Jumeirah English Speaking School

JESS Jumeirah

The original JESS school in Jumeirah was founded in 1975, due to the demand for institutions tailored to suit the needs of British families (most parents working for the major companies in Dubai, such as Dubai Aluminium, Dubai Petroleum and Schlumberger). At the time, the only other available school was the Dubai English Speaking School (DESS), which was over-subscribed.

First opened in an apartment near the Dubai Clock Tower, JESS only had 17 pupils in 2 classes. In 1976, due to the influx of students, the school relocated to the villa of the school's headteacher, Miss Blue.

In 1977, His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum granted the school land in the Jumeirah district of Dubai, which is where the school is located.

JESS Arabian Ranches

In 2000s, the Emirates experienced an influx of expats, and as a result, the demand for high-quality British education grew, leading to the opening of JESS Arabian Ranches in 2005. It was the first school in Dubai to be built as a part of a significant planned housing development (Emaar Arabian Ranches).

JESS Arabian Ranches opened in September 2005 with 573 pupils - a primary school, with Years 7 and 8 offered in secondary. A sixth form was opened in 2009, offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, due to the increasing demand for the program in Dubai. After 2009, the school started offering all years, from KG1 to Year 13.

Campus

Both of the campuses have a main building (containing the classrooms and the cafeteria), surrounded by other school facilities, with both of the school's campuses containing swimming pools (2 for each campus), a PE hall, netball courts and multi-purpose sports fields.

The Arabian Ranches site also contains a music center, a lecture theater and an auditorium.

The sixth form building (added in 2009) is separate from the main building in the Arabian Ranches campus, and contains a common room, a study hall, a dining area and a locker room.

Curriculum

Jumeirah English Speaking School incorporates the National Curriculum of England and the IB Diploma Programme in its courses.

Elementary students will start with the National Curriculum of England, with the secondary school students moving in to study the GCSE course. Following the completion of the course, students then study either the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme or the IB Courses Programme in Years 12 and 13.

The IBDP programme is very different to the Courses programme. During IBDP, students have to study 6 subjects, 3 taken at Standard Level (SL) and 3 taken at the Higher Level (HL). As well as that, students have to complete the "DP Core" consisting of Theory of Knowledge, Community and Service and the Extended Essay.

During the Courses programme, students can study 5 or 6 subjects, all of which may be taken at standard level. Community and Service is also mandatory.

A planned development by the school is the introduction of BTEC Extended level 3 courses in Art, Business and Sport by 2017.

General Extra Curricular Activities

The extra curricular activities offered change each term, based on decisions made by staff. Some of the extra-curricular activities as of December 2016 are Pottery, School Productions, JESS newsletter, skiing, rock-climbing, instrumental lessons, golf, drama club, photography, Sudoku club, book club, film club, choir, art club, history club, yoga, dance club, cooking club, trampoline club, gymnastics, and Aikido.

Sports

Just like the general activities, the sports offered are subject to change every term. As of December 2016, some of the sports offered include athletics, netball, rugby, hockey, horse riding, volleyball, football, swimming, basketball and badminton.

KHDA Inspection Report

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is an educational quality assurance authority based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It undertakes early learning, school and higher learning institution management and rates them, based on the performance of both the teachers and the students, with ratings ranging from "Unsatisfactory" to "Outstanding".

Below is a summary of the inspection ratings for the Jumeirah English Speaking School.

For the latest (2015-2016) rating, the school received a rating of "Outstanding", with the inspectors noting the school's main strengths to be the students' achievement in English, mathematics and science, and the students' behavior and attitude. The teaching was found to be highly effective.

The main point for improvement in the school was noted to be the attainment and progress in Islamic education and Arabic (a major problem in most schools in Dubai). The full report can be viewed here.