UAE school news, 19 to 25 October 2026

Between Monday 19 October and Sunday 25 October 2026, 15 private schools across the UAE announced 16 verifiable developments on their own websites and social channels.

This week in brief: 1 admissions or campus announcement, 2 new programmes, 1 leadership change and 12 awards and competition results. By emirate: Dubai 9, Abu Dhabi 5, Al Ain 2.

Admissions, campuses and fees

• Pearl Wisdom School (Dubai): Pearl Wisdom School, Dubai inaugurated a new Senior Library dedicated to knowledge and lifelong learning. It was opened by Bhavans Middle East Vice Chairman C. A. Sooraj Ramachandran, in the presence of the Principal and Vice Principal, with the best readers from each class participating. (Instagram post, 24 October)

Curriculum, programmes and accreditation

• Abdullah Bin Zubair Private School (Al Ain): ABZ Private School officially launched its comprehensive extracurricular clubs programme on Thursday, October 22. The weekly sessions offer students activities beyond the classroom, including a Holy Quran Club and an Our Heritage, Our Identity Club, aiming to help pupils discover new passions and develop as well-rounded individuals. (school's website, 25 October)
• Arcadia British School (Dubai): Arcadia has achieved the PSQM Outreach Award, described as the highest accolade granted by the Primary Science Quality Mark at the University of Hertfordshire, recognising its excellence in science education and curriculum strength. (Instagram post, 20 October)

Leadership changes

• Jumeira Baccalaureate School (Dubai): Philip Stainton will take up the role of Head of Secondary at JBS from Term 2. He is already spending time on campus meeting students and staff. (Instagram post, 23 October)

Awards and competitions

• Abdullah Bin Zubair Private School (Al Ain): ABZ Private School received two Shield of Excellence awards for its results in the ABT standardized assessments: one for the Standard Arabic Language exams and one for outstanding results in Islamic Education. (school's website, 25 October)
• Sunrise English Private School (Abu Dhabi): Sunrise English Private School announced it has been crowned overall champion of the EFIA School Inter-School Visual Art Competition 2026, crediting its students' creativity and teamwork and its teachers' guidance and training for the inter-school title. (Instagram post, 24 October)
• JSS International School (Dubai): Students ranked in the top 0.14% of over 2.2 million participants worldwide in the LogIQids International Level Assessment 2025-26, qualifying for the LQ Ideathon 2026, organised with Techfest, IIT Bombay. The school received the "School of Future Innovators, Gold Citation" and the students were felicitated. (Instagram post, 23 October)
• Regent International Private School (Dubai): The school's weekly update celebrates the ABT International Benchmark Progress Award received by its Arabic and Islamic Department. It also reports that Team SOAR represented the UAE at the STEM Racing World Finals in Singapore. (YouTube video, 23 October)
• Delhi Private School (Dubai): The school's Under-19 Girls' Chess Team secured 4th place at the National-Level Chess Championship, and DPS Dubai was the highest-ranked school among all participating foreign schools at the event. (Instagram post, 23 October)
• Al Ittihad Private School - Mamzar (Dubai): The school's delegates to the VNMUN conference were honoured for their representation after bringing home 8 awards. The post credits Ms Karen Arrah and Mr Walid Hassan for their training and guidance. (Instagram post, 23 October)
• Maplewood Canadian International School (Abu Dhabi): Maplewood Canadian International School received the 2026 ABT Excellence Trophy in Arabic Language and National Identity in recognition of its distinction and exceptional results in the ABT International Standardized Tests in Arabic Language. The school credited its Arabic Department and test-taking students for the achievement, tying it to its commitment to quality education and national identity. (school's website, 22 October)
• Aspen Heights British School (AHBS) (Abu Dhabi): In the opening ADISSA swimming galas, the Aspen Heights Secondary Swim Team finished 1st with 200 points across U13, U15 and U19 categories at Yas American Academy, while the Aspen Swim Team were overall winners with 313 points at Mamoura British Academy. (Instagram post, 21 October)
• Jumeirah English Speaking School - Arabian Ranches (Dubai): JESS received the Arabic Language Excellence Trophy and the Islamic Education Values Trophy at the ABT International Awards, recognising pupils' performance in the standardised Arabic Benchmark Tests, which are used by more than 1,300 schools across 14 countries. (Instagram post, 21 October)
• Mamoura British Academy, Aldar Academies (Abu Dhabi): The academy announced it has received two ABT Awards recognising outstanding results in Arabic Language and Islamic Education, and congratulated the students and staff teams behind the achievement. (Instagram post, 20 October)
• Raffles International School (Dubai): Raffles International School was recently presented with the Leeds Beckett University School Mental Health and Wellbeing Award. The school is holding a session to discuss the actions behind the award and what it means for its community. (Instagram post, 19 October)
• Dunes International School (Abu Dhabi): The school's Under-15 Boys' Football Team secured the runner-up position in a 7-a-side football tournament organised by FS Sports Academy. The school praised the team's dedication, teamwork and sportsmanship. (Instagram post, 19 October)

Previous edition: UAE school news, 12 to 18 October 2026.