'Outstanding' schools will not admit your child

DSIB inspected 136 private schools catering toalmost 188,000 students in Dubai   The wish of many parents in Dubai to give their children the best education may remain a distant dream in the near future as none of the schools rated ‘outstanding’ by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) have room for new admissions.
The DSIB inspected 136 private schools catering to almost 188,000 students in Dubai during the period October 2010 to April 2011, and named six schools as ‘outstanding’ in its report.
The private outstanding schools for 2010-2011 are: Dubai College, Jumeirah College, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Jumeirah Primary School, Gems Wellington International School and Kings Dubai School, according to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). Incidentally, all of them offer British curriculum, and none of the schools offering other curricula have bagged the distinction.
Overall, the DSIB rated the schools as follows: Outstanding: 6; Good: 49; Acceptable: 65; and Unsatisfactory: 16.
When this website went about enquiring if there were any seats available beginning this September, all the ‘outstanding’ schools unanimously said “no”.
Jumeirh English Speaking School Arabian Ranches, one of the most reputed in the city, is full-up.
When contacted by the website, the receptionist said currently there are no seats available and there is a long waiting list at the moment. The school’s branch in Jumeirah reiterated the same.
Jumeirah Primary School, another school with the top ranking, has no place if you want to enrol your child there.
“We are all full at the moment. I cannot disclose how long the waiting list is but you are welcome to register with us. There will be an assessment of the child, we’ll look at the previous school reports and of course it all depends on the availability of a seat,” said the receptionist.
Kings Dubai School is also running full. The registrar said there were no seats available without talking about the admission details, probably because of the load of enquiries that the school is facing.
On the other hand, ‘unacceptable’ schools have vacancies. Apple International School is open to new students this September. “Yes, we do have seats available. Please register with us, after which the child will have to take an English and Math test. There will be a meeting with the principal and we will confirm the admission then,” the reception said. Many other schools in the same category said the same.
But parents are caught in a situation where they cannot delay sending their children to school but at the same time want thebest.
“It’s sad that we have to compromise on education. I’ve registered my child in many good schools but am always on the waiting list. I don’t want to send him to an ‘acceptable’ or ‘unacceptable’ school,’” a parent told this website.