The only determining factor now taken into account by school is the birth-date of the child.    Your child would need to be 4 by 31st August to join FS2 in most UK curriculum schools (though some are now following the cut-off date for international schools of 31st December in which case he would need to be 4 years and 8 months).  You will need to check with the individual schools to which you are applying on this point.  There is no requirement for any transfer certificate or similar at this age.  You do not mention why you want to make this change and it is therefore not possible for me to comment on whether this is advisable or not.

HI KB,

If you are in Dubai, your son would be eligible to enter FS1 in September 2016 at most UK curriculum schools.  HOWEVER, there is still a great deal of discussion taking place about the appropriate age and cut off date, and I would therefore advise you to contact schools sooner rather than later.  Some UK curriculum schools are also abiding by the new cut-off date of 31st December, by which time the child needs to be 4 years of age; so not all may accept an application for FS1 for 2016 as your son is not old enough.  Many schools will already have started the application process for next September, so you would need to apply as soon as possible as assessments will be taking place before long .

For IB curriculum, your son would not meet the age criterion.  He would need to be 3 years and 9 months old on 1st September to start in 2016.

Hi KB,

At your son’s age, it probably does not greatly matter.  Both are built around “learning through play” initially and many UK curriculum schools are moving towards the IB “Unit of Enquiry” approach, whereby topics are based around a question being set that allows children to research and explore a range of different subjects and skills.  The historical approach of teaching each subject individually is changing fast.

The key differences currently are more related to how progress is monitored and the forms of assessment used.  In UK curriculum schools, standard assessment tests have long been the norm.  This is not the case necessarily in IB schools (though some do use MAPS testing which is more common in US schools).  Parents who are used to the UK system of public exams in Secondary at both 16 and 18 years, are sometimes a little less comfortable with the IB programme, where public exams only occur at 18 when students take the IB Diploma.

There are far more UK curriculum schools in Dubai than IB, so getting a place in an IB school may be a greater challenge.  In many ways, I would suggest that it is best to consider where you expect your son to be at the end of Primary School.  If you are likely to relocate over the next few years, this may impact your decision, especially if you are likely to go to the UK or other country where the national curricula are based on the UK.  IB is probably the most portable and truly international curriculum.  Again, why not visit a few of the schools and see how they function for yourself – it’s never too early..

HI KB,

The best way to do this is probably to search through the area guides on Whichschooladvisor.com – http://whichschooladvisor.com/category/dubai-area-guides/ – where you will find information about nurseries and schools in the various areas.  Bur Dubai is quite well covered.  Having said, nurseries do seem to be springing up all over the city and our advice would be to find those that are convenient for you and then go along and visit to form your own opinion.  If you find a nursery that follows the Early Years curriculum, this will be good preparation for UK or IB curriculum.  At this stage in all main curricula, it is all about learning through play and assisting children in building their fine and gross motor skills through different physical activities.  A visit will allow you to decide whether the facilities and staff meet your child’s needs.

Dear Anitha,

Assuming you are applying for  a place in September 2016, your son will already be 3 years and 11 months at the start of the academic year and 4 years + by 31st December.  Therefore your son meets the age criteria for enrollment for September 2016.  If you are seeking a place in an Indian curriculum school where the cut off date is 31st July, then your son would be too young to enroll in April 2016 and you would need to wait until April 2017.

Dear Imran,

All schools should now follow a unified admission requirement across the Emirates.  The rule states that the child must be 4 on or before 31st July to enter KG1 in the Indian system.  Since your son will not be 4 on that date, strictly speaking he may need to wait a further year. We are aware that a circular from the Ministry of Education suggests that there may be an extension to this date to allow younger children to be accepted, but this applies only to the current school year to our knowledge.  Our advice would be that you contact the schools to which you wish to apply for their feedback.

Hi Anitha,

Your son needs to be 3 years and 9 months by 1st April (4 on or before 31st July) to be considered for KG1 entry in September 2016.  Since he will not be 4 until September 2016, he would not be able to enter this grade.

Dear Vinaylaks,

You can find out details of CBSE curriculum schools either on the Whichschooladvisor.com site (under the heading “Schools” where you can search by grade and location) or via the KHDA website http://www.khda.gov.ae/en/schoolsen where you can download a list with details of the schools, their website and contact information.  You will be able to check on the individual school sites what subjects are offered.

Dear Devraj,

It is a requirement that children do not remain outside of the recognised school system for more than 1 month (unless there has been a holiday period), so the transfer certificate will not longer be valid next April.  I would advise you to contact the schools to which you plan to apply as soon as possible to see whether they will admit her for Grade 1 now (based on the transfer certificate).  You will also need to confirm with them whether a place in grade 1 would be available next April if they are not able to admit her now.

Dear Anuj,

Your daughter will not be eligible for the Indian curriculum since she will be not 4 by 31st July.  She would be eligible for the UK curriculum in Dubai (in FS1), but you would need to check with the individual schools in this regard, as although most are using the 31st August cut off date, not all are doing so.

Since you plan to return to India and your daughter will follow an Indian curriculum there, my advice would be that you follow the Indian curriculum here if possible.  The two are relatively similar in Primary level, but there are significant differences higher up the schools in terms of the curriculum followed.  Having said that, the reality is that there are many more UK curriculum than Indian curriculum options and children clearly do adapt .