Head of Dubai College

The College

Established forty-five years ago, Dubai College has a national and international reputation as a world class learning organisation. We are an independent, coeducational, not-for-profit, selective school for boys and girls aged 11-18. We follow an adapted English National Curriculum and our vision is to be “leading British education overseas”, underpinned by four pillars of sporting, creative, philanthropic and academic endeavour. Named British International School of the Year 2019 by Independent School Parent magazine, the school has since featured four times in the Spear’s Schools Index as one of the top 125 private schools in the world. Our work on wellbeing was recognised when we were awarded the International School Award for the Initiative to Support School Wellbeing and Safeguarding in 2020 and we were recently named Best British Curriculum School in the UAE 2021.

The College occupies a nineteen-acre site on the coast very close to the Palm Jumeirah at the mid-point between Dubai Marina and the iconic Burj Al Arab. At the start of the 2023 academic year, we proudly revealed our award-winning Jafar Centre, opening up a world of possibilities for our students, offering them a rich and multifaceted environment for learning, relaxation, and social interaction. From student pods to thoughtfully designed classrooms that foster an environment of active participation and vibrant discussion, and enhance the overall learning experience. At the core of this building are our Harkness rooms, our state-of-the-art DC Digital Studios and the Bridgeman Library which serves as a true sanctuary, nurturing a culture of research and scholarship among our students.

In August 2020 we opened the Sports and Performing Arts Centre of Excellence the (SPACE) which includes a 150-seater black box theatre, music practice rooms, drama, spinning and aerobics studios, an extensive gymnasium, a double width sports hall, a cafeteria and 25m swimming pool equipped with electronic timers. Elsewhere on campus we have a multi-purpose auditorium capable of seating over 1000 audience members, purpose-built science laboratories, a recently refurbished Sixth Form centre, a new flagship English department featuring a full-size Harkness table which serves as a statement of intent for future renovation. A new administration building opened in 2018 created the space for our innovative regional teaching and learning hub and a new sports pavilion was completed in 2015. We are also fortunate enough to have extensive grass playing fields and the full range of classrooms you would expect in a school of our size.

Ethos

As a College we are aiming to engineer balance in the lives of students who are academically very able. There is no blueprint for a Dubai College student rather we are aiming for students to discover for themselves who they are and who they want to be. By creating a wealth of opportunities for students to participate in as broad a range of experiences as possible whether they are sporting, creative, philanthropic or academic, we are enabling them to discover their own place within the school community and in time within the world outside. We never lose sight of the fact that our academically gifted students aspire to perform as well as possible in public examinations and we continuously champion the academic. However, the ability to work as a member of a team, to manage set-backs and failure and to recognise personal strengths and weaknesses will be as important in enabling them to live their life with integrity and is consequently a core focus of what we do here. As a result our students leave us as confident individuals with the knowledge, skill set and outlook to succeed at the very best universities and eventually in their chosen, often very challenging, career paths. When asked what standards we expect of one another as professionals DC staff demonstrate a real sense of vocation, that working at Dubai College is not a job but a lifestyle choice. Teachers believe strongly that they should be able to fulfil their academic responsibilities to their students and must be accountable for the outcomes of every one of their students. The next most important expectation of staff at Dubai College is that they should embrace whole school life and contribute fully to the extra-curricular programme both during and after school hours.

As members of a school which feels more like an extended family than an institution, we hope to educate well-mannered citizens who are empowered to fulfil their aspirations. The “not-for-profit” status of our organisation perfectly embodies our ethos: everything is invested in the school and the students with nothing left over.

The College really does have a great feel about it. It already has an exceptionally strong national and international reputation and if you feel you have the potential to build on our reputation as a centre of excellence on the global stage we would very much like to hear from you.

Michael Lambert
Headmaster

Dubai College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and we select staff that understand and share this commitment. All applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and obtaining a Police Certificate or Good Conduct Certificate from the country the applicant last resided or was employed in, which may include Disclosure & Barring checks.