A guide to moving to Dubai with children

Dubai - Be properly informed about the exact procedures.

If you are planning to reside with your family in the UAE, your biggest concern should be the school admission of your child. But being properly informed about the right school and the exact admission procedures can help you make the entire process a smooth affair.

According to the official UAE school calendar 2017-2018, the next school year in all public and private schools in Dubai following the national curriculum will start on September 10, 2017 and end on June 28, 2018.

Khaleej Times gives you a lowdown on the admission and transfer rules for parents planning to stay in the UAE with their kids.

Dubai private schools at a glance

There are 173 private schools in Dubai with a total of 265,299 students, according to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).

Choosing a school

The UAE Ministry of Education website provides an interactive service that uses Google Maps to show the details of each school in the UAE.

Below interactive map will direct you to the school from your current location:

Academic calendar

For Indian, Pakistani and Japanese curriculum schools, the academic year is from April to March. For all other curricula, it begins in September and ends in June or July.

Indian schools have different schedules. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate for Secondary Education (ICSE) follow academic year from April to March.

Here's the annual school calendar 2017 / 2018 : Academic calendar

All private schools must tentatively communicate Public holidays (like Eid, National day and other similar holidays) to the parents and confirm these holidays to the parent once declared by the UAE government authority. More details can be found on KHDA website

Getting admission

In the UAE, the academic year starts in September and runs till June. However for Indian and Pakistani curriculum schools, the academic year starts in April. Parents need to mandatorily enroll their kids to school starting from Grade 1.

Age criteria

Students seeking admission to private schools in the UAE will have to complete four years of age, according to guidelines issued by education authorities. Schools which start their academic year in September will be allowed to enrol students who complete the age of four by December 31. These schools will be expected to follow the rule starting this year itself. Other students going to Indian curriculum schools which start in April will have to complete four years by July 31 of the admission year.

Requirements: Residence visa, Birth certificate, Sponsor's passport and visa copy, Medical records, Transfer certificate (if coming from overseas or another Emirate).

Getting admission higher than Grade 1

All schools will have to complete the admission formalities with KHDA. Families transferring to the UAE are required to provide a 'Transfer Certificate' from their children's current school.

For admission to Dubai's private schools at a level higher than Grade 1, it is necessary to present proof of your child's previous schooling.

The certificate must be typed on the school's official letterhead paper, and must be signed and stamped by the issuing school. The certificate must be original.

The certificate should confirm the details of the child's attendance - the date and year group/grade s/he started at the school, the date and year group/grade at which the child finished at the school, and, if, at the end of the academic year, whether the child has been promoted to the next year group/grade.

All certificates, including those from abroad, must be presented in either Arabic or English. If originals are in other languages, they should be translated and the translations authenticated by a legal translator.

The Transfer Certificate has a validity of only 30 days. Parents are advised to ensure that they start the process for the child's sponsor to obtain his visa and Emirates ID ahead of the child's arrival in order to ensure the minimum delay.

For students coming from other countries, the transfer certificate must be attested by:

The Ministry of Education*

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs*

The UAE Consulate [if no consulate, then any other Arab country's embassy or consulate]*

*From the country which the pupil is leaving.

For students coming from GCC

Students coming from any GCC countries (Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi), the Transfer Certificate need only be attested by The Ministry of Education of that country.

Southern Hemisphere schools

For students coming from United Kingdom, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, the Transfer Certificate only needs the school stamp and signature of the Head of School.

Moving from a 12-year curriculum to a 13-year curriculum

This will often depend on the age of your child at the time of transfer and on their previous schooling.

Transfer school within Dubai

If you are transferring within Dubai, you will need a Transfer Certificate. If you are leaving Dubai, you may need a 'student leaving certificate' to prove the years of study in school in Dubai. In both cases, your child's school can provide you with these certificates, as well as ensure they are verified by KHDA.

Also note: Quranic centres are not considered as equivalent and their certificates cannot be considered as evidence of completion of particular school grades.

Source: MOE, KHDA, schoolscompared.com, whichschooladvisor.com

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