Expert Info
on 14 Jun 2012
Were moving from Australia to Abu Dhaba in January and I'm really seeking advice on good schooling for our 8 and 6 year old children. Ideally we would like to send them to the Australian School but I haven't seen any good reviews on it as yet. Can anyone tell me where alot of the Australia children go? Also a little confused by the American grade and British grade system. My son would be in Year 3 in our school year of 2013 and our daughter would be in Year 1 (this year has been her first year at school). I look forward to any advice at all. :)
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There's a thread about the Australian school here. From what I've heard about it it's largely a school to be avoided.
Your kids are quite young, so although it'll be an adjustment it's actually quite healthy to put them in a different school system for a few years. (It would be a problem if you were heading back to Australia right before they took their final senior exams, for example.) There are some very good International-, British- and American-curriculum schools that you could have a look at - see the International schools in Abu Dhabi page and the Education in Abu Dhabi page for more info.
It's always best to actually visit the school(s) before you make a decision - a teacher or headmaster will usually be more than happy to answer your questions about class sizes, after-school classes, etc and address any concerns you have about the change in curriculum.
I should warn you that some of the really top schools in Abu Dhabi are over-subscribed and have long waiting lists (3 or 4 years in some cases), especially in the younger grades. The sooner you apply to schools the better - you should treat this as a top priority.