Dubai Heights Academy is a brilliant British Curriculum school located in Al Barsha South, providing educational excellence alongside a quality inclusive education system for students from Foundation Stage up to Year 9. We aim to inspire students to dream more, learn more, do more and become more; through positive energy, vision and unity.
We draw and build on strong family ties, Islamic values and deep rooted heritage to build a vibrant well-knit international community of over 58 nationalities. Dubai Heights Academy is focused on developing knowledgeable and innovative students who can undertake the challenges of whatever the future holds, through our unique collaboration with MIT, bringing AI learning directly to our classrooms.
Our school is progressive, creative and engaging; offering enriching programmes, using state of the art technology, and where every child feels secure, significant and valued.
We look forward to welcoming you to our Dubai Heights Academy community and showing you why Every Child, Every Mind and Everybody matters.
Our Vision
Our Vision is a school designed around‘Every Child, Every Mind, Everybody’.
For Every Child – a platform for academic achievement, cognitive development and personal excellence.
For Every Mind – an engaging approach, inclusive environment and progressive learning experiences.
For Everybody – the inspiration to be the best versions of themselves.
Our Mission
Our goal is to help every child to realise the ‘heights’ of their personal potential. We aim to assist each child to grow through their intellectual, emotional, recreational and educational journeys.
In addition, we:
- Provide a British curriculum education so that each student has excellent opportunities and support to develop academically, socially and emotionally.
- Build a progressive, creative and engaging facility with enriching programmes and state-of-the-art technology where every student feels secure, significant and valued.
- Empower young inquisitive minds, nurture positive thinking in a holistic learning environment that fosters independent learners with the life skills to innovate and problem-solve.
- Instill the value of working hard to achieve goals and accepting challenges enthusiastically and applying knowledge in daily life and in future careers through open parent dialogue and community partnerships.
Dubai Heights Academy aims to truly embody the perfect balance of creativity in learning and commitment to academic excellence that suits all children in a harmonious environment. Our teachers look for opportunities to involve students directly in decisions relating to their own learning, encouraging them to see the relevance of what they are doing and take ownership of their own learning.
Dubai Heights Academy offers a high-quality curriculum based upon the National Curriculum of England. This has been adapted to meet the needs of an international setting and to encompass the educational teaching and learning requirements of the KHDA (Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority). The curriculum is further enriched by the addition of Arabic language, Islamic Studies, Moral Education and Social Studies.
Our fully qualified teachers balance traditional learning and technology to provide an engaging and inclusive education, where students feel safe, included, happy and excited to learn. The care, happiness and well-being of every student is a priority and Dubai Heights Academy provides inspiring, innovative and fun learning experiences that take place in a well-resourced learning environment.
We recognise that technology is a key element of education and are committed to helping students become lifelong learners who are innovative and confident users of technology. We have integrated the use of technology into our teaching and learning and this has helped us to improve levels of attainment and engagement across all subject areas. Classrooms are equipped with large touchscreen displays which further develop classroom collaboration and interactivity and this year we have transitioned to a Chromebook BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) programme for students from Year 3 upwards, further supporting and leveraging our use of online platforms such as Seesaw and Google Workplace for Education.
In addition, students in FS1 to Year 2 have the option to bring their own tablet, as well as use school devices. Our school iPads are used for a variety of activities across the curriculum from analysing performances in PE lessons to using language and maths apps, STEAM activities, building e-portfolios to multimedia usage such as making videos utilising green screens.
Dubai Heights Academy has a unique collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), together we are developing and piloting an exciting new project-based curriculum with students from Years 6 to 8 – part of an initial 3 year partnership focusing on a very important STEM topic that is transforming society: artificial intelligence (AI). Each week, students have sessions at school which are carefully designed by MIT specialists and delivered by our MIT correspondent who works full time at our school.
This year we have extended the collaboration with MIT to include children in Years 1 and 2 who are receiving the special opportunity to develop their literacy and social-emotional learning through a robot literacy station designed by researchers at MIT’s media lab. The learning station consists of the learning companion robot, Jibo, a tablet with learning activities, and a camera to collect information about the study right here at DHA. Students, together with Jibo, will participate in exploring storybooks that target their language learning and curiosity skills, emotion regulation activities that enhance social-emotional learning, and creative exploration activity that scaffolds their creativity.
Dubai Heights Academy strives to meet the needs of all children in its care by personalising the learning and providing outstanding care and provision for all pupils. Inclusion is at the core of our ethos and our mission is to ensure that all children feel valued and achieve their full potential. We have a dedicated staff that is committed to supporting each child on their own unique pathway to progress.
Our specialist Inclusion team comprises of highly qualified staff that continuously research and upskill to provide the best support for our pupils of determination. The Inclusion team works collaboratively with all staff and parents to provide individually-tailored support and interventions to ensure that every child makes progress.
Our Inclusion team consists of the Head of Inclusion, Pastoral and Wellbeing; the Deputy Head of Inclusion; 2 Inclusion Teachers and the School Counsellor.
We also offer an enrichment programme through our partnership with Sensation Station, giving students access to a Speech and Language Therapist, a MBODE Therapist and an Occupational Therapist.
Dubai Heights Academy offers an extensive ECA programme to students of all year groups, both free of charge and at an extra cost from Mondays – Fridays. These options change each term, giving the children the chance to engage in a variety of different activities and experiences that support their social, emotional, cognitive and academic development.
Some of the available paid activities include Ballet, Football, Tennis, Basketball, Karate, Gymnastics, Multi Sports Club and Robotics and we are privileged to team up with a well-known company who run these, ISM Sports.
Some of our school-led and free activities include Arabic Fun, Arabic Calligraphy, Lego Mania, Mindfulness & Yoga, Cool Coders, Debating Club, Drama Club, Youth Theatre, Funky Fingers, Bookaholics, Comic Book Club, Fantastic French, Drawing for Fun, Crafts from Drafts, Sensory Play, Digital Artists, Construction, as well as invitational sports squads.
Following our very first KHDA school inspection in early 2022, Dubai Heights Academy is proud to have received the inspection result of ‘good’ with very good features. It is worth saying that no other new school in Dubai has ever superseded this rating on their first inspection.
Some of the best rated features of Dubai Heights Academy according to the report include:
- An emphasis on developing lifelong skills, enhancing student achievement
- A very well managed, welcoming school, which is based on values of mutual respect, tolerance and empathy
- Well-behaved and responsible students, who enjoy excellent relationships with teachers and their peers
- A bold vision for an inclusive school delivering good provision and outcomes for students of determination
- Very strong parental communication and levels of engagement
At Dubai Heights Academy, we appreciate the important role that families play in supporting their children to develop a positive attitude towards school and learning. We therefore welcome and highly encourage partnerships between school and home.
Our parents are heavily involved in school activities and events on a regular basis; including assemblies, informative workshops, open days, sports days, cultural events and performances, to name just a few. We are also very proud of our Parent Teacher Association (PTA) who exist to support the life and work of the school and is open to all members of the school community. They provide invaluable support to the school through organising many social and fundraising events involving parents and the local community.
Since opening our doors in 2017, Dubai Heights Academy has always strived to provide the very best facilities to enhance the learning experience for all of our students. Our stunning 292,265.3 Sq.Ft. campus consists of 2 buildings which are currently in use, the EYFS building and Primary building; with our Secondary building currently under construction and will be finished by August 2023, just in time for when our Year 10s start their IGCSE/GCSE programme.
Our EYFS building facilities consist of:
- A temperature regulated indoor EYFS swimming pool
- An indoor sports hall
- An indoor nature and animal garden with birds, ducks, rabbits and tortoises
- An outdoor playground
- A canteen
Our Primary / Secondary building facilities consist of:
- An indoor sports hall
- 2 x temperature regulated outdoor swimming pools
- A recently renovated full sized football pitch
- A cinematic auditorium
- 2 science labs
- A food technology lab
- Arts and Design Technology labs
- Creative, natural playgrounds
- A blackbox drama studio
- 2 x computer labs
- 2 libraries
- A canteen
- An Enrichment Zone consisting of The Wonderworld Snoezelen Room (sensory room), The Fun Junction (soft play, ball pit, climbing wall) and a Lego room
- An outdoor terrace for Secondary students with a giant chess board, jenga, connect 4 and other games
