Two Dubai schools attended by royalty to reopen in 2024

Rashid School for Boys and Latifa School for Girls to merge but keep separate buildings

How the revamped Rashid School for Boys will look. It will be part of the Rashid and Latifa Schools Establishment. Photo: Dubai Media Office

Two of Dubai's oldest schools, which were attended by royalty, will reopen in autumn 2024.

Rashid School for Boys and Latifa School for Girls were closed in 2020 for upgrades.

The Rashid and Latifa Schools Establishment, which is responsible for both schools, said construction will start in autumn, with the first pupils expected to be welcomed 12 months later.

Rashid and Latifa are two of Dubai's oldest schools, both located in Nad Al Sheba.

Latifa School, which opened in 1982, offers the British curriculum and the Arabic and Islamic curriculum approved by the UAE Ministry of Education.

Rashid School, established in 1986, was a secondary school until 2003, when it opened an elementary section.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, is a former pupil of Rashid School, while Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, graduated from Latifa School.

Dr Ahmad Al Falasi, Minister of Education and chairman of Rashid and Latifa Schools Establishment’s board of trustees, said the school will be “a global centre of excellence for sustainability in education”.

“To this end, the school will be an international leader in terms of design, materials, equipment, information technology infrastructure, and use of outdoor spaces for learning and inspiration,” he said.

“Construction of Rashid and Latifa School is expected to break ground in autumn this year, with the first phase of the school welcoming its new cohort of students from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 4 in September 2024.”

As part of a new strategy announced on Sunday, Rashid and Latifa will be integrated under a single umbrella, a joint-leadership structure, and a unified name, Rashid and Latifa School.

RLS will continue to offer single-gender education from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 13, with the girls situated on the current Latifa site and the boys on the current Rashid site.

Rashid and Latifa Schools Establishment was formed in April last year, under a law issued by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, with the aim of boosting the quality of education offered to Emiratis and residents, and helping to prepare pupils for university abroad.

The establishment will also create its own schools in the emirate and abroad — either on its own or through a partnership with the private sector.

Mr Al Falasi said Sheikh Mohammed issued a directive to the board of trustees from the outset “that Rashid School for Boys and Latifa School for Girls should offer a transformative educational experience, one that transcends the traditional and serves as an incubator for the future leaders of the nation”.

“Our plans and the resources accompanying them are focused on this one goal, and we are confident that we will achieve His Highness’s vision for the schools, through comprehensive development and setting plans that enable students to manage their education by exposure to real challenges, mastering skills and project-based learning, and providing an educational environment that focuses on the student and looks forward to the future,” Dr Al Falasi said.

RLS has also appointed British national Emma Nolan as principal.

Ms Nolan has worked in education for 20 years, with extensive experience setting up pioneering bilingual and multilingual schools in the UK, China and the UAE.

She has previously served as the founding principal of a Nord Anglia bilingual school in China and, most recently, as principal of Al Danah Charter School with Aldar Education in Abu Dhabi.

“Our journey is only beginning as we aim to grow caring, ambitious, healthy and enterprising young people, ready to learn throughout their lives and equipped to play their part as leading ethical members of society,” Ms Nolan said.

“It will be a school not just renowned for its incredible academic profile but also for the exceptional contribution our students make to Dubai, to the UAE and the rest of the world.”