Dear Shaash,

You will need to contact the schools to which you wish to apply directly to find out their policy in this respect.  Since your daughter would be among the oldest in her class by a day or two (given the cut off date of 31st July) I do not think this should be a major issue, but schools are permitted to take their own view on this and may feel that since she is age-appropriate for KG2, that this is the grade to be applied for.  You can argue for demotion if you feel that KG1 is more appropriate.

Dear Raghvendra,

The availability of places in CBSE schools in Dubai is extremely limited and based usually on children leaving the school at short notice.  The only other CBSE school in the area is the new GEMS Millenium School Al Khail.  I would advise you also to apply there.  Their website is  www.gemsnewmillenniumschool-alkhail.com/.

Dear Parveen,

Since your son will already have turned 4 by 31st July 2016, he will be eligible for KG1 admission in 2016/17.

Dear Gurmeet,

I believe it is unlikely that your son would be accepted into Grade 12 although this is subject to the curriculum he followed in Canada.  My advice would be that you contact the US curriculum schools – you do not mention which Emirate is of interest – to see whether they can support your son’e entry to Grade 12.  You can find details of US curriculum under Schools and then select the Emirate and Secondary for more detailed information.

Hi Sachinshegar,

Due to a change in the regulations here, your daughter would have needed to be 5 years old by 31st July to be able to enter KG2.  My advice would be to enrol her mid-term in KG1 if this is possible, simply in order to ensure that you get admission for KG2 for April and also to enable her to settle into a new school environment.  If you keep her out of school now until next April, it may well be a more difficult adjustment for her.  Mid-term entry will be at the discretion of the schools and dependent on whether they have available places.  We do not receive this information; you would need to contact the schools individually to check and also confirm fees.

If you contact the best known Indian schools in Ajman, they may be able to assist or offer suggestions: Al Ameer English School, Indian School of Ajman, International Indian School of Ajman are among these.

The following schools are among those offering the Indian curriculum in Sharjah:
Delhi Private School Sharjah +971-6-5345352 www.dpssharjah.com,  Delta English School +971-6-5359244, GEMS Millennium School Sharjah +971-6-5386486, Gulf Asian English School +971-6-5340000 www.gulfasianenglishschool.com,,  Indian Excellent Private School +971-6-5249249, New Indian Model School Sharjah +971-6-5228035 www.nimsshj.com,  Our Own English High School Sharjah +971-6-5386486, Progressive English School +971-6-5672234, Radiant School +971-6-5663128,  Sharjah Indian School +971-6-5670560.

Good Luck with your search.

Hi Sulafa,

Almost all of the new or expanding schools are located in the newer areas of Dubai (around Umm Suqeim, Dubai Marina, Emirates Hills area and inland towards Arabian Ranches and Dubai Sports City).  Schools that are advertising on WSA are all newer, expanding schools – Dubai British School-Jumeirah Park, Hartland, Kings, Victory Heights Primary School and also several of the GEMS schools.  Ranches Primary School and Safa Community School located near the Arabian Ranches may also be able to help.

Wishing you well with your move.

HI Mariam,

In general the schools offer more than one UK exam board depending on the subjects, so I cannot definitively answer your question.  The following link on the KHDA website will provide you with details of UK curriculum schools rated Good.  You would then need to check the school inspection reports or the schools’ websites to find out more about the courses offered and the exam board – http://www.khda.gov.ae/en/DSIB/Reports?isSearched=1&islight=_islight&school=&textFilter=&rating=Good&curriculum=UK&grade=&fee=&location=&isNewSchool=0&tab=tab-school

For Sharjah, there is no rating system of the same type as in Dubai and Abu Dhabi; you will need to check with the UK curriculum schools there – Sharjah Education Zone can assist you with this.

Dear Rasikh,

You don’t mention where you are in the Emirates.  Unfortunately, there is very little we can do to help you directly other than suggest that you contact the relevant Ministry of Education office in the Northern Emirates, and either ADEC or the KHDA in Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively.  They should be able to provide you with information about schools that may have availability based on registrations that have taken place.  You can also check on their websites for the school contact lists – https://www.adec.ac.ae/en/pages/schoolscontacts.aspx and
http://www.khda.gov.ae/en/schoolsen. Unfortunately, at this stage it will be a process of having to contact the schools directly to see if they have any students who do not return unexpectedly.  Good Luck.

Dear cdin81,

I would suggest that you check the Primary Schools section of Whichschooladvisor which will provide you with details of Abu Dhabi schools, locations and fees.  You can find the link on the Home Page.
You can also check the ADEC School Finder –  https://www.adec.ac.ae/en/Parents/ParentsGuide/Pages/SelectaSchool.aspx which can be searched by geographic area.

Dear Sulafa,

Can you please tell us more about where the schools should be located and the ages of your children?  That way we can suggest possible options that meet your needs.