu Dhabi. Established in 2005, it aims to improve and sustain the quality of education offered by private institutes in Abu Dhabi, Al Dhafra and Al Ain region. Through its Irtiqaa programme, ADEK inspects the performance of schools and other educational institutes in 18 to 24 months and issues a report based on their performance. It inspects the performance of school against six performance standards that are as follows:

• Students’ Social and Personal Development and Innovation Skills
• Students’ Achievement
• Curriculum
• Teaching and Assessment
• Protection, Care, Guidance and Support to Students
• Leadership and Management

It judges the performance of school-based on the specifically designed six-point scale. The ratings are outstanding, very good, good, acceptable, weak and very weak. A brief explanation of these rating is exhibited below:

The school was last inspected by the ADEK in May 2018. In this inspection, the performance of Global English School is ‘Acceptable’. It is the minimum level of quality expected by the Ministry of Education. It has improved its performance as it was rated weak in the previous inspection report.

The performance standards and the rating given by the ADEK are:

• Students’ Achievements – acceptable
• Assessment and Teaching – acceptable
• Students’ social and personal development and innovation skills – good
• Curriculum – Acceptable
• Leadership and Management – good
• Protection, support, care and guidance to students – good

The key areas of strength of Global English School are as follows:

• ADEK observed a positive relationship between staff and students. Students also show a great understanding of UAE cultural and Islamic values.
• Students’ attainment in mathematics in the middle school phase is commendable.
• The senior leadership of the school is playing an important role in improving the quality of teaching, strategic oversight of students and curriculum development.
• Another strength of Global English School is that it links the activities with UAE values and real-world contexts.
• Students of this school feel safe and secure. They enjoy the lectures given to them and behave well.

Nevertheless, there is plenty of room for the Global English School to improve its rating for the future. ADEK recommended the following to this educational institute in its latest inspection report:

• The school needs to elevate students’ attainment in all subjects throughout the school, especially in the foundation stage. For this purpose, the school needs to introduce the systematic phonic programme, develop students’ skills in Arabic as a second language in the high school stage and improve the English handwriting of the students in the primary school stage. They also encouraged teachers to share instant feedback with students.
• Global English School Al Ain also needs to improve the effectiveness of teaching by using the performance data of less able students and raising teachers’ expectations from students in English.
• Aside from education, ADEK recommended the school to develop students’ appreciation and the environment by keeping school litter-free.
• Additionally, they recommended improving the strategic leadership of the school. For this purpose, the school needs to develop the monitoring and evaluation skills of middle school leadership. They also need to ensure that experienced FS teachers oversee the key areas of the school’s work.

The academic year at Global English School in Al Ain starts in August and ends in July. It splits its academic activities into three terms. The first term starts in the last week of August and ends in the second week of December.

The second term starts in the first week of January and ends in the fourth week of March. The third term at this school starts in the second week of April and ends in the first week of July.

Students expect a 3-week winter break in the latter part of December and a 2-week spring break in the last week of March and the first week of April. After the end of the academic year, students go on a summer break that ends until the start of a new academic year.

The admission process at Global English School is fairly straightforward. To apply, fill the online application form along with the required documents. Please note that the school does not accept admission during the academic year. Therefore, it is important to apply for the admission when the dates are announced on the school’s website. However, students transferring from other countries may get admission in between the academic year in case of vacancies. The documents required to continue the admission process are:

• Passport of the candidate (1 photocopy)
• Residence visa stamp for the candidate (for non-UAE nationals)
• Emirates ID card (original and a photocopy)
• Birth certificate of the candidate (attested)
• Vaccination record of the candidate
• Medical insurance card of the candidate
• No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the previous school
• Original Transfer Certificate (original attested)
• Previous school record (attested)
• Passport of the candidate’s mother and father with visa stamp
• Emirates ID cards of the candidate’s mother and father (original and photocopy)
• 6 passport-size photograph of the candidate
• 1 passport-size photograph of the candidate’s father and mother
• Electricity bill or premises ID (copy)

Please note that they must submit all the aforementioned documents in soft (PDF format) and hard copies. Also, review the age-grade guidelines of Global English School before applying:

This is based on the age of the students on 31st July (for schools beginning in April) and 31st December (for schools beginning in September). Source: Global English School

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

These are the minimum age of students as on 1st September to be enrolled in a specific grade.

Once submitted, the school invites parents to bring their child for an assessment. They usually conduct the assessment in May or June. Parents of the successful candidates need to submit the required deposit and meet other requirements to secure a seat for their child.

For more information, read the admission process at Global English School Al Ain.

Global English School charges the tuition fee in four instalments, making it flexible for parents to pay the tuition fee on time. The Global English School fee is as follows:

Please note that the tuition fee is exclusive of the book, uniform, extra-curricular and field trip charges. For more information, check out the fee structure of Global English School.

Currently, there are no scholarship programmes for the students.

There exists a cafeteria where students can eat snacks from the canteen or home-packed lunch boxes. The cafeteria is spacious and has many comfortable seats and tables for students. The food items provided in the cafeteria are prepared from fresh raw materials and in a hygienic environment.

Those living far from the school do not need to worry as the school offers a reliable transport service facility for students. It manages a fleet of well-maintained buses that picks and drops children at designated points. The transportation fee varies depending upon the pickup and drop off point and ranges from AED 2,250 to AED 3,600.

Global English School is a day only school and does not offer boarding or hostelling facilities to students. Those living far from the school can opt for the school transport service or move to residential areas located close to school. For more information, check out the residential communities near the Global English School section at the start of the guide.

Currently, the school does not offer any holiday camps for students. Parents can seek external holiday camp providers to keep their children busy during long school breaks.

Students of Global English School are fond of sports as it exposes them to a plethora of sporting activities. This is possible because of the availability of many sports facilities within the campus. The school has meticulously planned its campus to ensure students have access to plenty of sporting options.

For children in the foundation stage and primary stage, there are shaded playgrounds with wide-open spaces and playing equipment. They can also practise their football skills in the soccer field made of artificial grass. Other options for students at the campus are basketball courts, badminton courts and volleyball courts.

Participation in extra-curricular activity is an important part of the lives of students of Global English School. IT gives equal importance to the co-curricular activities that are aimed towards the all-round development of students. The broad extra-curricular programme at this school has many activities that result in inculcating honesty, co-operation, hard work and self-reliance among students. Some noteworthy extra-curricular activities at the school are:

Students also have the option to be a part of the school clubs. The popular school clubs are science club, mathematics club and literacy club.

A field trip is an important extra-curricular activity at this school. Several field trips are arranged by the school throughout the academic year for recreational and educational purposes. They inform parents days before the field trip. Students are required to bring a signed consent from parents allowing their kids to take part in field trips arranged by the school. They are charged separately. Some noteworthy field trips arranged by Global English School Al Ain are:

• Dairy farms
• UAE University Bio Lab
• Al-Ain Cement Factory
• Al-Ain Zoo
• Al-Ain Hospital
• Hili Fun City

This educational institute has a comprehensive after-school care programme aimed to develop modern-day skills among students. The after-school programme mainly revolves around the extracurricular activities offered after the regular school timings. These activities are conducted from September to June. Please note that the after-school care activities are additional and are changed separately. The after-school activities available to students are:

The school encourages students to take part in extra-curricular and after-school care activities. Each student can choose up to three activities (maximum). For more detail, contact the school administration.

There is a clinic that provides medical assistance to students.

Communication between stakeholders is necessary for the success of schools. Global English School specifically focuses on effective communication, especially among the school, teachers and parents for students’ academic success.

Several modes of communication are available at this school. The parent portal is the chief source of communication by the school. By simply entering credentials into the school’s portal, parents can access their child’s attendance record, academic progress, schedules, notifications for present and upcoming events and much more. Parents can also use the Global English School Parent App on their android and iPhone devices. They can also access the official school website where they can search for the notification section for information.

Other sources of communication at this school are the parent-teacher meeting, social media pages and school designated WhatsApp groups. They add teachers and parents of students in the same year in a WhatsApp group, which is an ideal source for urgent inquiries.

Address: Global English School, 28th Street, A Muwaij’i, Al Ain, UAE

Telephone Number

• For general information: +971 3 7678844

Email Address

• For general information: geschooluae@geschooluae.com

Official Website and Social Media Platforms

• SkypeID: geschooluae
• Official Website
• Facebook

Note that the cover image belongs to Global English School