Victory Heights Primary School logo

Victory Heights Primary SchoolBritish School in Dubai Sports City، Dubai

Curriculum
British
KHDA
Outstanding
Location
Dubai, Dubai Sports City
Fees
AED 40K - 55K

Victory Heights Primary School

The Executive Summary

Victory Heights Primary School Dubai is one of the most compelling primary school stories in the UAE education landscape. Established in 2013 in Dubai Sports City, this co-educational British curriculum school earned its KHDA Outstanding rating in 2023 - a rating it retained in the 2023-24 inspection cycle - having already secured the highest possible grade from British Schools Overseas in 2022. With school fees ranging from AED 40,138 to AED 54,733, it is priced at the premium end for a primary-only school, yet consistently delivers academic and pastoral outcomes that match or exceed far more expensive competitors. What makes VHPS genuinely distinctive is not any single facility or programme, but a rare institutional culture: one where warmth, rigorous expectation, and deep inclusion coexist without compromise. The school follows the UK Curriculum, providing a structured and well-rounded education designed to develop students' skills in core subjects while fostering creativity, critical thinking, and personal growth - and the DSIB inspectors confirmed that delivery is Outstanding across English, mathematics, science, teaching, assessment, curriculum, and leadership. For families seeking one of the Dubai Sports City schools with genuine academic pedigree and a community feel, VHPS sits at the very top of the shortlist. This is not the right school for every family. The campus is compact by Dubai standards - there is no sprawling sports complex or grand dining hall - and the school does not offer secondary education, meaning every Year 6 family faces the secondary transition process. Arabic attainment, as the DSIB report honestly flags, remains at Acceptable level and is the school's most persistent improvement area. Parents who prioritise glossy facilities over educational substance, or who want a single-school journey from FS to A-Level, will need to look elsewhere. But for families who value outstanding teaching quality, an exceptional inclusion programme, a principal who has led the school since its founding, and a community culture that produces genuinely confident and well-rounded children, Victory Heights Primary School represents outstanding value for money in the Dubai private school market.
KHDA Outstanding 2023-24BSO Outstanding AccreditedFounding Principal Since 2013Inclusive Education Leader

See how Victory Heights Primary School compares across all 105 British schools in our Best British Schools in Dubai 2026 guide.

It's small, without the glitz and the glamour, but the education our kids are getting is terrific. This school recognises that everyone is good at something and goes out of the way to find it.

Year 4 Parent(representative)

Academic Framework & Learning Style

Victory Heights Primary School follows the National Curriculum for England, covering the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) for FS1 and FS2, and Key Stages 1 and 2 from Year 1 through Year 6. The curriculum is thoughtfully adapted to reflect the UAE's international context, with Arabic and Islamic Education delivered alongside the core British framework. The school's curriculum vision - Nurture, Challenge, Excel - is not a marketing slogan but an operational philosophy: inspectors confirmed it drives genuine planning decisions at every level. The academic results at VHPS are, by any measure, exceptional for a primary school. The 2023-24 DSIB inspection awarded Outstanding for attainment and progress in English, mathematics, and science across both the Foundation Stage and Primary phases - the highest possible rating in every core subject. In the Foundation Stage, children in FS2 demonstrate number recognition and early mathematical fluency that inspectors described as well above curriculum expectations. By Year 6, students hypothesise, test, record measurements, and write independent scientific reports with confidence. In English, Primary students are described as highly articulate, drawing on an extensive vocabulary and using a range of writing styles with genuine intention. The school exceeded its PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) 2021 target, scoring in the high international benchmark category - a meaningful external validation of reading standards. The teaching methodology is inquiry-based and cross-curricular. The school uses Big Questions in science, knowledge harvesting to establish topic starting points, and integrates subjects including art, history, and literacy to deepen understanding and real-world relevance. A carefully selected range of high-quality texts underpins literacy development throughout the school. Assessment is both formative (ongoing tracking) and summative, with teachers using data to plan targeted activities and maximise progress. The school's Learning Powers framework explicitly teaches children how to learn, not just what to learn, building resilience, curiosity, and independent thinking. The inclusion provision at VHPS is a genuine strength. With 80 students of determination on roll - approximately 8% of the student body - and a dedicated inclusion team of 17 members, Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) are created for every identified student. The DSIB inspectors rated inclusion as Outstanding. EAL provision is also significant: over 50% of students joining the school are not native English speakers, yet the school successfully builds strong English outcomes across all groups. Gifted and Talented students are stretched through differentiated planning and the school's emphasis on challenge within every lesson. As a primary-only school, VHPS does not offer GCSEs, A-Levels, or an IB programme. Instead, the school's secondary destination programme is a defining feature: Principal Sasha Crabb personally meets with every Year 5 student and family to navigate secondary applications. Leavers typically progress to South View School, Dubai English Speaking College, Dubai College, Jebel Ali School, Safa Community School, and JESS Arabian Ranches - a strong list of destinations that reflects the academic preparation VHPS provides. The absence of formal external examinations means that headline results data is not available in the traditional sense, but the DSIB benchmark assessments and PIRLS scores provide credible external validation of the school's academic standing.
Outstanding
English Attainment and Progress
Both Foundation Stage and Primary - DSIB 2023-24
Outstanding
Mathematics Attainment and Progress
Both Foundation Stage and Primary - DSIB 2023-24
Outstanding
Science Attainment and Progress
Both Foundation Stage and Primary - DSIB 2023-24
80
Students of Determination
Approximately 8% of total enrolment - inclusive provision rated Outstanding

Extracurricular Activities (ECAs)

Extracurricular life at VHPS is active, varied, and deliberately inclusive. The school operates a structured ECA programme that extends student experience well beyond the classroom, with a particular emphasis on sport, performing arts, and creative enrichment. For Key Stage 1 students, a carousel model rotates activities to ensure broad exposure; older students in Key Stage 2 choose from a diverse menu that includes drama, dance, a wide range of sports, and Arabic and Islamic activities. Sport is a genuine strength of the school's co-curricular offering. Students compete in inter-school events and have achieved notable results at a regional level - including first place in netball and swimming and second place in athletics at the British Schools in the Middle East games, contributing to an overall second-place team finish. The school's indoor swimming pool ensures that swimming is available year-round, and students develop strong aquatic skills as a result. Football, netball, athletics, and a range of other competitive sports form part of the programme. The performing arts are taken seriously at VHPS. Recent school productions include Shrek the Musical (Year 6) and The Wizard of Oz, demonstrating that students are given genuinely ambitious performance opportunities. The school has also hosted creative collaborations with external figures - a recent project with Jo Malone CBE on perfumery is an example of the school's appetite for enriching, real-world learning experiences that sit outside a conventional ECA framework. Student leadership and community engagement are embedded in the ECA culture. The Student Executive Committee takes responsibility for Happiness and Wellbeing initiatives across the school, giving students genuine agency in school improvement. Wellbeing Ambassadors are a formal programme, recognised by the DSIB inspectors as increasingly influential. The school also runs a 'Nude Food' sustainability initiative to reduce disposable packaging, and students regularly organise charity events including bake sales - evidence of a genuine social responsibility culture rather than token community service. The school acknowledges that the range of ECAs could be further extended - the DSIB inspectors' own recommendation was to broaden extra-curricular opportunities to further promote students' creativity. Given the campus size constraints, this is an area where the school is working within real physical limitations, but the quality and commitment within the existing programme are clear.
2nd
Overall Finish - British Schools Middle East Games
1st in netball and swimming; 2nd in athletics
1st Place Netball - BSME Games1st Place Swimming - BSME GamesShrek the Musical ProductionStudent Executive CommitteeWellbeing Ambassador ProgrammeJo Malone CBE Collaboration

Pastoral Care & Well-being

Pastoral care is not a department at VHPS - it is the institutional bedrock. The DSIB 2023-24 inspection awarded Outstanding for the Protection, Care, Guidance and Support of students across both the Foundation Stage and Primary phases, and the school's wellbeing provision was separately evaluated and rated Outstanding - an improvement from the previous cycle. This is not a school where wellbeing is a poster on the wall; it is a lived, structured, and continuously evaluated programme. The school's wellbeing team is available to every member of the school community - students, staff, and families - for emotional and personal support. Student Wellbeing Ambassadors are a formal student leadership strand, initiating activities and listening to the student body. Inspectors noted that these ambassadors are increasingly influential, and recommended building even more opportunities for them to lead student-driven initiatives - a growth area that reflects ambition rather than deficiency. The school's vision of Nurture, Challenge, Excel explicitly places emotional safety as the precondition for academic progress, and the evidence from inspection findings supports this philosophy in practice. Safeguarding and child protection arrangements are rated Outstanding. The school has established very secure systems for identifying students of determination and students at risk, with Individual Learning Plans created and reviewed at regular intervals. The wellbeing curriculum is described by inspectors as inspirational and exceptionally well-planned, permeating the school rather than being confined to discrete lessons. Moral, social and cultural studies (MSCS) is delivered in separate lessons to Years 1 through 6, with two 40-minute sessions per week, closely aligned with the wellbeing programme. Student behaviour across the school is exemplary. All students demonstrate strong self-discipline, courteous relationships with adults and peers, and a maturity in resolving difficulties that inspectors noted was beyond their years. The school's house system and student communities generate a healthy, good-natured competitive spirit - students describe it as friendly competitiveness - without the pressure culture that can undermine wellbeing in higher-stakes environments. The school's emphasis on kindness and respect is reinforced through regular assemblies; a recent assembly on Random Acts of Kindness is a representative example of how values are actively taught rather than assumed. Notably, the school has no guidance counsellors listed in the DSIB data, which is a transparency point parents should explore directly with the admissions team regarding the structure of formal counselling support.

I feel like the teachers and the staff know each child and their specific needs. The warmth, respect and values here are what make it different.

Year 3 Parent(representative)

Campus & Facilities

Victory Heights Primary School occupies a purpose-built campus in the heart of Dubai Sports City, adjacent to the Victory Heights residential community. The campus is compact by Dubai private school standards - this is not a school with sprawling grounds or a grand dining hall - but what it lacks in scale it compensates for with intelligent use of space and a genuine community atmosphere that larger campuses often struggle to replicate. The campus is structured around two main buildings. The primary building houses spacious, bright classrooms that cluster around central indoor activity areas designed for group work and collaborative learning - a deliberate architectural choice that reinforces the school's pedagogical approach. A second building, added in 2016, contains an indoor swimming pool on the ground floor - a significant facility that ensures swimming continues year-round regardless of weather - alongside additional classrooms and administrative areas. The indoor pool is a genuine differentiator: most Dubai schools rely on outdoor pools that are unusable for significant parts of the year. The Foundation Stage children are housed in a separate FS1 building connected to the main school by a covered walkway, giving the youngest students a nurturing, nursery-like environment with its own outdoor play areas surrounding the entire building. Low-level display boards at child height, child-accessible outdoor spaces, and a kitchen area in the Foundation Stage building reflect a thoughtful approach to early years environment design. Specialist facilities include a library, dedicated music room, art studio, STEAM room, and ICT suite. A football pitch and outdoor play areas serve the primary-age students. The school has also created a wellbeing garden in a small outdoor area on the first floor - a creative use of otherwise underutilised space. The inclusion team, numbering 17 members, has its own dedicated office space created to accommodate this significant team. The school does not have a formal canteen building; instead, a shaded outdoor area is served by a cafe and hot food provider. This is a known limitation: parents and students have noted that queues can be long during peak times, and the absence of a covered indoor dining space is felt particularly during the hotter months. The road infrastructure around the school - surrounded by high-rise buildings in a busy urban area - has historically been a concern for traffic management and parking, though the school has taken steps to address this. In terms of technology, the school uses smartboards and ICT resources across the curriculum. Primary students use technology and learning resources with competence for research and investigation; the inspectors noted that technology use in the Foundation Stage is a development area. The school's location in Dubai Sports City places it within easy reach of families in Dubai Sports City, Jumeirah Golf Estates, and surrounding communities.
2
Main Campus Buildings
Original building plus 2016 extension with indoor pool; separate FS1 unit
17
Inclusion Team Members
Dedicated office space - one of the largest inclusion teams in Dubai primary schools
Indoor Swimming PoolDedicated FS1 BuildingWellbeing Garden17-Member Inclusion Team OfficeSpecialist STEAM RoomSpecialist Music Room

Teaching & Learning Quality

Teaching quality at VHPS is the engine behind every Outstanding rating the school has earned. The DSIB 2023-24 inspection awarded Outstanding for Teaching for Effective Learning and for Assessment across both the Foundation Stage and Primary phases - a clean sweep that is achieved by fewer than 10% of Dubai's private schools. The inspectors described most teachers as using expert educational knowledge to plan purposeful and inspiring learning activities, knowing their students well, and ensuring lessons build seamlessly on prior learning. The majority of teachers at VHPS are British passport holders, recruited from the UK or with equivalent qualifications and experience to deliver the National Curriculum for England. The school employs 66 teachers and 39 teaching assistants, giving an average teacher-to-student ratio of approximately 1:15 - better than many comparable Dubai schools. The teaching assistant cohort is particularly significant for the school's inclusion model, supporting differentiated learning across all year groups. Teacher retention is one of the most striking data points in the VHPS story. The school's teacher turnover rate was recorded at 5% - compared with a Dubai average of 20-22%. In practical terms, this means children benefit from consistent relationships with teachers who know the school's systems, culture, and community deeply. It also reflects genuine staff satisfaction: teachers describe VHPS as a school where they are trusted, developed, and valued. Professional development at VHPS is structured and ambitious. The school has created VHPSU (Victory Heights Primary School University), a bespoke programme of individualised professional development giving all teachers access to highly targeted training. In addition, all teachers and school leaders are required to undertake action research projects, with findings shared across the teaching community. Peer observations and moderation sessions are described by staff as productive, useful, and positive - a culture of professional learning rather than performance management. Pedagogically, the school blends structured direct teaching with inquiry-based learning. Skilful questioning is a hallmark of teacher-student interactions, encouraging deep and critical thinking. Teachers differentiate effectively for all groups, including students of determination, EAL learners, and those with gifts and talents. The use of assessment data to inform planning is rated Outstanding - teachers use both formative and summative information to adapt their practice in real time. One area of ongoing development is the consistent embedding of independent inquiry-based activities across all year groups, particularly in science, and the use of technology by Foundation Stage children.
5%
Teacher Turnover Rate
vs. Dubai average of 20-22% - exceptional staff retention
1:15
Teacher-to-Student Ratio
66 teachers, 39 teaching assistants, 1006 students
Outstanding
Teaching and Assessment Rating
Both Foundation Stage and Primary - DSIB 2023-24

Leadership & Management

Leadership at Victory Heights Primary School is, by any objective measure, the defining factor in the school's trajectory from Acceptable (2014-15) to Outstanding (2022-23 and 2023-24). Principal Sasha Crabb has led the school since its founding in 2013 - an exceptional tenure by Dubai standards - and her impact is visible in every dimension of school life. The DSIB inspectors in 2023-24 noted that all leaders have a clear, consistent, and ambitious view of the school's direction, and are committed to UAE priorities. The 2022-23 report described the principal as inspirational, setting an excellent example for all other leaders. Ms Crabb's leadership style is distinctive: warm, energetic, and deeply invested in both staff and student development. She is not a figurehead principal - she is operationally present, personally meeting with every Year 5 student and family to navigate secondary school transitions, and regularly introducing new initiatives that are developed collaboratively with her team. Her introduction on the school website references her autobiography being titled Method to the Madness - a phrase that captures the deliberate intentionality behind what appears to be joyful informality. The school's leadership structure has evolved significantly in recent years. Ben Rothwell, who served as Headteacher and Innovation Leader, transitioned to lead the new VHPS City of Arabia campus that opened in September 2025, with Ms Crabb assuming an oversight role as Director (Academics) across both schools. Rob McCall, a long-serving VHPS staff member with a Master of Education from Middlesex University Dubai (with Distinction), was promoted to Vice Principal in early 2025. In June 2025, Matthew Hawley was appointed as the new Headteacher of the Dubai Sports City campus - a returning figure who originally joined VHPS in 2016 as Deputy Headteacher and holds a Master's of Education in Education Management from King's College London. The school is owned and operated by Interstar Education (Interstar Advisory Services DMCC), based in Jumeirah Lake Towers. Governance is provided by a Board of Governors that the DSIB inspectors described as excellent - providing targeted support that has directly contributed to the school's outstanding performance. The governing body is rated Outstanding for its engagement and effectiveness. Parent communication is a deliberate strength. The school actively seeks parent interaction through workshops, information sessions, and class activities, and operates a parent portal for ongoing communication. Parents describe the school as genuinely seeking partnership - though some note that the frequency of engagement requests can occasionally feel demanding. The school uses a parent liaison role and direct access to senior leaders to maintain open channels. The school's website, social media channels, and regular news updates keep the community well informed.

KHDA Inspection Results (Decoded)

The DSIB 2023-24 inspection report for Victory Heights Primary School is, in plain terms, one of the strongest primary school inspection outcomes in Dubai. The overall rating is Outstanding - the second consecutive Outstanding rating, following the landmark 2022-23 inspection that ended a run of Very Good ratings (2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20). The school's improvement trajectory - from Acceptable in 2014-15 to Good in 2015-16 and 2016-17, then Very Good for three cycles, and now Outstanding for two consecutive years - is a textbook example of sustained, leadership-driven school improvement. In terms of attainment and progress, the results are almost uniformly Outstanding. English, mathematics, and science are all rated Outstanding for both attainment and progress in both the Foundation Stage and Primary phases - eight Outstanding ratings across the three core subjects. Islamic Education improved to Good for both attainment and progress in Primary - a meaningful step forward. The persistent challenge area is Arabic: both Arabic as a First Language and Arabic as an Additional Language are rated Acceptable for attainment in Primary, though progress is rated Good. This is the school's most significant and honest weakness, and the inspectors' recommendations are specific: improve teaching practices focused on linguistic skill development, link learning objectives explicitly to MoE curriculum standards, and better differentiate for the wide range of abilities in Arabic as an Additional Language classes. Beyond attainment, the inspection paints a picture of an institution that has mastered the full spectrum of school quality. Students' personal and social development is Outstanding across all three sub-categories (personal development, understanding of Islamic values and world cultures, social responsibility and innovation skills) in both phases. Teaching and Assessment is Outstanding in both phases. Curriculum design and adaptation is Outstanding in both phases. Protection, care, guidance and support is Outstanding in both phases. And every single leadership and management indicator - effectiveness of leadership, self-evaluation, parent and community engagement, governance, and management of staffing, facilities and resources - is rated Outstanding. The National Agenda Parameter assessment is rated Outstanding overall, with the school having exceeded its PIRLS 2021 target in the high international benchmark category. The one development note here is that the school's National Agenda action plan could benefit from clearer timescales and more measurable targets - a planning precision issue rather than a performance one. The school's Wellbeing provision and outcomes are rated Outstanding, an improvement from the previous cycle.
Outstanding Core Academic Achievement
English, mathematics, and science are all rated Outstanding for both attainment and progress across Foundation Stage and Primary - eight Outstanding ratings in the three core subjects. Students are highly articulate, mathematically fluent, and capable of independent scientific inquiry by Year 6.
Exceptional Leadership and Governance
Every leadership and management indicator is rated Outstanding. The governing body is described as excellent, providing targeted support that has driven sustained improvement. The principal sets an inspirational example and all leaders demonstrate a clear, ambitious, and consistent vision.
Outstanding Wellbeing and Inclusion
Wellbeing provision and outcomes are rated Outstanding, with a strong culture embedded from governing board to classroom. The fully inclusive model, supported by 17 inclusion team members and Individual Learning Plans, is rated Outstanding - a genuine differentiator in the Dubai primary school market.
Arabic Language Attainment

Both Arabic as a First Language and Arabic as an Additional Language are rated Acceptable for attainment in Primary. Inspectors recommend ensuring teaching practices are fully focused on linguistic skill development, explicitly linking objectives to MoE standards, and better differentiating for the wide range of abilities in additional language classes.

Student-Led Wellbeing Initiatives

While wellbeing provision is Outstanding overall, inspectors recommended building even more opportunities for student wellbeing committee members to take a greater leadership role in developing student-led initiatives - reflecting ambition for the programme to become even more student-driven.

Inspection History

2023-2024
Outstanding
2022-2023
Outstanding
2019-2020
Very Good
2018-2019
Very Good
2017-2018
Very Good
2016-2017
Good
2015-2016
Good
2014-2015
Acceptable

Fees & Value for Money

Victory Heights Primary School offers a British curriculum education for students from FS1 through Year 6, with tuition fees for the 2025-26 academic year ranging from AED 40,138 for Foundation Stage 1 up to AED 54,733 for Years 5 and 6. Fees are structured progressively across year groups, reflecting the increasing complexity and resources required at each stage of primary education. The school has received an Outstanding DSIB rating for 2023-24, underscoring the strong value proposition relative to its fee levels.

AED 40,138
Annual Fees From
AED 54,733
Annual Fees To
Year / GradeAnnual Fee
FS1
AED 40,138
FS2
AED 43,785
Year 1
AED 47,435
Year 2
AED 47,435
Year 3
AED 51,084
Year 4
AED 51,084
Year 5
AED 54,733
Year 6
AED 54,733

Tuition fees are payable each term, and the school provides detailed fact sheets for each year group to help families understand exactly what is included. Parents are encouraged to contact the admissions team for further information regarding payment schedules and any additional costs. An Emirati Discount is also available, as noted on the school's admissions pages.

With an average annual fee of approximately AED 48,803 and Outstanding ratings across nearly all quality indicators — including English, Mathematics, Science, Teaching, and Wellbeing — Victory Heights Primary School represents a competitive option within the Dubai Sports City area for families seeking a high-quality British primary education.

Discounts & Concessions

Emirati Discount

The Final Verdict: Who Is This School For?

Victory Heights Primary School is one of the most genuinely outstanding primary schools in Dubai - and that assessment is backed by two consecutive KHDA Outstanding ratings, a BSO Outstanding accreditation, and a decade of consistent improvement under the same founding principal. It is a school that has earned its reputation through substance rather than marketing, and the families who choose it tend to stay, recommend it, and return for siblings. The school is ideally suited to families who prioritise educational quality and community culture over campus scale. It works particularly well for children who thrive in a nurturing, high-expectation environment where they are known as individuals - not just as students. The school's inclusion programme is genuinely exceptional, making it one of the strongest choices in Dubai for families with children of determination or those who are not yet confident English speakers. The secondary destination programme, personally managed by Principal Sasha Crabb, is a significant advantage for families who want expert guidance navigating Year 6 transitions. The school is not the right fit for families who need a single-school journey from FS to A-Level - VHPS ends at Year 6, and secondary transition is a real planning consideration. Families who place high value on luxury campus facilities, a large outdoor sports complex, or an indoor dining hall will find the compact campus a limitation. And families with children who are strong Arabic speakers, or for whom Arabic academic attainment is a priority, should note that Arabic remains the school's most persistent improvement area. Finally, the school's location in Dubai Sports City, while well-served for nearby communities, may involve significant commutes for families based in other parts of the city.

THE “RIGHT FIT”

Families in Dubai Sports City and surrounding communities who want Outstanding academic outcomes, an exceptional inclusion programme, and a warm, community-focused primary school experience where every child is genuinely known and valued.

THE “WRONG FIT”

Families seeking a single FS-to-sixth-form school journey, those who prioritise large-scale sports facilities or luxury campus infrastructure, or families for whom Arabic language attainment is a primary academic priority.

Absolutely love the school. My son loves it. The school gives a different meaning to inclusive - everyone is good at something and they go out of the way to find it.

Year 2 Parent

Strengths

  • KHDA Outstanding rating for two consecutive inspection cycles (2022-23 and 2023-24)
  • Outstanding attainment and progress in English, maths, and science across all phases
  • Exceptional teacher retention rate of just 5% - far below the Dubai average
  • One of Dubai's strongest inclusion programmes with 17-member dedicated team
  • Founding principal with 13+ years of continuous, transformative leadership
  • BSO Outstanding accreditation providing UK-standard external validation
  • Indoor swimming pool ensures year-round aquatic education
  • Fees competitive for an Outstanding-rated British primary school in Dubai

Areas for Improvement

  • Arabic language attainment rated only Acceptable - a persistent weakness across both first and additional language programmes
  • Primary-only school: every family faces secondary transition at Year 6 with no guaranteed onward pathway
  • Compact campus with no formal indoor dining hall and limited outdoor sports facilities compared to larger Dubai schools
  • No guidance counsellors listed in DSIB data - parents should clarify formal counselling support structures directly with the school

Campus

Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 4