UAE school news, 2 to 8 November 2026

Between Monday 2 November and Sunday 8 November 2026, 18 private schools across the UAE announced 20 verifiable developments on their own websites and social channels.

This week in brief: 4 new programmes, 1 leadership change and 15 awards and competition results. By emirate: Dubai 13, Abu Dhabi 5, Sharjah 2.

Curriculum, programmes and accreditation

• GEMS Cambridge International School (Abu Dhabi): GEMS CIA has officially launched Reading Wise, a reading programme personalised to each student's individual reading age. Students work through designed units at their own pace to build fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and phonics, with 15 minutes of daily reading recommended. (Instagram post, 5 November)
• The Sheffield Private School (Dubai): The Sheffield Private School has officially earned Cognia System Accreditation, an internationally recognised mark covering teaching quality, student success, leadership and continuous improvement. (Instagram post, 3 November)
• Al Salam Private School (Dubai): The school passed a comprehensive SENDIA reassessment recognising its commitment to inclusive education. The report highlighted strong systems for identifying individual learning needs, personalised support, and close collaboration between the inclusion department, teachers, school leadership and families. (Instagram post, 2 November)
• Victory Heights Primary School (Dubai): The school has achieved the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) Gilt Award for 2026-2029. Feedback highlighted the positive impact of science teaching, noting practical investigations, pupil-led enquiry, a focus on scientific vocabulary and working scientifically, and growing curiosity, confidence and independence in learners. (Instagram post, 2 November)

Leadership changes

• Al Salam Community School (Dubai): Ms Sadia Saba will join as Principal in January 2027, succeeding Ms Tasleem Koser. She has served since 2022 as Vice Principal at sister school Al Salam Community School and brings 20 years of educational leadership in the UK and the UAE. (Instagram post, 4 November)

Awards and competitions

• GEMS World Academy (Dubai): The school's MYP Dragons swim team placed 2nd at the DASSA Traditional Gala, its first official gala of the year. (Instagram post, 8 November)
• Al Durrah International School (Sharjah): Students won 1st place in Industrial Engineering & 3D Modeling and 3rd place in Additive Manufacturing & Graphic Design at RIT Dubai's 2026 Engineering Competition. The robotics team finished in the Top 5 and received a Certificate of Recognition from VOGS Robotics, RIT's partner. (Instagram post, 8 November)
• Al Salam Private School (Dubai): Al Salam Private School was selected among 270 distinguished schools from more than 1,400 participants and received two awards at the ABT 10th Anniversary Recognition Ceremony: the ABT Excellence Trophy for outstanding academic performance and the ABT Values Trophy for achievements in the relevant assessment areas of the ABT International Standardised Assessments. (Instagram post, 6 November)
• British School Al Khubairat (BSAK) (Abu Dhabi): Twenty-eight BSAK Sixth Form students took part in the UK Mathematics Trust's 90-minute Senior Mathematical Challenge, earning 14 Gold, 7 Silver and 5 Bronze Awards. The test covered mathematical reasoning, logical thinking and problem-solving. (Instagram post, 6 November)
• Global Indian International School (Dubai): A team of Grade 12 students finished second runner-up at the RIT University Dubai Cybersecurity Competition, solving the challenge in 50 minutes against a 90-minute limit. Each team member earned an AED 10,000 scholarship. (Instagram post, 6 November)
• Mayoor Private School (Abu Dhabi): The school received the 5 Green Stars Award 2026 from the Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, its second consecutive year winning the recognition. The award acknowledges the school's whole-school culture of sustainability, including student-led environmental initiatives and everyday sustainable practices. (Instagram post, 6 November)
• Emirates International School, Meadows (Dubai): Emirates International School Meadows has received the Leading Parent Partnership Award. The recognition highlights the relationships built between families and staff across Primary and High School, noting the school's open-door culture, positive communication and commitment to listening to its parent community. (Instagram post, 6 November)
• Mamoura British Academy, Aldar Academies (Abu Dhabi): The school announced that 21 of its students qualified for Stage 2 of the ME Maths Championship, known as The Invitationals, after successfully completing the weekly Quests in Stage 1 of the external maths competition. (Instagram post, 5 November)
• Al Dhafra Private Schools (Abu Dhabi): Al Dhafra Private School, Mohammed Bin Zayed City received the UAE Sustainability Points Award at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in Dubai. The award recognises the school's environmental responsibility and volunteer initiatives carried out during the 2025-2026 academic year. (Instagram post, 5 November)
• Sunmarke School (Dubai): Year 5 and 6 pupils took first place in the Scientific Investigation Board and first place overall among 17 schools at the 2026 DESS Academic City Science Enrichment Competition. Tasks included investigating a crime scene and designing and carrying out their own experiments. (Instagram post, 4 November)
• The Sheffield Private School (Dubai): The school received a Certificate of Recognition at the OxfordAQA Go Further Awards 2026, honouring its community's resilience and adaptability during the May/June 2026 examination series. Mustafa Nisar, Head of Examinations and Assessments, also received individual recognition. (Instagram post, 4 November)
• GEMS Founders School (Dubai): The school's Sustainability Council secured first place in the Sustainability Business Pitch Competition at the GENOVA Sustainability Conference, hosted by The Millennium School, Dubai, showcasing sustainability-focused learning and collaboration. (Instagram post, 4 November)
• International School of Creative Science Nad Alshiba (Dubai): The school's principal, Mr Ataullah Parkar, received the Distinguished Principal, Inspirational Leadership award at the Murdoch University Dubai School Excellence Awards 2026. The recognition celebrates his leadership combining academic ambition, strong character and faith-inspired values at the Nad Al Sheba campus. (Instagram post, 2 November)
• Al Ansar int.pvt.School (Sharjah): Seventy Al Ansar International School students, competing in 13 teams, faced more than 350 teams at the Curtin University Dubai Business Cup 2026. Two teams reached the top ten, with the boys' team taking third place and the girls' team finishing sixth. (Instagram post, 2 November)
• The Millenium School (Dubai): The school's girls' swimming team was named overall CBSE UAE Cluster Swimming Champions for the 2026-2027 school year at the CBSE Cluster Swimming Competition (Girls), hosted at the school on 1-2 October 2026. Ten swimmers from the team qualified for the CBSE National Swimming Championship. (Instagram post, 2 November)

Previous edition: UAE school news, 26 October to 1 November 2026.