Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Safa

In 1975, Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) opened with 17 students in an apartment near the Deira Clock Tower. With land generously endowed by His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, JESS established its first branch in Al Safa. Located close to residential villas in Jumeirah, the school became a suitable option for families in that community. It grew to become one of the most prominent British primary schools in Dubai. Currently, the school serves over 750 students, supported by 52 full-time teachers and 44 teaching assistants. This results in an impressive teacher-to-student ratio of 1:14.

In 2005, JESS opened a second branch in Arabian Ranches. The new addition of Jumeirah English Speaking School, Arabian Ranches, offers primary, secondary and sixth form education. The Al Safa Branch offers early years and primary stage education to students. Students completing their education from this branch are then transferred to the Arabian Ranches campus.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) rated the school’s performance as "Outstanding". Keep reading the Jumeirah English Speaking School Al Safa review to learn more.

• Location: Al Safa, Dubai
• School Fee: AED 48,330– AED 59,724
• Curriculum: British Curriculum
• Co-ed or segregate: Co-ed
• KHDA Rating: Outstanding
• Years Offered: FS1- Year 6

Families living in Al Safa and the following nearby communities can send their kids to this school for quality education:

• Al Wasl
• Jumeirah
• Umm Suqeim
• Downtown Dubai

The nearest community to the school is Jumeirah. It is a waterfront community that offers an exuberant lifestyle to residents. Also, it is home to one of the most iconic structures, Burj Al Arab. Those interested in living close to the school should check out the below-mentioned options.

• Apartments for rent near Jumeirah English Speaking School
• Apartments for sale near Jumeirah English Speaking School
• Villas for rent near Jumeirah English Speaking School
• Villas for sale near Jumeirah English Speaking School

JESS Jumeirah was the first branch of the Jumeirah English Speaking School and functions as a primary school. The purpose-built school has separate blocks for the foundation and primary stage. The school boasts many facilities that empower students and teachers to give their best.

• Computer Labs
• Library
• Music Room
• Two temperature-controlled swimming pools
• Netball court
• Fully equipped multi-purpose PE studio
• Air-conditioned sports hall
• Shaded play areas

Jumeirah English Speaking School is located on 7th Street adjacent to Al Ittihad Private School Jumeirah in Al Safa.

Jumeirah English Speaking School emphasises improving students’ creative and critical thinking skills. For this purpose, both staff and students combine their efforts with the core values of JESS, which are:

• Commitment
• Respect
• Excellence
• Care
• Integrity
• Curiosity

Corporate and personal debentures in JESS allow it to maintain its status as a non-profit entity. This indicates that all of their profit is poured back into the school. Another attractive feature of JESS School is its cutting-edge technology. The school has heavily invested in digital technology and innovative approaches. JESS takes pride in knowing that it is an inclusive and tolerant school. It welcomes students from various backgrounds and with special needs.

The JESS Jumeirah campus only has early years and primary sections.

The early years consist of Foundation Stage 1 (FS1) and Foundation Stage 2 (FS2), while the primary stage has Key Stage (KS1) and Key Stage (KS2). The secondary division at Jumeirah English Speaking School is offered only at the Arabian Ranches branch.

JESS Dubai offers British Curriculum Education throughout the three divisions.

FOUNDATION STAGE CURRICULUM

Children enrolled in the JESS Foundation Stage follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This curriculum focuses primarily on practicality rather than academics. The seven key areas of learning are.

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

PRIMARY CURRICULUM

The KS1 and KS2 together form the primary stage at JESS. Following subjects taught in the primary years of learning:

Students also participate in outside-the-classroom activities that support the curriculum. The school offers a diverse array of clubs including musical, sporting, creative and pastoral options. These activities are primarily available for students in Years 3 onwards, with some selected opportunities for Year 2.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is a government entity that ensures the quality education and development of students in private schools. Each private school is inspected, judged and rated on a scale ranging from ‘Outstanding’ to ‘Very Weak’.

The recent KHDA report of JESS shows that the school has been rated ‘Outstanding’. The table below shows the school’s performance over the last two decades.

The academic year at JESS starts in August and ends in July.

• The first term starts in the last week of August. The term ends in the second week of December, following a three-week winter break.
• After the winter break, the second term starts in the first week of January and ends in the last week of March. It is followed by a two-week spring break.
• The third term starts in the second week of April and concludes in the first week of July.

Besides, the school remains closed on many national and religious events. The exact dates of religious events are subject to moon sightings. For national holidays, the school waits for the government’s announcements. For further information, please visit the JESS academic calendar.

Debenture

Since the school functions as a non-profit entity, students are required to support their place at JESS through a debenture. Currently, the school offers two different debentures — personal and corporate.

Corporate Debentures

Corporate debentures are extended in appreciation to companies supporting JESS School. The school prioritises children of eligible employees with a place on the waiting list, with a provision to apply to JESS even after the waiting list is closed.

Personal Debentures

Personal debentures are for parents outside the eligible companies. Please note that personal debentures do not give applicants priority access on a waiting list. Only after the application is received, the child is placed on the waiting list and offered a place when it is available.

Parents need to purchase a debenture, usually before the start of school, to confirm acceptance. Personal debentures remain with the child and are refunded when the child leaves the school. Please note that personal debentures for both Jumeirah and Arabian Ranches branches are refundable and amount to AED 20,000.

After going through the debenture policy, parents are recommended to book a school tour and fill in the online application form. Please note that if you are eligible to apply, you’ll receive a confirmation email within five working days including details of how to complete your application.

If you are applying from outside Dubai, you will have to submit an original transfer certificate attested by relevant authorities. Please get in touch with the school to learn about attestation requirements.

Before initiating the admission process, please ensure that your 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)

New students at JESS have to pay a non-refundable application fee of AED 500. The following table summarises the Jumeirah English Speaking School fee structure for the current academic year.

Optional services and their fee is mentioned here:

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

Jumeirah English Speaking School fees can be paid in cash, cheque or by bank transfer.

Students can either get their lunch from the diner or bring their own. The diner is cashless as parents must set up and top-up their child’s diner card.

School transportation service is not available for students in foundation and primary classes.

JESS school organises holiday camps occasionally through external service providers. If a camp is being organised, parents will be informed regarding this at least two weeks before the activities commence.

JESS has plenty of sports facilities to focus on the health of students. Sports facilities at JESS are divided into outdoor and indoor activities.

There are two swimming pools at JESS. One is a 25m nine-lane shaded and temperature-controlled pool for experienced students. The other swimming pool is for the beginner-level, younger lot and is 10m x 15m large. Lifeguards man both swimming pools at all times. Seating and changing areas are also built alongside the pools. You will also find an outdoor court that functions as a tennis and netball court. JESS has grass-based sports fields that serve multiple purposes at one time. The field has a rugby area, two football training areas and a full-size cricket field. Students use this field for different outdoor sports during lunch breaks.

The school also has air-conditioned indoor sports facilities for its students. A double 1,000 sq.m. hall can easily entertain gymnastics, trampoline, volleyball, badminton and basketball matches. Opposite the sports hall, you will find a fully equipped gymnasium with the latest machinery. There are two play areas surrounding the building. Children can carry out physical activities in these play areas decorated with resources and other equipment.

JESS offers an exciting and varied extracurricular program for students from Year 3 and above including Sports ECAs, Wellbeing ECAs, Performing Arts ECAs, Academics ECAs, Creative ECAs and Social ECAs.

The school arranges several local and foreign trips. These trips are not just for an excursion but are linked with the school’s current curriculum.

Contact the school administration for information regarding after-school care at JESS.

The school has a well-resourced health clinic. Also, nurses in the health offices are trained and know how to respond to different injuries. The school have part-time school doctors and five fully trained Dubai Health Authority registered nurses.

The primary mode of communication between teachers and parents is through JESS Parents Group (JPG). This initiative was taken in 1993 and since then has remained an integral part of the school. All JESS school parents are automatically a part of this group where children, staff, teachers and parents come together for various events organised by volunteers.

There is an online parent portal as well. Furthermore, Parents and guardians also have the facility to join WhatsApp groups for each grade to receive recent updates. To be a member of these groups, you will need to contact the staff members.

Also, parents can email their queries to the concerned department. Contact information for the school is given below.

• Phone number: +971-4-361-9019
• Email: jess@jess.sch.ae | admissions@jess.sch.ae

GENERAL INFORMATION

• JESS Website
• JESS Instagram
• JESS Flicker
• JESS YouTube

How many grades/years are there in the school?

Jumeirah English Speaking School, Jumeirah offers classes from FS1 to Year 6.

Does the school follow a co-education model?

Yes, Jumeirah English Speaking School Al Safa, Dubai has a co-education model.

How many students are currently studying in the school?

JESS, Al Safa has more than 700 students.

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

The tuition fee of Jumeirah English Speaking School in Al Safa ranges from AED 48,330 to AED 59,724.

How does the school communicate with parents?

Parents portal is used to facilitate smooth communication between parents and the school.

Note that the cover image belongs to Jumeirah English Speaking School.