Dubai British School- Dubai -Jumeira 2 logo

Dubai British School- Dubai -Jumeira 2Principal & Leadership Team

Curriculum
British
Location
Dubai, Al Wasl
Fees
AED 51K - 77K
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Leadership & Governance

New School
KHDA Inspection Status
One of 19 new British curriculum schools awaiting first KHDA rating in Dubai
2024
Year Opened
Among 27 schools across Dubai currently classified as New Schools
7 Years
Head of Primary UAE Experience
Mary Donnelly — senior leader and headteacher in UAE prior to joining
11 Years
Head of PE Teaching Experience
Andrew Cumming — previously Head of PE at an Outstanding-rated Dubai school
13.6
Dubai Avg. Student-Teacher Ratio
City benchmark across 204 schools; DBS Jumeira ratio not yet published
Taaleem GroupNew School 2024Masters-Qualified LeadersDedicated Inclusion TeamDubai British Schools

Dubai British School Jumeira is operated by Dubai British Schools under the Taaleem ownership group, one of Dubai's most established education operators with a network presence dating back to 2005. The school opened in September 2024, making it among the newest entrants in Dubai's competitive British curriculum market. As a brand-new institution, it has not yet received a KHDA inspection rating — a straightforward consequence of its founding year rather than a cause for concern. Of the 27 schools across Dubai currently classified as New Schools awaiting their first substantive inspection, DBS Jumeira is one of 19 following the British curriculum, the most common pathway for new school openings in the city.

At the helm is School Principal Lee Hole, supported by a deliberately structured leadership team assembled ahead of opening. Head of Primary Mary Donnelly brings considerable regional experience, having spent seven years in the UAE as a senior leader and primary school headteacher prior to joining. Her qualifications include a BA (Hons) in Primary Education with QTS and a Master's in Educational Leadership and Management, with the National Professional Qualification for Headship currently in progress. Secondary provision is led by Head of Secondary Andy Goodliffe, while specialist leadership roles are filled by Head of Inclusion John Paton, Head of Arabic and Islamic Walaa Elsayed, and Head of Physical Education Andrew Cumming — the latter bringing 11 years of teaching experience including a prior role as Head of PE at an Outstanding-rated school in Dubai. The breadth of this founding team signals deliberate investment in leadership depth from day one.

Teaching staff profiles visible across the school's published team pages reflect a mix of UK-trained and internationally experienced practitioners. Mrs. Sarah Wiseman brings 16 years of teaching experience across the UK, Abu Dhabi, and Bangkok. Early years specialist Ms. Nejra Alispahic holds an MA in Pedagogy and brings over a decade of early childhood experience. Secondary Science teacher Ms. Beth Upton holds a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences from the University of Leicester. While comprehensive staff qualification statistics are [MISSING: school-wide staff qualification percentage data], the profiles published suggest a faculty with strong academic credentials and international teaching backgrounds. Student-teacher ratio data is not yet available for DBS Jumeira given its new-school status; the Dubai-wide average across 204 schools stands at 13.6 students per teacher, a benchmark the school will be measured against at first inspection.

The school's stated vision — "Enjoy, Aspire, Achieve" — is shared across the Dubai British Schools group and underpins a culture centred on well-being, high expectations, and family partnership. The school's mission explicitly frames strong partnerships with families as a pillar of student success, and the admissions team includes a parent of enrolled children, reinforcing a community-first ethos from the outset. Parent engagement metrics and formal governance quality ratings remain [MISSING: KHDA governance rating; parent satisfaction data] pending first inspection. For families considering DBS Jumeira, the leadership team's collective experience is a genuine strength; the absence of inspection data is an honest limitation that time — and a first KHDA visit — will address.