ABU DHABI // The first boarding school in Abu Dhabi is to be opened by the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) in partnership with a 147-year-old English school.
The Abu Dhabi branch of Cranleigh School is set to open in late 2014 and will be located on seven hectares of the Saadiyat Island, making it the largest campus in the country. It will accommodate more than 1,600 students aged three to 18 years.
"We are proud to have forged this partnership with one of the UK's most well-established educational institutions," said Mubarak Hamad Al Muhair, the managing director of TDIC.
"Cranleigh Abu Dhabi will aim to provide a first-class academic education, not only for the residents of Saadiyat but for the wider community of Abu Dhabi."
The school's campus will be located in the Cultural District of Saadiyat Island, next to Manarat Al Saadiyat, and will include a 650-seat auditorium, 2,900 square metre sports centre and 19,300 square metres of outdoor fields.
In addition, separate male and female boarding facilities will be available, although the majority of students are expected to be daytime pupils.
With New York University Abu Dhabi and a preschool nursery set to open in the coming years, the addition of Cranleigh Abu Dhabi is intended to further complement the island's educational facilities.
"Cranleigh will play its part in delivering a world-class school of which both Saadiyat and Abu Dhabi can be proud," said Anthony Townsend, chairman of governors at Cranleigh School.