Fostering Academic Excellence and Environmental Stewardship in the Heart of Dubai
The Arbor School in Dubai is a unique and forward-thinking educational institution committed to nurturing the potential of every student. Established with a strong emphasis on sustainability, the school offers a progressive curriculum that integrates academic excellence with environmental awareness.
Drawing inspiration from the natural world, The Arbor School fosters a learning environment where students are encouraged to explore, discover, and grow both intellectually and personally. With a focus on outdoor learning, the school combines traditional educational values with a modern approach, ensuring that students not only succeed in their studies but also become responsible global citizens.
An inspiring term of growth and achievement at Arbor School
As the first term ends at Arbor School, Principal, Gemma Thornley reflects on her first term at the helm, and there is much to celebrate. From remarkable student accomplishments to milestone developments, the school has enjoyed an action-packed and inspiring start to the academic year.
Welcoming new families
This term, Arbor welcomed 300 new students representing over 50 nationalities, further enriching its diverse and inclusive community. The energy and enthusiasm of these new families have brought new vibrancy to the school, strengthening Arbor’s reputation as a home for academic excellence and environmental stewardship.
Academic milestones
A significant highlight of the year has been the school’s inaugural GCSE and IGCSEresults. These excellent achievements have firmly placed us on the map for academic rigour in Dubai. Complementing this success was the opening of Arbor’s Sixth Form, a pivotal step in offering senior students’ opportunities to develop leadership, knowledge, and readiness for life beyond school.
Global impact and learning
The launch of the Global Impact Certificate (GIC) in the Sixth Form, evolving our already established GIC in Key Stage 4, has been particularly rewarding. This programme encourages students to explore global challenges, sustainability, and leadership, critical topics for preparing today’s learners to solve tomorrow’s problems. Through engaging discussions and ethical exploration, students are equipped to drive meaningful change. I have particularly enjoyed being part of the team delivering the lecture series that accompanies the programme, and I am looking forward to seeing their projects develop in term 2.
Developing skills and mindsets
At the heart of Arbor’s philosophy is the newly launched Arbor Capabilities, a framework designed to nurture key skills and mindsets for tackling complex, real-world problems. These capabilities are grouped into four domains:
- Cognition: Encouraging critical and systems thinking for sustainable solutions.
- Emotion: Building empathy, equity, and justice with diverse perspectives.
- Action: Encouraging collaboration, innovation, and leadership.
- Connection: Strengthening bonds with nature through eco-centric thinking.
This holistic approach ensures Arbor students develop both academic prowess and the essential skills to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Community and culture
This term has been filled with events that celebrate culture, creativity, and community. From UAE Union Day and Primary Project Landings to the Science Symposium, Winter Recital, and Sea School, our students have showcased their talents and passions across various platforms. Arbor also hosted the BSME Climate Conference in November, which saw schools from across the region join us to explore via student led activities, debate and call to action initiatives, how we need to be the voices of today to ensure that there is a healthy tomorrow. Finally, Arbor’s first honey harvest of the season was a tangible example of sustainability in action, where students engaged hands-on with eco-friendly practices.
Looking ahead
With so much achieved in Term 1, the Arbor family eagerly anticipates the opportunities that Term 2 will bring. As Principal Gemma Thornley reflects: “A school is nothing without community, and Arbor has this in abundance.”
Arbor School continues to set a benchmark in nurturing environmentally conscious, academically excellent, and future-ready students, true to its mission of preparing learners for a rapidly changing world.
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