Thank you for your insights as I am looking forward to moving to Abu Dhabi in August2012!

I agree JPS is money making school Iam desperate to pull both my boys from FS2 the academic level of the school is very low, no books, no curriculum, very childish homework. There is no way I can know what my sons have learnt at school , no worksheets are sent home. Every week there is some fair or book day, UAE day, etc encouraging parents to spend money all in the name of charity. School time is also wasted on these meaningless events. I agree about the point of Sunny Varkey trying to get as much money out of parents as possible but he is a business man after all. I don't know of any private fee paying school that offers anything more or less. However, in saying that a school has nothing to do with the company who owns it but the standard of teaching and most of all whether the children are happy in the school. Money will always be the deciding factor unfortunately but put the child first please.

Oops just saw some links below! If you have any other websites you can think of, could you forward those on please? Do you have any job websites that you can reccommend to me please? I am looking at returning to the Gulf when I have finished my studies. Thank you

Clearly the above comments are written by an unhappy parent. As a former teacher at the American Academy for Girls, I feel inclined to disagree with some statements that are simply not true. The administration (Principal and 2 Vice Principals) have extensive experience. The principal has been in education for over 30 years and has served as principal for girls' schools in the Middle East for more than 10 years. The Secondary vice Principal retired from administrating schools in Canada before going to the UAE. She has over 20 years of experience. The Elementary Vice principals (there were 2 during my tenure at the school) were both highly qualified and had (collectively) more than 20 years of experience. The school follows an American curriculum and is accredited by NEASC and by CIS and the majority of the teachers have degrees (and post graduate degrees) from North American universities.) I agree and I think the Admin would agree that the Modern Language Department needs improvement. To that end, they have enlisted a highly qualified (2 Masters degrees in teaching and more than 15 years of teaching experience) North American teacher to train the modern language teachers (Arabic, Spanish & French) in updating their pedagogy. The school takes bullying of students VERY seriously and addresses it immediately when brought to the attention of teachers and/or admin. Having said that, it is true that the admin occasionally bullies teachers, which is unfortunate. As for the Fine Arts Department, the current Drama, Music and Art teachers (British, American & Polish) have worked very hard to develop a beautiful curriculum. This is proven by local and national awards won by some of our students. Finally, I have watched our girls graduate and be accepted to schools such as UC Berkeley, NYU, UPenn, Brandeis as well as local universities (American U of Dubai, Zayed University, etc.). These acceptances speak to the development of the curriculum as well as the experience and quality of the teaching at the school. Does the school have problems? Does the local culture and religion impact the curriculum? Yes, of course. However, I think the faculty work hard to create and nurture an academically challenging curriculum despite the limitations that culture and religion place on education of girls in the country. As the previous comment says, go and see for yourself. Talk to parents and more importantly, talk to the students. I have to say that this report is INCREDIBLY outdated. Over the past year the school has gained CIS accredidation and has an excellent curriculum. The school follows the American curriculum, based on the Michigan standards and the curriculum uses the Understanding by Design (backward design) to support its curriculum. It has been rated as one of the top ten schools in Dubai by KHDA. My daughter attends grade 9 and is passionate about all that the school has to offer. The culture does not believe that performing is sinful - in fact the Fine Arts department support local culture by incorporating it into the curriculum. I think this report is, as said earlier, outdated and scathing. Go and see for yourself!

This report is both biased and outdated. Grade levels are Foundation Stage to grade 6. The school facilities are good and include a multi purpose sportshall and a shaded full size competitive swimming pool. There are many extra curricular activities provided, some of which are inclusive in the fees and some of which are paid extra. Whilst the previous principal supported a love of music it is unfair to say that drama was not provided. Music and drama were and still are provided for well. Families arriving into the school are warmly welcomed and provided for. Those returning to their home countries are provided with full reports and support. The PTFA (Parent teachers friends association) is an active organisation working for the good of the community and provides social events and fundraising throughout the year. In my experience the principals, both past and present, treat parents with the utmost respect and seek to provide a community which upholds the highest standards of education.

Hi! im looking foward to find a good nannie position in Dubay! sounds great to me.Diferent cultures ,very nice.

Could anyone give a more recent review of sheffield private school? I am also thinking of moving my daughter there... we are from Italy and I am really finding it a hard time to find a decent and reasonably priced school near to the Mirdiff area!! I would really appreciate some good and honest advice! Vanessa I am thinking to transfer my kids to sheffield school is it a good school?

I also enrolled my two kids year 1 and year 4 for September 2013. I was told they had space in these year groups so I paid aed 500 each for the application fee. Both were invited for assessments and never offered a place despite passing their assessment. They were full of excuses when I asked why? Each time my called for an update, it was a different story and then to be told 'sorry' both year groups are now full. A very unfair selection process.....they only choose who they like! When I complained they decided to cancel my applications but offered a refund on the fee. A complete time waste and I'm glad I learnt this before it was too late. A terrible experience! Absolutely agree with all the comments. The head and deputy treat the parents with nothimg short of hostility. The academic standards are very low. I would say the majority parents are unhappy and would move if they could. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

i have a request tell me the honestly about the sheffield pvt school wana enroll my child her sibilings studying in dubai scholars yes,its true that the school is improving rapidly.The principle is a great man who wants to make his school the best.I as a parent hope that the school will do the very best for their pupils in the future.

This person appears to be a first-time expat, or at least a first-time expat in the Middle East. While she brings up some points about the laws in the UAE, they are clear to those who seek to know what they are. You need to bear in mind that while here you need to err on the side of caution where the police and laws are concerned -- we are but privileged guests here, and women are lower than that. This is a simple fact of life, I am not being derogatory. Once you relax and "go with the flow" of things, life becomes easier. You'll here "NO PROBLEM" coming to mind frequently!