Dubai National School, Al Barsha

Admission Procedure

• Students will be accepted regardless of their religion or sect or nationality, as stipulated by the rules and regulations of the Ministry of Education/KHDA.
• The school accepts students who are at the required age and able to access the school curriculum with no or limited assistance and satisfy all admission requirements.
• Students admitted to DNS are required to follow the curricula offered by the school and the Ministry of Education for Arabic, Islamic and Social Studies.
• Parents enrolling their children in Dubai National School are required to fill an application, providing information about their child and their contact details. Parents are also required to fill a medical form about their child's health and well being.
• Students enrolling will be placed in grade levels based on their age, their previous academic records, and the results of the entry exam and the personal interview.
• All students (Grades 2-12) enrolling in the school are required to sit for three paper-based entrance exams in English, Arabic and Mathematics. For non-native speakers of Arabic, a special exam for non-Arabic speakers is given in addition to English and Mathematics exams. These exams provide valuable information to help the school further determine the child's placement and success in the offered programs.
• Entrance exams take place on a set day and time appointed by the school; these entrance exams do not require previous preparations. Exams are based on accumulated knowledge and capabilities for each level.
  • Lower Elementary Stage 1/2 hour
  • Upper Elementary Stage 1 1/2 hours
  • Intermediate Stage 2 hours
  • Secondary Stage 3 hours
• Upon completion of the entrance exam, the student sits for an interview with the school principal, administrative principal, academic principal, or one of their assistants and the phase supervisor. If the need arises, one-to-one evaluation may be conducted.
• A decision concerning the child's admittance is made within two working days. The school will determine the placement based upon the results of the entrance exams, the reviews of the previous academic records and the personal interview.
• In case the applicant's result does not meet the school admission requirements, he/she might be asked to sit for another evaluation exam, or might be granted conditional acceptance.
• The applicant will not be granted acceptance of admission if his/her abilities do not meet the minimum requirement of admission.
• Proficiency tests in scientific subjects will apply if admission is requested for grades 11 & 12 science stream.
• Admission is granted for early registration. Applicants who have siblings studying at DNS will be given priority.

Phase 1 (PK, KG1 & KG2) Admission Procedures

• Phase 1 students sit for a face-to-face/online interview with the teacher, counsellor and phase leader to evaluate their linguistic abilities and motor skills.
• The duration of the interview is 15-30 minutes; however, sometimes it extends according to the child’s needs as some children need more time to familiarize them with the place.
• During the interview, the interviewers observe the child’s pencil grip, his recognition of colors, shapes and the alphabets. The interviewers also observe and assess the child’s motor skills.
• In case the child refuses to speak, parents are asked to speak to the child.
• If the child still refuses to speak, the parents are asked to provide a video of their child speaking and playing, and this video is assessed as part of the child’s admission process. The interviewing committee analyzes the child’s interaction to detect speech difficulties or mental disabilities.
• If any speech difficulty or learning disability is detected, the phase leader will require explanation from the parents who are requested to provide a medical/therapy report to establish inclusion provisions for the child.

Inclusive Admission

The school subscribes to the UAE Federal Law (No.29, 2006) and the Child Right Declaration that a person’s special needs shall not be a reason to deprive him/her of their educational rights and services. Dubai National School admits students with special educational needs and disabilities and is dedicated to offering the services and resources needed to produce an inclusive learning environment if provisions can be arranged to meet their identified needs.

• After SEND students are enrolled, they are monitored to check their interaction with their teachers and classmates and their performance in the beginning of the school year after being given enough time to be familiar with the new surroundings.
• The parents’ consent will be taken to start inclusion provisions, care, support services and remediation plans like IEPs and BIPs for the child based on his/her specific behavior or learning needs. Parents will be required to submit external assessments of the child’s abilities and needs.
• Parents will be fully involved in the identification and intervention process of their child with special needs and/or disabilities. Parents will be updated periodically about their child’s progress.
• The head of inclusion is also involved in the inclusive admission of the student with special educational needs. She conducts students’ and parents’ interviews and screenings of the student for the early identification of the needs.
• The school policy is revised and updated yearly taking into consideration the input of the inclusion team, parents and teachers.