Two schools are set to open in Abu Dhabi, providing about 5,000 seats in the next two years.

GEMS Education, one of the world’s largest private school operators, will establish a branch in Baniyas next year, while UK’s Cranleigh School will open a campus on Saadiyat Island in the third quarter of 2014. This would also be the city’s first boarding school.

GEMS Education has signed the agreement with Baniyas Investment and Development Company (BIDC) as part of its Bawabat Al Sharq (BAS) project in Baniyas City, while Cranleigh School, a leading UK independent school founded in 1865, has partnered with the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC).

The schools’ arrival in Abu Dhabi comes at an opportune time when provision for more private schools or places has become imperative.

According to the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec), the private education sector accounts for the largest number of students in the emirate with 78 per cent expatriate and 31 per cent Emiratis.

The Adec estimates a demand for 10,000 additional school places year-on-year, making additional spaces essential.

GEMS school

GEMS Cambridge International School, Abu Dhabi, will offer UK curriculum from Kindergarten through to Year 13. The school, which will start accepting students in September 2013, will accommodate up to 3,400 pupils.

“We are delighted to be in partnership with GEMS Education at the Bawabat Al Sharq project. GEMS Cambridge International School – Abu Dhabi will provide residents of Baniyas City and the wider region with the very best in high quality, private education,” said Subhi Benkhadra, BIDC CEO.

GEMS Education manages a network of high quality, international schools around the world. The GEMS global network of schools presents a unique brand of award winning schools which provide high quality holistic education to more than 110,000 students from 151 countries.

Cranleigh Abu Dhabi

Built over seven hectares of land, with a capacity to accommodate more than 1,600 students, from three to 18 years, Cranleigh Abu Dhabi will be located in the Saadiyat Cultural District.

It will house specialised facilities for music, science, art, design and technology, drama, dance and sport classes and state-of-the-art IT facilities with the latest technology including electronic tables provided for pupils, a shared 650-seat auditorium, 2,900-square-metre sports centre and 19,300 square metres of outdoor fields, an Astroturf pitch, four tennis courts, two swimming pools and an indoor arena comprising of two full-sized courts.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com