Ages 3 to 18
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Discover us & the campus
Where confidence grows
What's happening
Admissions Open for 2027-28
Our Early Years Foundation Stage in Dubai welcomes children aged 3 to 5 across two year groups, Foundation Stage 1 and Foundation Stage 2. Children learn through an inquiry-driven approach, they build confidence, creativity and resilience, laying the foundations to become happy, independent lifelong learners.
Foundation Stage 1 is the first step of an education that continues at our school in Al Safa all the way to the end of Sixth Form at 18, so your child can grow up in one community, from their first day of school to their A Levels.
Engaging British Curriculum
Discover learning through a child-led, inquiry-based British curriculum. Play-based activities foster active engagement and independent thinking, while educators extend and challenge their skills.
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A space to grow and thrive
Learn and explore in safe, stimulating classrooms with book corners, play areas and creative resources, plus large enclosed outdoor spaces that encourage curiosity, discovery and lifelong learning.
Partnership with parents
Strengthen connections between home and school through weekly newsletters, termly reports and daily conversations. Families stay informed and play an active role in supporting progress both in the classroom and beyond.
Learning skills
Develop critical life skills - creativity, resilience, communication and problem-solving through varied, engaging activities like Teamwork Turtle and Problem Solving Penguin, building a strong foundation for future learning and success.
Multilingualism
Master English and build strong Arabic skills through immersive daily practice, becoming confident and capable communicators in both languages.
Wellbeing and inclusion
Promote wellbeing through inclusive, caring support that addresses emotional, social and physical needs. Our dedicated Inclusion Team ensures personalised assistance, helping every child overcome barriers and flourish confidently.
After-school care
Enjoy safe, supervised play and socialising at Star Club, with flexible sessions designed to support families’ needs after school.
Dedicated and highly qualified teachers
Learn from a highly qualified, dedicated team of British-trained teachers committed to excellence and personalised guidance.
Friendly admission process
Our admission team will guide you step-by-step, offering clear communication and year-round assistance to ensure a smooth transition into our vibrant community.Â
Our approach to the EYFS is built on the seven areas of learning followed by schools in England. Here, children actively explore and nurture their curiosity from the very start. Through child-led inquiry and personalised support, they grow in creativity, critical thinking and independence.
Grow in confidence and empathy
At our international kindergarten school in Dubai, students share their thoughts and feelings openly, growing in self-awareness and empathy. Guided by caring educators, they develop strong relationships, manage emotions and build resilience to thrive socially and emotionally.
Develop confident communication
Students engage in meaningful conversations with teachers and peers, enhancing listening, speaking and understanding. Storytelling and discussions expand vocabulary and comprehension, laying a strong foundation for literacy.
Move, play and express themselves
Children develop coordination and physical confidence through creative indoor and outdoor play. They explore their surroundings safely and learn why being active matters for their wellbeing.
Spark a love of reading and writing
At our British kindergarten in Dubai, students develop phonics skills to decode words and begin to read simple sentences. They engage with stories, discuss ideas and start writing short sentences of their own, embarking on a lifelong journey of literacy.
Build problem-solving skills
Students strengthen counting from 1 to 20 and practice ordering numbers. Using real-world objects, they add and subtract, explore concepts like doubling and sharing and use everyday language to compare size, shape and quantity.
Explore communities and environments
Children share their own stories and discover the families and traditions of classmates from many countries. They explore nature and the world around them, noticing how environments change.
Express creativity through the arts
Singing, music, dance, art and role play give children many ways to share ideas and feelings. They experiment with colour, shape and materials and grow into confident young artists.
Every day brings new experiences and discoveries. Timetables vary between year groups, so here is an example of a Curious Cubs day.
Morning lessons
8:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Children begin with child-led learning in indoor and outdoor free-flow spaces. Activities cover all seven areas of learning, with storytelling, music, movement and specialist subjects. FS2 offers English-Arabic bilingual learning.
Midday learning and play
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
After snack, children explore creative and physical activities indoors and outdoors. Our large outdoor space develops gross motor skills, while discovery-based play builds confidence, problem-solving and imagination.
Extra-curricular activities
1:30 PM to 2:15 PM | Mon – Thu
After school, students enjoy music, sports, creative clubs and language sessions. ECAs encourage teamwork, new skills and friendships, enriching their early years experience beyond the classroom.
Please note: On Fridays, the school day ends earlier at 11:10 AM.
At The English College, children spark curiosity and develop key skills as they embark on their learning journey. Through our Early Years FS core learning pillars, they begin to explore academics, foster collaboration with peers and thrive in a multilingual environment, setting the stage for success in their next steps of learning.
Academic achievement
Enjoy personalised learning that continuously enhances knowledge, skills and understanding
Learning skill
Gain essential skills to thrive in academics, as well as careers and personal lives
Foster language skills and build confidence, with support in the students' home or first languages.
Students in our EYFS thrive in a nurturing environment that supports early academic achievement through play, curiosity and guided learning.
Parents stay fully informed with weekly newsletters, termly progress reports and daily conversations with staff. These regular updates ensure that families remain engaged and confident in their child’s development, celebrating milestones together every step of the way.
Students in Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) actively develop essential life skills that form the foundation for lifelong learning.
In FS1, children grow their communication and language abilities, social skills and self-care through engaging activities inspired by animals: Teamwork Turtle and Problem Solving Penguin, making learning both fun and accessible.
By FS2, students build on these skills to confidently meet learning goals across seven key areas, including Maths, English and Science. This holistic approach nurtures confident, curious and capable learners ready to thrive in the next stage of their education and beyond.
Students at our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) benefit from a rich multilingual environment, with 87 nationalities represented and 61 languages spoken. While English is the language of instruction, many children also engage with Arabic, French and Spanish, fostering a truly global learning atmosphere.
Through the Flash Academy programme, students’ language skills are carefully assessed and supported, ensuring steady progress in both English and additional languages. This approach nurtures confident, fluent communicators ready to thrive in an interconnected world.
Our educators take time to get to know each child in Foundation Stage 1 and Foundation Stage 2. They observe children every day and work closely with families, and our Inclusion Team provides early intervention when a child needs extra help. Where needed, the school also works with trusted external specialists, such as speech and language therapists and occupational therapists.
Our campus is secure and self-contained, with CCTV monitoring, secure entry points, trained safeguarding staff and a school clinic staffed by a full-time doctor and experienced nurses. The English College also holds The Wellbeing Award for Schools. Find out more about inclusion and pastoral care.
At our international school in Al Safa, we offer flexible enrolment for our Early Years programme throughout the academic year. Our admissions team is here to discuss your needs and guide you to select the right start date for your child.
We combine both: purposeful play and structured learning. Our Early Years combine purposeful play with structured learning. Children in FS1 and FS2 explore through discovery, inquiry and hands-on activities, guided by experienced UK-trained educators. Play is the vehicle for developing language, maths, social and physical skills within a clear framework that builds strong foundations. By the end of FS2, children are reading and writing with confidence, giving them a head start in Year 1.
Our Early Years phase welcomes children aged 3 to 5. FS1 (Foundation Stage 1) accepts children from age 3, and FS2 (Foundation Stage 2) from age 4, the equivalent of the Nursery and Reception years in England. These two years form the beginning of a continuous learning journey at The English College that takes students all the way through to Sixth Form at age 18, so children can grow up in one supportive community from their first day of school to their A Levels. As one of Dubai's longest-standing British schools, we have welcomed children into FS1 since 2005.
We follow the UK's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, the same curriculum used in outstanding British schools. It covers seven areas of learning: communication and language, physical development, personal, social and emotional development, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design. The Read Write Inc. phonics programme is used throughout, ensuring children build strong literacy skills from their very first days in school.
Language learning begins from the earliest stages through a rich communication-focused environment. Children benefit from:
This helps children develop confidence and strong literacy foundations.
In our EYFS, there are outdoor play areas that are purposeful and for active learning. Children are exposed to stimulating environments that promote physical growth, cooperative play and creative discovery. Outdoor experiences are augmented with indoor STEAM spaces that have robots and interactive technology. The Foundation Stage setting is intentionally crafted to be small and nurturing and provides young children with the security and stimulation they require during their initial years of schooling.
Looking for early years education in Dubai that grows with your child all the way to Sixth Form? Visit our Curious Cubs classrooms and outdoor spaces, and see how our youngest learners grow in confidence and curiosity.
Discover a British school where your child can learn, thrive and make a difference.
