Horizon English School (HES)

Horizon English School (HES) is a leading British school in Dubai established in 1989. HES follows the British curriculum and educates children aged 3 to 11 years. Currently, the school has over 1,100 students, including 99 students of determination. They are taught by 78 teachers and 48 teaching assistants. The school offers a friendly environment with excellent learning opportunities. Horizons English School staff creates an educational community that thrives on being challenging and innovative.

• Location: Al Wasl
• School fees: AED 42,063 - AED 56,377
• Curriculum: British
• Co-ed or segregate: Co-ed
• KHDA rating: Outstanding
• Years offered: FS1 - Year 6

Located at Al Wasl, Horizon English School is close to the following residential communities:

• Jumeirah
• Al Safa
• Al Satwa
• Business Bay

The residential community of Jumeirah is nearest to HES Dubai. Close to Dubai’s shoreline, Jumeirah is one of the most sought-after residential communities in Dubai. Here, you can find both apartments and villas.

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

HES has various facilities for modern education, including spacious classrooms, laboratories, outdoor play spaces, sports facilities and an auditorium. It also has a library with a huge collection of books.

Horizons English School’s location is 30b Street in Al Wasl near Safa Park.

Horizon English School has a history of providing quality education for over 30 years. It is one of the best primary schools in Dubai. HES ensures that students reach their full potential. For this purpose, the school has hired some of the best professionals in Dubai. The specifically designed learning environment also plays a vital role in students’ development.

HES’ syllabus is designed to teach students skills to help them navigate their academic aspirations. The staff ensures that students experience educational adventures, discoveries and a lifetime of beautiful memories. The Horizon English School’s staff imparts critical thinking in students.

HES offers an exceptional range of extra-curricular activities to develop social and personal skills. The management encourages students to participate in sports, arts and music classes. Students who finish their schooling at HES are offered a place in Horizon International School, a secondary education campus by Al Najah Education.

The school is divided into three phases, as seen below:

HES follows the National Curriculum of England. This school continuously modifies its curriculum to provide the most effective education.

EARLY YEARS/ FOUNDATION STAGE 1 AND 2

The school follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework for the foundation stage. The framework allows the school to use multiple ‘play and learn’ strategies to develop foundational skills among children.

FS1 and FS2 groups are motivated to blend with their fellow schoolmates in their daily free-flow time. Each classroom has an outdoor play area for students to spend as much time as possible learning outside. Every class has a teaching assistant for weekly Arabic, music, and Physical Education sessions.

In this stage, the school focuses on instructing students on seven learning cores:

• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Mass Communication
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

By pursuing these disciplines, students learn the art of problem-solving, allowing them to master critical thinking skills.

LOWER PRIMARY/ KEY STAGE 1

The school developed the curriculum for KS1 or Lower Primary that promotes independent learning. The Key Stage 1 (KS1) curriculum is specifically designed to promote independent learning. To ease the transition from foundation stage to Year 1, classes in the first term mirror what has been taught in FS2. The subjects introduced to children are:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Arabic
• Islamic Studies
• French
• Music
• Physical Education
• Swimming
• Geography
• History
• Art and Design
• Social Studies
• Moral Education

The HES curriculum ensures that each student is given care and support for steady progress. The school also gives priority to STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

UPPER PRIMARY/ KEY STAGE 2

The school continues to follow the National Curriculum of the UK for the upper primary stage. The KS2 includes specialised subjects, such as:

• French
• Arabic
• Islamic Studies
• Computing
• Art and Design
• Music
• Physical Education
• Swimming
• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
• Moral Education

HES also ensures that all pupils are instilled with values of leadership and effective communication. Besides conventional learning, the school focuses on leadership and effective communication.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is a government organisation responsible for assessing the quality of private education in the emirate of Dubai. They inspect private schools in Dubai with judgments made on a six-point scale: outstanding, very good, good, acceptable, weak and very weak.

In its latest inspection, Horizon English School KHDA rating was outstanding. Here is a history of KHDA’s rating for Horizons English School:

The Horizon English School calendar starts in August and ends in July.

You can submit an online application form to initiate the process. The following documents are required with the application form:

• The candidate’s previous academic record for the last two years (For admission in Grade 1 and above)
• A copy of the candidate’s vaccination record
• Recent passport-size photographs of the candidate
• A copy of the candidate’s birth certificate (in English or Arabic)
• A copy of the Emirates ID card of the candidate and parents
• A copy of the candidate’s and the parents’ passport with a valid residence visa)

After submitting the form, the school invites the applicant for an assessment. Successful candidates are offered an admission letter. Parents can also check Horizon English School academic calendar.

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

This is based on the age of the students on 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)

The Horizon English School fees are as follows:

Some of the other charges of the school are.

The aforementioned other charges are based on the KHDA factsheet.

The cafeteria at Horizons English School provides delicious meals, such as salads, fruits, yoghurt and sandwiches. Students can also bring packed lunches from home.

HES offers a secure school bus transportation facility. Guardian Oneacle Transport is the official transport provider for the school. For a secured travelling experience, the bus routes are mapped to ensure that the maximum travelling time for each bus is one hour.

The safety of children is the first priority. Each school bus has a female bus attendant employed directly by the school authority. Parents can track the status of their kids with the help of a specially designed application.

Sports facilities at Horizon English School include indoor and outdoor courts for tennis, volleyball, basketball, etc. They also include a sports pitch, two swimming pools and sports halls.

HES extra-curricular activities have a long list. The management inspires students to learn things outside the classroom. It offers new activities every year to give students something new and exciting to do. Some of these extra-curricular activities include:

Students at HES are taken to yearly field trips which include trips to Dubai Aquarium, The Green Planet, Al Ain Zoo, Sharjah museum and Burj Khalifa.

Year 3 students are taken to wilderness sites for a day trip, usually near Sharjah or RAK. Year 4, 5 and 6 students are taken for an overnight trip. HES takes students for an annual ski trip in January. Students from Year 4, 5 and 6 have the option to go on a school trip to Switzerland.

HES believes that students should spend most of their time at the school. In that regard, they also offer after school care. On occasion, the school partners with outside firms to organise activities such as Little Masterpieces, Dance Horizons, Elite, Drama Scene, Football, Ballet, Basketball, Karate, Tennis, Art and other creative avenues. In addition to the above-stated, some noteworthy after-school care activities in HES are:

The school has a medical centre with full-time nurses that can tend to any emergency and administer first aid. The school also keeps an updated record of the medical conditions of all students.

One of the commonly used modes of communication between teachers and parents is the Friends of Horizon (FOH). This is a community group of Horizon English School that focuses on engaging students in the school’s activities. It is a parent-led group, responsible for managing various events. The two primary purposes of this group are to organise and fundraise for social events. FOH also ensures a strong communication channel between teachers and parents for the effective growth of students. Other modes of communication include social media groups and pages where parents of the children can communicate.

• Phone: +971-4-342-2891

Email Addresses

• For general enquiries: info@horizonschooldubai.com
• For Admission enquiries: registrar@horizonschooldubai.com

General Information

• Horizon English School Official Website
• Horizon English School Facebook
• Horizon English School Instagram

DOES HORIZON ENGLISH SCHOOL CONDUCT AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES?

Yes, Horizon English School offers after-school activities.

HOW MANY GRADES/YEARS ARE THERE IN HORIZON ENGLISH SCHOOL?

Horizon English School offers education from FS1 until Year 6.

HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE CURRENTLY STUDYING IN HORIZON ENGLISH SCHOOL?

Currently, there are over 1,000 students studying in Horizon English School Dubai.

CAN YOU PLEASE DESCRIBE THE ACADEMIC CALENDAR OF HORIZON ENGLISH SCHOOL?

The academic calendar runs from August until early July of the next year.

WHAT IS HORIZON ENGLISH SCHOOL FEE?

The school’s annual fee is AED 42,063 - AED 56,377

Note that the cover image belongs to Horizon English School.