Several Dubai schools welcomed their first pupils at the start of Dubai’s 2026–27 school year. Harrow International School Dubai began with Foundation Stage through Year 6. Queen Elizabeth’s School opened in Dubai Sports City with a wider first intake, through Year 8. Dubai International Academy Town Square welcomed pupils at its new campus in Al Yalayis 2 and lists an opening range through Grade 8. The first question for families is whether the campus teaches the right year group now, especially if siblings need places at the same time.
Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority announced 26 new private education institutions expected across the academic year in August 2026, including schools, early childhood centres and higher education institutions. The figure covers the year’s planned additions. For a school place, work from the exact campus, intake year and application status. A school can be operating while the year group you need is still planned, full or accepting applications only for a waiting list. KHDA’s August sector update
Harrow International School Dubai in Jumeirah Village Circle
Harrow’s induction calendar identifies 31 August 2026 as its founding-family welcome day and 1 September as the first day of the academic year. Opening coverage reported that the first pupils had started. Taaleem’s school uses an English National Curriculum-based pathway, and the opening offer was FS1 through Year 6. Its longer-term plan extends to Year 13. Families with an older child should check the next available year rather than reading the whole-school fee schedule as a list of classes running now. Harrow induction and first-term calendar · Operating first intake · Opening intake and curriculum
The school’s dedicated availability page is more useful than its general admissions introduction. At the time of checking, the table showed FS1 through Year 6 open for applications in 2026–27, and FS1 through Year 8 open in 2027–28. The school explains that its open status means it accepts applications and expects to make offers where possible. It maintains waitlists and may waitlist a pupil after assessment. The general page still said the later intake would open shortly. Use the grade-specific table, then confirm the position with admissions before submitting. Harrow grade-by-grade application status · General admissions overview
Harrow’s published fees separate dining from tuition. For FS1, AED 80,000 tuition plus AED 6,650 dining totals AED 86,650. For Year 6, AED 106,000 tuition plus AED 13,440 dining totals AED 119,440. Those are the school’s published tuition-and-dining totals for those groups. Ask for the full fee fact sheet and check transport, uniform and other applicable costs for your start date. If your child would enter in Year 7 or 8 next year, the fee page leaves dining to be confirmed, so ask for an updated total for that intake. Harrow tuition, dining and admissions charges
For a campus enquiry, tell the team whether you need a place during the current year or for the next September intake. Harrow publishes admissions@harrowdubai.ae and has an online enquiry route. If your child is joining between terms, ask what school records you should submit and whether there are year-specific equipment requirements. The induction page, for example, lists a bring-your-own-device guide for Years 3 to 6. That is the kind of practical detail you can check after you have established which group the child would join. Family induction documents and contact · Admissions enquiry route
Queen Elizabeth’s School in Dubai Sports City
The school says it opened on 31 August 2026 in Al Hebiah Fourth, Dubai Sports City. It teaches an enhanced version of the National Curriculum for England and describes its current provision as Nursery through Year 8. The school says it plans to add one year group annually, with Sixth Form due to open in August 2030. For a child already approaching GCSE or A-level years, ask which courses will actually run for that cohort before relying on the full future pathway. Operating year groups and future phases · First-day announcement
Its FAQs say admissions are open for in-year places in 2026–27 and for Nursery through Year 9 in 2027–28. Confirm the particular year group and date before paying an application charge. This is especially useful for a family with a Year 7 or Year 8 pupil looking to move now, since the Harrow founding intake stops at Year 6. If you are considering an in-year move, ask what the class has already covered and what reports or assessment the school needs before making an offer. Current and next-year admissions · Application and visit information
The school’s 2026–27 fee policy lists both approved tuition and net founding tuition. Nursery is AED 93,500 approved or AED 70,125 at the founding rate. Year 8 is AED 136,604 approved or AED 102,453 at the founding rate. Ask whether the founding rate applies to your child’s offer and how the discount is treated in later years. The school lists lunch, transport and certain other services separately. Get a written total for the year and compare it with what you would pay at a school that lists dining alongside tuition. School’s dated tuition and payment policy · Admissions fees and exclusions
QE lists an AED 7,000 deposit to accept a place, payable within seven business days of receiving the offer and deducted from first-term tuition. Ask how the school applies the current KHDA refund rules to your circumstances before accepting. Keep the formal offer with the fee schedule and payment receipt. For a school visit, use the Dubai Sports City campus contact and ask whether you will see the classrooms used by the requested year group and the route children take at drop-off. Offer and admissions process · KHDA registration and refund guidance
Dubai International Academy Town Square in Al Yalayis 2
DIA Town Square lists its campus at Nshama Town Square, Al Yalayis 2, with an opening range of Pre-K through Grade 8. The school’s homepage retains pre-opening wording, but first-day reporting on 31 August 2026 showed children arriving at the campus. The school describes a pathway beginning with Primary Years and Middle Years programmes and progressing towards Diploma and Career-related programmes as the school grows. The campus identifies itself as a candidate for the Primary Years and Middle Years programmes and is pursuing authorisation. Ask admissions what is taught in the current grade and when the next stage is expected. DIA Town Square candidacy statement Campus and intake range · Programme and expansion plan · First-day campus reporting
The school’s application page lists the 2026–27 application list as open. Its FAQ says a mid-year admission depends on availability in the grade. It requests a child’s passport and visa, Emirates ID or application slip, previous reports, applicable transfer certificate and immunisation records. Confirm which documents are needed before arranging a move, particularly when records are coming from a school overseas. If you are moving from a British-curriculum school, ask the admissions team to map your child’s current year group to the grade it will consider. Use the age and schooling history together when you make the enquiry. Current application route · Grade availability and documents
DIA Town Square publishes a 2026–27 fee page and separately lists possible costs for meals, transport, uniforms, trips and other activities. Ask for the grade’s confirmed tuition and written fee fact sheet, including any offer applicable to your entry date. For a visit, check whether you are being invited to the operating campus or the Admissions Hub. The hub has a separate address on the ground floor of Warda Apartments. It is a place to meet the admissions team and ask about the school. For the daily commute, use the school gate rather than the hub as your destination. School fee information and additional charges · Admissions Hub location
Rugby School Dubai at the former Kent College campus
In Nad Al Sheba, Rugby School Dubai is a new school operating on an existing campus. Aldar Education’s reporting identifies the former Kent College Dubai site and confirms Rugby’s debut in the 2026–27 academic year. The school calendar identifies 31 August as the first day of term, with a welcome event on 27 August. The British Chamber of Commerce Dubai describes the opening in September, so use the academic-year debut as the operating milestone and the school calendar for term dates. For a family already familiar with the address, confirm who operates the school now, what curriculum your child would follow and what documents are needed for the transition. Aldar’s campus transition record · Aldar’s operating update · School term dates · Chamber’s opening report
Rugby’s admissions process describes assessments that can include a stay-and-play session, a written task, a CAT4 assessment or a meeting with the academic team, depending on the year group. For Year 12, it also considers GCSE results and subject-specific A-level entry requirements. This makes the campus relevant to families looking beyond the initial year ranges at Harrow, Queen Elizabeth’s or DIA Town Square. Confirm which subjects are available in the intended intake and whether the school can timetable the combination your child needs. A senior-school place and a workable set of subjects are separate decisions. Rugby admissions and assessment
The school’s 2026–27 fees page lists KHDA-approved tuition of AED 70,000 for FS1 or FS2, AED 95,000 for Years 4–7 and AED 120,000 for Years 12–13. It also presents separate corporate and grandfathered schedules. Ask which table applies to your application before treating a lower figure as your quote. Rugby lists AED 525 for an application and a registration deposit of 10% of annual tuition to secure an offered place, credited to the first term. If you already attend a school in Dubai, ask Rugby which previous year group appears on the transfer record and which entry group it will assess for. Rugby tuition schedules and charges · Placement and transfer guidance
Before applying to a newly opened campus
Match the child to the right grade and intake. Write down the date of birth, current school year and intended start date. Ask the campus to confirm the year group it would assess for. A website may list a future year group even if the current year ends below it. For siblings, ask the school to respond about each child separately and clarify whether any sibling preference changes the application or only the fee. Make any move that depends on two seats only after both offers are in writing.
Separate applications, offers and registration. KHDA’s registration and refund guidance, effective 23 March 2026, distinguishes the fee for processing an application from a registration deposit after an offer is issued and accepted. The deposit counts toward first-term tuition. The regulator also sets conditions for refunds, including where an applicant is not offered a place after assessment. If the campus fee page uses broad non-refundable language, ask admissions to explain the applicable KHDA rules before paying. Current KHDA registration and refund FAQ
Compare the complete cost for the actual year group. KHDA explains that parents can use its school directory to find fee fact sheets. Request the version for the campus and year group and compare tuition, compulsory items and optional items separately. Ask whether a founding offer is in your written quote, what is deducted from first-term tuition and what is billed by a third party. A fee for the first child may differ from the amount for a sibling, so run the calculation for both if the school offers a family discount. KHDA fee fact sheet guide
Ask which parts of the school day are already running. During the visit, ask where your child will start the morning, who supervises the transition to class and what happens at pickup. If swimming, learning support or an after-school club matters to your decision, ask how the school provides it for the exact year group and whether it needs a separate booking or fee. A campus tour can show you the rooms. The timetable and the people responsible for each activity tell you how your child would use them.
Three situations that change the shortlist
You need a place this term for an older primary pupil. Start by asking each school for the grade it would consider and whether that grade is taking in-year applications. Harrow’s first intake reaches Year 6, while the first range at QE reaches Year 8 and DIA Town Square lists Grade 8. The schools use different labels. Give each team the child’s date of birth and last completed year instead of assuming two labels mean the same thing. Then ask when the school can assess your child and whether there is a waiting list.
You are moving one child now and another next September. Ask for two answers with two start dates. Harrow lists later year groups on its 2027–28 availability table. QE describes Year 9 as part of the next intake. Those future admissions routes can matter even if only one sibling needs to start now. Record when each school expects to issue an offer and what will happen if one sibling is waitlisted. Compare the total of both offers before accepting either if you need both children at the same address.
Your child needs to continue an existing exam pathway. Ask for the subject list and exam pathway for the cohort, along with the latest point at which a transfer can work. This is where Rugby’s Year 12 assessment information is particularly relevant. A transfer mid-course may depend on matching previous subjects and records as well as the availability of a place. Obtain the school’s written answer before starting the transfer paperwork. Rugby’s year placement and senior assessment · KHDA transfer information
Put the intended start date, assessment date and any offer deadline in one place. If you are moving from an existing Dubai school, KHDA’s parent guidance says you will need a transfer certificate. Ask the schools who starts that process and when the receiving school needs the record. Keep your current school informed once the new place is confirmed. When an offer is time-sensitive, ask admissions for the payment deadline and what happens if documents are still outstanding. That gives you a sequence to follow without treating an online application as a secured place. KHDA guidance on transfers
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