Star International School, Mirdif

Star International School Mirdif campus is one of the two schools owned and operated by ETA Star Education. It is a small school offering classes from FS1 to Year 12. The school started its operations in 2008 and follows the National Curriculum of England. The school has around 858 students and the faculty consists of 73 full-time teachers and 20 teaching assistants. The  ratio is 1:12.

• Location: Mirdif
• School fees: AED 28,000 to AED 49,200
• Curriculum: National Curriculum for England
• Co-ed or segregate: Co-education
• KHDA rating: Good
• Years offered: FS - Year 12

Residential areas close to the school are Shorooq and Ghoroob. Other residential areas near the campus are:

• Al Rashidiya
• Al Warqaa
• Al Mizhar

Al Rashidiya, more commonly known as Rashidiya is situated towards the south of the Dubai International Airport. Rashidiya is home to government offices and shopping malls. Those looking to settle down in this area will find several villas. Al Rashidiya has its own metro station and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road (E311) is also in proximity.

Al Warqaa is a rapidly developing neighbourhood in Dubai with a reasonable mix of villas and apartments. The area is also close to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. Al Mizhar is close to Sharjah. It is a large community, divided into two sub-communities. The neighbourhood offers villas for sale and rent.

Residential options near Star International School include:

• Apartments for rent near Star International School
• Villas for rent near Star International School

Star International School is located in the popular neighbourhood of Mirdif near Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311). Abaya Mall is at a walking distance from the school. Star International School Mirdif Dubai is situated between 29 C and 24 B Street in Mirdif.

Star International School Dubai is situated in Mirdif, right next to Abaya Shopping Mall. The school campus is a large two-storey building. Teaching wings are on the sides of the main entrance and the foyer.

Premium facilities include a multi-purpose sports and assembly hall, a large outdoor playfield, a covered swimming pool and multiple play areas. All classrooms have interactive whiteboards and students have access to computers.

Star International School Mirdif nurtures creative and curious life-long learners. Star International Al Twar is also successfully operational. At Star International Mirdif, students are taught to grow their mindset so they can be responsible for their learning. They are empowered to work independently, question, debate, investigate and try new things. Children in return become risk-takers.

Star International Mirdif Dubai encourages students to follow the 5Cs i.e.

• Communicate
• Collaborate
• Think Critically
• Be Creative
• I CAN attitude

The school in all ways strives to inspire and engage children to utilise their learning to fit into the ever-changing world. Parents are welcomed to take a video tour of the school to know more about it.

The school offers classes from Foundation Stage to Year 12. Classes are divided into Foundation Stage and Key Stages.

Star International Mirdif campus follows the National Curriculum for England that is delivered by qualified British teachers.

EYFS students learn skills to function independently. Three prime areas of the curriculum during Early Years include Communication and Language, Personal and Social Development and Physical Development. Four specific areas are:

• Maths
• Literacy
• Expressive Arts
• Understanding the World

In Key Stage 2, students are expected to go through a smooth transition from EYFS. The child’s well-being is the focus of the school curriculum. From Year 1 onwards, all students study Arabic in line with the Ministry of Education guidelines. They are taught the history, culture and values of the UAE. Muslim students receive Islamic Education as per KHDA guidelines. Students study Social Studies and Moral Education 60 minutes per week.

At Star School in Mirdif, Key Stage 3 curriculum fosters love of learning and enables students to reach their academic potential.  The stage is designed to offer a broad, balanced and engaging range of subjects which ultimately prepare students  for the rigours and challenges of the GCSE courses at Key Stage 4.

The subjects covered are:

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is a regulatory body to evaluate and ensure the quality of private schools in Dubai. It issues detailed school inspection reports every year.

KHDA inspected Star International School from 7th to 10th November 2022 and rated its performance as “Good.”

Students’ achievement is improved throughout all subjects notably in Arabic, Islamic Education, English, Mathematics and Science. The teaching across the school is strong and improved especially in the secondary part. Teachers plan lessons carefully.

The well-being of everyone is the school’s priority. Students’ emotional and academic needs are well-met.

The best features of the school are:

• The good or better progress of students in key subjects
• Students’ personal and social development
• Curriculum’s design and implementation
• School’s very good partnership with parents
• The daily management, staffing, facilities and resources of teaching and learning

The areas where the school’s need to improve are:

• Use students’ information to plan curriculum adaptations that can support and challenge them
• Focus on learning outcomes in self-evaluation and improve planning with particular goals
• Improve students’ achievement in Arabic as an additional language
• Work on improving policies and procedures for school’s response in the event of a fire

• The first term starts in the last week of August. Students get a half-term break from the 17th to the 21st of October. 9th December is the last day of Term 1. Winter holidays last from 12th to 30th December.
• The second term begins in the first week of January and ends in the last week of March, followed by a 2-week spring break.
• The third term commences in the second week of April and ends in the first week of July, followed by a 2-month summer holiday.

Star International School Mirdif Academic Calendar is available on the website.

Parents looking to admit their child in Star International School Mirdif can download the admission form from the school’s website. Parents need to fill and submit this form at the school’s registrar along with some essential documents.

Once the form is filled and successfully submitted, the registrar schedules an assessment for the applicant carried out by a member of the assessment team.

Students of Foundation level are observed during playtime. For primary stages, the assessment is more formal and involves testing the student’s basic ability in subjects like Mathematics and English Language. The applicant who needs SEN (special educational needs) are assessed by a phase leader and head of learning support.

Parents are also asked to provide copies of any medical report by a psychologist detailing the child’s precise needs or any special arrangement before assessment. The school then decides whether the child’s needs can be accommodated by Star International School Mirdif.

Once the assessment procedure is completed, an offer letter is sent to parents. Upon receiving the offer letter, parents should email the documents to complete the admission process. Parents can also bring the documents uploaded on a USB drive. A non-refundable admission fee of AED 500 and 10% tuition fee deposit is also payable at this stage.

Below is the list of documents required for registration and Star International School admissions:

• Completed registration form
• Copy of applicant’s passport with a valid visa
• Copy of applicant’s Emirates ID card
• Copy of parents/sponsor Emirates ID card
• Copy of Parents/sponsor passport with valid UAE visa
• Copy of applicant’s birth certificate (in English or Arabic)
• Copy of applicant’s immunisation record
• Original transfer certificate
• Previous school/nursery reports
• Four recent passport size photographs
• Copy of any applicable external reports e.g. speech therapy

Please note that both parents and applicants must check UAE visa status online to know about the validity of their visa before submitting their documents to the school.

Before starting the admission process, parents must ensure that their child meets the following age placement guideline:

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

Star International School Mirdif’s fee structure for the current academic year is as follows:

Optional services and their charges are as follows:

The first term Star International School fee should be paid in full in August along with two post-dated cheques for the 2nd and 3rd terms.

In addition to the regular fee, the following annual fee applies:

• A non-refundable medical fee of AED 500
• Book fee (subject to change as per the class)
• The above-mentioned fees are payable at the beginning of each academic year or in the first term.

The school fee can be paid through one of the following methods:

• Bank Transfer
• Cheque
• Cash

Star International School offers a sibling discount when two or more children from the same family attend the school.

• 10% discount is given to the 2nd child
• A 20% discount is given to the 3rd child onwards.

Currently, the school does not have catering facilities and students should bring packed lunch from home. If students from Foundation Stage stay longer than 01:00 pm, lunch should be arranged by the parents. All students should bring a water bottle labelled with their name and class. Water coolers are available in schools where students can fill their bottles.

Parents are requested to promote healthy eating by preparing a healthy and nutritional meal for students. The school discourages consumption of nuts, fizzy drinks and sweets. The school staff check children’s lunchboxes regularly.

The school offers transport in cooperation with BUSCO, an RTA-approved Transport Company. Their bus fleet adheres to strict RTA standards. The bus drivers are well-trained and authorised by the RTA. A bus attendant staffed by BUSCO travels on each bus with students to ensure their safety.

Children who arrive at school by school bus are met and taken to their classroom by the school staff. For information and enquiry about the school transport service, parents can visit the BUSCO website or send an email to info@busco.com.

Sports are offered by ACE Sports. ACE Sports Academy is Star International School’s main ECA provider. They offer a variety of activities from 04:00 pm to 11:00 pm during the week and from 08:00 am to 11:00 pm on the weekend.

Extracurricular activities are considered an important part of the curriculum. A wide range of activities is planned for all age groups. Some activities are provided by school teachers and staff while others are offered by experienced and qualified external providers. If parents pick their children up late from extracurricular activities, they are charged separately. 10 to 20 minutes delay in pickup is charged AED 30.

The curriculum at Star International Mirdif School Dubai is supported and enriched by a range of educational visits. This includes national and international residential trips. These trips help students develop team-working skills.

Primary section students can stay at the school from 03:00 pm to 3:45 pm for after-school activities. The programme of activities is distributed at the beginning of each term. The clubs and activities are:

Star International School has a fully equipped clinic visited by a full-time nurse and a qualified doctor twice a week. If any student falls ill during school timing, he/she is taken to the school clinic where the nurse takes care of the student until parents are contacted. The school nurse deals with minor injuries and administers prescribed medication.

If a student needs medication during school hours, he/she should have a medical consent form that is available at the school clinic. For ensuring student’s safety, the school needs to have access to every child’s medical details. It is therefore advised to keep the nurse informed and updated regarding any medical condition of the student.

Open communication with parents is a top priority of Star International School Dubai. Parents are welcome to talk to teachers informally at the end of the day. If something needs special attention, parents can book an appointment.

All general communication takes place via the School Communicator D6 App.

Teachers use a home communication diary and it should be checked daily for new messages. The school website and the official Facebook and Instagram pages are also used for communication.

Star International School Mirdiff has a Parent, Teacher and Friends Association (PTFA) that works to organise events throughout the year to raise money. National and International Day celebrations, themed cake and other events are arranged by the Parent Teacher and Friends Association. The association members meet regularly. A parent liaison officer is present at the school to advise parents.

In case of any concerns, the first person to be contacted is the class teacher. If anything needs further attention, the Year Leader is the person to contact. For more intense issues, the Key Phrase Leader and the Principal can be contacted.

• Telephone: General: +971-4-288-4644
• Admission: +971-50-277-8083
• General: reception@starmirdif.com
• Admission: registrat@starmerdif.com
• Website Star International School Mirdif
• Instagram Star International School Mirdif
• Facebook Star International School Mirdif

Note that the cover image belongs to Star International School Mirdif

What are the timings of the school?

7:40 am to 3:10 pm.

How many grades are there in the school?

FS to Year 12

Does the school follow a co-education model?

Yes, Star International School, Mirdif has a co-education model.

Please describe the academic calendar of the school.

The school year starts in August and ends in June.

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

AED 28,000 to AED 49,200

How does the school communicate with parents?

 Star International School believes in smooth communication with Parents. Parents can join the Parent-Teacher-Friends Association (PTFA) or use D6 School Communicator app for getting updates regarding the school and their child.

How many students are currently studying in the school?

Star International School has 700 students.

Does the school has any special education programmes or learning plans for students of determination?

Yes. Star International Mirdif School is an inclusive school. The inclusion team is well-led by the leader and students get full support from the team.

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

Yes, Star International Mirdif has a canteen.

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 57 teachers and 30 teaching assistants in Star International School, Mirdif, Dubai.