Top British school will not move Dubai campus

DUBAI // A top-rated British school in the emirate has told parents it will no longer be moving to a new campus as previously announced.

Jumeirah College, a private school run by education provider Gems, was meant to relocate to Al Khail this year. Instead, it will stay at its existing premises in Al Safa.

The Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau rated the 14-year-old secondary school as outstanding this year.

Gems had planned to move the school - which caters to more than 1,000 pupils aged between 11 and 18 - to a purpose-built three-storey building with capacity for 2,300 pupils.

The new campus was to have a primary wing, two playing fields and an auditorium.

Gems explained that more than 87 per cent of parents were against the decision which prompted them to scrap the plan.

Parents were invited to give their feedback after the announcement of the move was made in October. "It is clear from the feedback received that a significant majority of those who responded to the survey have reservations about the relocation," the management said in a letter to the parents.

The group will open a new primary school on the same site instead, after obtaining the approval of Dubai's private education watchdog, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority. In 2014, it will expand to open a high school.