Edarabia had the opportunity to interview Emily Hopkinson, Principal of The English College, Dubai, to explore how the school is strengthening personalised learning, student wellbeing, and responsible technology use. In this conversation, she shares insights on building resilience, fostering strong relationships, and creating a culture where students feel confident, supported, and ready to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
At The English College, our starting point has been to ensure that technology genuinely enhances learning rather than replaces the human interactions that are so important in education.
We have already begun exploring how AI can support teachers in creating more personalised learning experiences, helping us better meet the needs of every student. As part of the International Schools Partnership (ISP), we benefit from shared global insights and collaboration, allowing us to draw on proven approaches while shaping our own model for our community.
At the same time, we are very conscious of the risks associated with AI, particularly around coursework and academic integrity. For us, the focus is on responsible and purposeful use, making sure students understand both the opportunities and the boundaries.
Building on work already underway, we are further strengthening our AI curriculum through dedicated leadership and our state-of-the-art STEAM facilities. This will focus on developing both understanding and responsible application of AI across the school.
Our approach has always been to ensure that technology supports learning rather than dominates it, and this naturally encourages stronger student interaction and engagement across the school.
We are already a phone free school in Primary, favouring human interactions over phone usage. In the Secondary school we were also already phone free, but to support this, we have introduced Yondr pouches this year, enabling our students to focus on their core purpose of learning without the added distractions that phone use and social media use brings.
This has resulted in much more human connection, more break time socialisation and a more positive student body. In a society where device and phone use takes a large majority of each day, it has been encouraging to see more conversations, more reading and more writing, skills that are increasingly at risk of being lost.
We see AI as both an opportunity and a responsibility. At The English College, we are clear that technology should enhance learning, but it must be used within clear and appropriate boundaries, particularly in relation to assessments.
Our role is to guide students so they understand how to use these tools responsibly, ensuring they are both competitive and ethically aware as they move into higher education and beyond. Our education, supported by our Academic Honesty Policy, ensures that we are developing responsible students who know how to make the best use of AI without compromising their integrity.
At The English College, we see the UAE’s mandatory national subjects not as standalone requirements, but as an integral part of our broader educational purpose, to help students learn, thrive, and make a difference in the world around them.
Our approach is rooted in relevance, respect and connection. With a student body representing over 90 nationalities, we are intentional about ensuring that subjects such as Arabic, Islamic Education, Moral Education and Social Studies are meaningful and enriching for all learners.
Our classrooms are highly responsive. We recognise that students come with different levels of language proficiency and cultural familiarity, so teaching is carefully scaffolded to ensure access and challenge for all. This might include adapting language levels, using real-life UAE contexts, or creating opportunities for students to connect their own backgrounds with what they are learning.
At The English College, we believe three essential skills are resilience, a love of learning, and the confidence to follow one’s own path, alongside strong academic foundations.
Through our wellbeing curriculum, students develop resilience, learn how to build strong relationships, and find meaning in what they do. We also work hard to nurture a genuine love of learning, so that curiosity continues beyond the classroom.
Ultimately, success for us is about students leaving as confident and passionate individuals, ready to thrive in their chosen direction.
We help students understand the purpose behind their learning by connecting it to future pathways. This includes giving them access to industry professionals, including those from our existing EC community, as well as wider connections through our global network, so they can explore different careers and understand the steps needed to achieve their ambitions.
Alongside this, our broad curriculum and extracurricular opportunities allow students to try different things and develop a wide range of skills, helping them remain adaptable and competitive in a changing world.
Moving beyond a “one-size-fits-all” model starts with a simple but powerful principle: we know our students well. As a close-knit, values-driven community, every child is seen, understood and supported as an individual, both academically and holistically.
This understanding allows us to personalise learning with purpose. We combine data with professional insight so that teaching is responsive in real time, with teachers continually adapting learning to ensure the right level of challenge and support.
This is further strengthened through collaboration across ISP schools, allowing us to draw on global expertise while tailoring learning to each individual student.
Personalisation extends beyond the classroom. Strong relationships between students, teachers and families enable us to respond quickly to individual needs, whether through academic support, wellbeing provision or co-curricular opportunities.
Resilience at The English College is not taught in isolation, it is lived as part of our culture and sits alongside our focus on aspiration. If we are nurturing ambitious young people, we must also equip them to navigate challenge and setback.
Through our structured wellbeing curriculum, students develop practical skills such as managing challenges, building relationships and finding purpose. These are taught consistently across all year groups.
In the classroom, students are encouraged to embrace challenge and engage in “good struggle”, understanding that difficulty is a necessary part of success. Alongside this, opportunities in leadership and co-curricular activities allow them to experience both success and failure in a supportive environment.
Over time, this builds confidence, perseverance and independence, helping students not just cope, but thrive.
Our approach to wellbeing is both proactive and responsive. Through our Thrive wellbeing programme, students develop resilience, emotional awareness and healthy coping strategies from an early age.
Alongside this, we place strong emphasis on early identification. Daily wellbeing check-ins and monitoring systems allow us to track how students are feeling and identify concerns before they escalate.
This is supported by a dedicated pastoral team, including two full-time school counsellors, who provide targeted support where needed. Because we know our students well, even small changes in behaviour or engagement are noticed quickly.
By combining structured wellbeing education, regular monitoring and specialist support, we create an environment where students feel supported and able to manage pressure effectively.
We focus on understanding and responding to the individual needs of every student. By combining robust data with deep professional knowledge of each child, we ensure that every learner receives the right level of support and challenge to succeed.
This is particularly evident in our provision for Students of Determination. We have a dedicated Inclusion team who work closely with teachers, students and families to design personalised learning pathways. Each student has an individualised plan, with clearly defined academic and holistic targets that reflect both their learning needs and their wider development.
Progress is closely monitored through termly reviews, where targets are evaluated, adapted and refined to ensure continuous progress. This structured approach ensures that support remains dynamic and responsive, rather than fixed.
In the classroom, teachers are supported to adapt learning through carefully scaffolded approaches, while our inclusion provision includes targeted interventions and the use of specialised environments such as our inclusion zones, which provide additional support where needed.
For us, success is not just inclusion, but ensuring every student is making measurable progress and achieving their full potential.
In today’s world, digital identity is an essential part of a young person’s life, and it is our responsibility to equip them with the knowledge, judgement and values to navigate this safely and responsibly.
This is embedded through our computing curriculum, where students are explicitly taught about online safety, digital responsibility and the long-term impact of their online presence. This is further reinforced through our Thrive wellbeing curriculum, which explores themes such as respect, integrity and accountability in both online and offline contexts.
A key strength of our approach is our safeguarding provision. We have a dedicated Digital Safeguarding Lead who works as part of our wider safeguarding team to monitor, guide and support students in their online behaviours. This ensures that we are not only educating students, but also actively protecting them.
Importantly, we see this as an ongoing conversation rather than a one-off lesson. When students make unwise choices online, we prioritise education. Through 1:1 conversations, we guide students to reflect on their actions, understand the impact of their behaviour, and make better choices moving forward.
Ultimately, our aim is to develop digitally literate, responsible and respectful young people who understand that their online actions matter.
The role of parents at The English College has evolved into one of active partnership. We see parents as co-educators who play a meaningful role in shaping both the experience and success of our students.
A key example of this is our revitalised Parent Council, which acts as a strong bridge between families and school leadership. Through regular dialogue and collaboration, parents contribute to key decisions and priorities.
This partnership also strengthens our sense of community. Parent-led initiatives, events and charitable activities bring families together and reinforce shared values across the school.
We continue to engage parents through workshops and open dialogue shaped by their feedback, ensuring they feel informed and confident in supporting their children. This has led to stronger engagement and a deeper connection between home and school.
We are very clear that empowered teachers are the driving force behind a successful school. Our approach is therefore rooted in both strong support and meaningful investment in our people.
A key part of this is our commitment to bespoke professional learning. Rather than a one-size-fits-all model, we design development around the needs, interests and aspirations of our staff. Teachers play an active role in shaping their own growth, ensuring it is relevant and impactful.
Through ISP, our staff are also connected to a global network of educators, giving them access to shared expertise, professional learning, and career development opportunities beyond our own school.
Importantly, we balance ambition with care, ensuring expectations are clear, manageable and aligned to our core priorities so that staff feel confident rather than overwhelmed.
At The English College, we want every student to become “the me I choose to be.”
For us, success is about nurturing confident and passionate individuals who are equipped with the skills and experiences to thrive in their chosen path. Ultimately, we want everyone in our school community to learn, thrive and make a difference.
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