Parents in the UAE remain interested in sending their children abroad for a traditional boarding school experience, despite the quality of local education improving.
Parents, schools and experts who spoke to The National acknowledged how much the education landscape had improved in the UAE, but the draw of boarding endured for some due to academic rigour, ethos, extra-curricular activities and history of those institutions.
Last weekend, representatives from at least 25 top schools took part in the Boarding Schools Show in Dubai and spoke to parents and their children about what the institutions have to offer at a time of major investment in the education sector in the UAE.
Marta Kochanowska Hodder’s son Thomas started at a preparatory boarding school in the UK almost two years ago and the effect has been clear.
The 10-year-old attends Sunningdale School, near Ascot in south-east England, and Ms Hodder said his development was remarkable. “It is lovely to see a boy who is independent and grows so much in confidence,” she told The National.
“We find boarding schools generally to have a totally different approach to teaching," said the Dubai resident, adding that she and her husband both attended boarding schools in their youth. “The staff live on the premises. They are there 24/7. It's not a clock in, clock out approach to work.”
Are boarding schools popular?
According to a survey in January 2024 by the UK's Independent Schools Council, there were 65,649 pupils boarding in the UK. The report showed 26,195 non-British pupils whose parents live overseas. Pupils from mainland China and Hong Kong comprise the largest groups with 5,824 and 5,075 pupils, respectively, but 1,555 are from the Middle East, including the UAE. The Middle East is now the fastest growing market for UK boarding - up 170 per cent in the past 10 years.
Such institutions do not come cheap, however, and can charge about £20,000 ($25,875) a term. An article by The Economist highlighted how elite private schools are a less secure route to the top universities than they were before. In 2014, 99 pupils from Eton College were accepted into the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, yet it was 47 during the 2021 to 2022 academic year.
Experts who spoke to The National said boarding schools remain resilient and are also about a way of life, rather just simply offering an education.
Iona Hutchinson, director of admissions at Charterhouse, said schools in the UAE were fantastic and tha "the real magic of boarding school is that sense of belonging". Pupils can “make friends for life” and it gives children "just that breadth of opportunity", she added.
Charterhouse, a prestigious independent school in Surrey, south-east England, has 1,000 pupils, with about 30 from the Middle East. It charges around £18,800 a term. Ms Hutchinson said there was significant interest from families in the UAE.
Elite boarding schools around the world
With their hallowed halls and centuries old architecture, British boarding schools are often the epitome of what one considers boarding schools. But many of the most expensive aren’t even in the UK. Here are just some of the most expensive schools in the world.
- Charterhouse, England: Fees: £18,806 per term One of the UK’s most distinguished schools, Charterhouse is based in Surrey. The schools boasts a strong academic record and has is known for a thriving arts scene. It is also just 50 minutes from both Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
- Millfield, England: Fees: £20,000 per term The prestigious school in Somerset, England offers opportunities in music, drama and dance. It has 450 pupils in preparatory school and a senior school with 1,300 pupils aged 13 to 18.
- Institut auf dem Rosenberg, Switzerland: Fees: $187,000 (average annual costs) The school is located in St Gallen, Switzerland. Founded in 1889, it is an exclusive school with a student body of around 280.
- Institut Le Rosey, Rolle, Switzerland: Fees: Up to $150,000 annually The school, which was established in 1880, has a history of educating the aristocracy. Facilities include an indoor swimming pool, a wellness centre, a skate park and an open air theatre.
- College Alpin Beau Soleil, Switzerland: Fees: $132,000 (average annual costs) This school was founded 1910. Pupils can enjoy even skydiving while attending. It aims to to deliver "outstanding educational outcomes".
- Aiglon College, Villars-sur Switzerland: Fees: From $120,000 to $170,000 Located in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland, Pupils get to experience rock climbing, camping, and kayaking. It also offers pupils instruction in languages such as Russian, Japanese and Arabic.
Huge changes in UAE education system
There has been major investment in schools in the UAE in the past decade. It was announced in January that the Gems School of Research and Innovation would have a helipad, Olympic-level sports facilities and an esports centre. Fees are to range from Dh116,000 ($31,500) for pupils in foundation stage one to Dh206,000 in year 12.
In 2024, UAE education provider Taaleem announced it acquired the rights to own and operate Harrow International Schools across the Gulf, including in the UAE.
Harrow International School Abu Dhabi is set to open its doors in the middle of next year and will serve as the capital's first boarding school.
Ms Hodder said boarding schools were not suitable for everyone and not all parents could cope with being separated from their children for extended periods of time. “It's a huge emotional commitment because it's not like you send them off and forget about them," she explained. "You have to establish a different way of communicating. You have to be disciplined. You have to make sure the school's disciplined.”
Senthil Nathan, an education expert in the UAE, said there had been a major transformation in education in the UAE since the 1980s. Most parents tended to place their children in schools in the country, he said.
“The UAE provides quality and diverse schools to cater to a variety of needs of people from 200 nationalities – and at the same time, these schools provide a very safe environment for the children today,” said Mr Nathan, managing director and co-founder of the Edu Alliance consultancy. “Around the world, children's safety is becoming a concern.”
He noted, however, that a “small segment of expat and national parents” looked to boarding schools to develop their children in a tougher international environment. Some parents favour the discipline and rigour of full boarding.
“For these parents, the children brought up here may have too many luxuries and household help to depend on themselves for their daily chores," he said. "So, they believe that the boarding schools may toughen them up to be self-reliant."
The UAE has very few boarding schools, but head teachers in 2022 said parents who traditionally chose such institutions in Europe were looking to the options in the country after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Establishing world-class boarding schools may be the only missing aspect in the K-12 sector here and such schools could possibly attract students from the region," Mr Nathan said.
Tricky teenage years
James Postle, deputy head of enrolment and partnerships at Millfield School in Somerset, south-west England, said parents in Dubai spoke about coping with their children's tricky teenage years.
“We're specialists at dealing with teenagers,” he said. “We are able to provide that different setting.”
Millfield, which charges about £20,000 a term, has 450 pupils in preparatory school, which enrols children up to the age of 13. It also has a senior school with 1,300 pupils aged 13 to 18. Almost 60 families from the Middle East, mainly foreign residents, are represented.
Mr Postle said boarding schools offered continuity of education with less staff turnover and parents wanted continuity for the children if they had to move to other countries. Opportunities in music, drama and dance also drew pupils with 80 per cent of the motivation to attend coming from them, he said.
People were also attracted by the fact it was a British-curriculum school with about 980 full boarders.
“You don't want to go to a school … with a few boarders," he added. "They're very miserable. You need to go somewhere where there's a boarding community on weekends and it is vibrant."
Different environment
David Wellesley Wesley, founder of the event that will also visit Bangkok and Singapore, said well-designed new schools with remarkable facilities had opened in the UAE but the UK entities would always be attractive.
Many boarding schools had vast grounds and were hundreds of years old. "It is very different," he said.
The show, organised by educational consultancy Bonas MacFarlane, is now in its 11th year and he said about 210 families had registered for the morning event this year – up from 130 last year.
"They are not browsing like you would at a car show," he said. "They are really looking for answers."
