Fostering Values and Skills

Durham School Dubai is very well-known and operates under the motto of instiling good manners and a progressive learning journey

Durham School UK has a proud 600-year history of providing outstanding British education and this prestigious school is now opening in Dubai. Durham educates pupils aged from three to 18 years old and in its first year, the school will welcome pupils from FS1 to Year 8. Charis Wightman, Founding Head of Primary School, tells us about the school’s ethos.

“The Principal, Mark Atkins, and I worked together for many years and have reunited to open Durham School Dubai based on our shared educational philosophy. We believe a school should have rigour, standards, and ambitions for its pupils. Importantly a school must be a kind and happy place with an emphasis on encouraging good manners and developing social skills.”

She further added: “Our curriculum draws upon the best of the National Curriculum of England and the Independent Schools Examination Board syllabus, resulting in an extremely well-structured, progressive journey of learning, with a strong emphasis on getting the fundamentals right; children will be heard read regularly, times-tables learnt, and work will be recorded in books, with high levels of presentation encouraged.”

The school is guided by the core values: Moral Integrity, Ambition, Responsibility and Kindness. “Through these values, excellence is evident in every aspect of our school; not only in academics, sports and the arts but also in how all our children interact with others, how they share, and how they are encouraged and supported by their teachers. Our aim is that every child develops self-confidence coupled with a secure sense of belonging and well-being,” said Wightman.