Al Shohub School is situated in Khalifa City Abu Dhabi. It is a privately owned school, which was originally set up in 1999 to provide a British curriculum education for Emirati girls.  Although it has developed a lot along the way, Al Shohub is still very much a ‘local’ school, catering for a predominantly Emirati clientele, which now caters for the 3 – 18 age group (girls only from Year 5). We adhere as closely as possible to the National Curriculum of England & Wales, within certain cultural and religious constraints, culminating in IGCSE and AS & A2 level examinations.  All lessons are taught in English, apart from Arabic and Islamic Studies, which comprise approximately 20% of lesson time, as prescribed by the Ministry of Education.

Nearly all our students are native Arabic speakers, but English is the official language of the school and it is not necessary for the teachers to have any knowledge of Arabic.  Although we have students of quite a broad ability range, prospective students are admitted, based on performance in English and Mathematics entrance tests.  Over the past few years, the curriculum has been brought closely in line with the ethos and pedagogy of the NC, with emphasis, for example, on independent, differentiated learning, cohesive assessment and AfL strategies and tracking procedures.  

The school leadership team is British and our aim is to employ British-trained and experienced staff.  During the past five years, Al Shohub has expanded rapidly at primary level, with four-form entry up to Year 3 and three-form entry up to Year 4; the ‘girls only’ sections (Years 5 – 9) are two-form entry and one-form entry for Year 10 -12.

The school is funded solely through the fees, which are in the middle bracket for Abu Dhabi private schools. Fee levels, as well as many administrative and curricular areas, are subject to the approval and licensing regulations of Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) www.adec.ac.ae .

Until five years ago, Al Shohub was one of only four exclusively British Curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi; there are now fifteen. All the other British schools have an expatriate student base, with typically 25-30% Emirati students. At the moment, 95% of Al Shohub students are Emirati and we are the only British school which is not mixed throughout; we will remain a girls’ school from Year 5.  Al Shohub is a member of British Schools in the Middle East (BSME) and an accredited centre for CIE and Edexcel examination boards.

In Abu Dhabi, 13 different curriculums are offered in total, with the Ministry of Education (Arabic), American and Indian curriculums being the most prevalent. These reflect the diverse population of the United Arab Emirates, where expatriates constitute approximately 80% of the total population.