The British International School Abu Dhabi

Your whole family will be welcomed into our school’s community that extends far beyond the classroom. At the British International School Abu Dhabi, your child will grow as a confident, caring individual, whilst developing the skills and attitudes required to be successful in our constantly evolving international world.

How to Apply

Please read the following to find out how our application process works.

• Current Academic Year: Admissions are open. We will review your application and advise you of its status and if necessary, the next steps.

Assessment sessions will be held throughout the academic year for Year 1 to Year 12. Play sessions for Foundations Stage 1 (Nursery) & Foundations Stage 2 are a mandatory step in the admissions process for all students currently in the UAE.

Step 1 – Submit Your Application and Supporting Documentation

To apply for admission to The British International School, Abu Dhabi, we require:

• A completed online Application Form. Please click here to complete the online application.
• Whilst completing the application you will be requested to upload the following documents;
  • Student’s birth certificate
  • Student’s passport
  • Student’s most recent school/nursery report
  • Health and/or psychological reports (for students with medical issues and Special Educational Needs)

Your application will be reviewed and you will receive a written response via email from the admissions office as to the status of your application and the next steps. Students applying to the school may be required to sit an assessment to gauge their level of English, additional learning needs, or to help decide which year level will be most appropriate.

All documents must be in English or Arabic. Documents in other languages must be translated into English in the UAE by an approved legal translation office. A copy of both the original and translation must be provided. Where applicable, original documents are required before a student starts school.

The school reserves the right to decline any application.

Step 2 – Accept Your Offer

If successful, you will be sent an Offer of Enrolment via email. To secure your offer, a non-refundable deposit is required by the given deadline.

Offers are contingent upon the completion of all outstanding documentation before the start of school. Please scan and email the transfer letters for review by Admissions as soon as you receive them from your previous school.

In the case of Foundations Stage 1 (Nursery) & Foundations Stage 2 offers please note that your child must be toilet trained before the start of school.

When an offer has been made we require these documents before the start of school:

• Original Transfer Letter from student’s previous school (if overseas) issued at the end of their attendance at that school. This must be issued on school letterhead and signed and stamped by the school and is only required when the student has been offered a place. For students transferring from schools within the Emirates (with the exception of Abu Dhabi), an original Student Leaving Certificate is required.
• Photocopy of Emirates ID cards and residency visas for sponsoring parent/guardian and student(s). If the residency visas and Emirates ID cards are still being processed at the time of application, please submit either copies of the registration forms or a letter from your company to confirm that the applications have been made.
• Additionally, the student's and both parents' Emirates ID cards must be scanned through the Ministry of Education scanning system in the Admissions Office in school.
• Students enrolled in a school within Abu Dhabi need to be transferred online via ESIS (Ministry of Education's online system) by their previous school using our ESIS number 9190.
• Parents' / legal guardian’s residency visas if already issued or Family Book (for UAE Nationals only)
• Two (2) recent passport size photographs for each student (JPEG files)
• Vaccination record for student
• Parents/ legal guardian's passport

Once your application has been accepted and registration/deposit paid, you will receive an invoice for tuition fees. Fees may be paid for the full year or on a termly basis.

You can then - purchase your uniforms, request bus services (optional), purchase lunch vouchers (optional) and get ready for your first day of school.

Step 3 – Attestation Requirements

The Ministry of Education requires specific supporting documentation to be attested to legally register all students in Abu Dhabi. The information below details exactly what you will need.

Birth certificates, school reports and transfer letters issued from the USA,Australia, Canada and Europe do not need attestation. (some European countries require attestation see the document below).

Only original transfer letters will be accepted. We may also require the original school reports but will confirm on a case by case basis.

For school reports and transfer letters issued from the GCC, Africa, Asia, Europe or South America (some European countries do not require attestation see the document below).:

• Obtain attestation from the Ministry of Education in the country where the student studied
• Obtain attestation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the country where the student studied
• Obtain attestation from the UAE Embassy in the country where the student studied or the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE

For birth certificates from the GCC, Africa, Asia, South America or Europe (some European countries do not require attestation see the document below).

• Obtain attestation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the birth country
• Obtain attestation from the UAE Embassy in the birth country or the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE.

Ministry of Education rules are subject to change without notice; therefore we ask for your support, should you be required to submit additional documentation.

Admissions & Visit Enquiry

We’re delighted that you’re considering The British International School Abu Dhabi for your child’s education.

Nothing can replace a face-to-face visit and tour of our school – but if you are still overseas, one of our Online Virtual Discovery meetings is the next best thing. Make an appointment today to speak with our Admissions Officers online, discuss with them your child’s learning needs and how we can meet them, and enjoy a multi-media introduction to our teachers, students and facilities.

Please complete an online application form on our website as a first step. We’re looking forward to answering all of your questions and welcoming your family to our school!

Entry Requirements

The British International School Abu Dhabi is a co-educational, inclusive school, that offers the English National Curriculum to students from the age of 3 to 16 and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme to students from the age of 16 to 18.

The British International School, Abu Dhabi was founded in 2009 by Nord Anglia Education to provide education for predominantly expatriate children that are residing in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Principal, along with the Admissions Manager, have responsibility for admissions to the school.

The school follows the UK entry system whereby the year a child enters is based on their age on or before the 31st August.

As we are an international school with children coming from a variety of curricula, there are occasions when the school does not place a child in their age appropriate class. In most instances, this is normally done for one or more of the following reasons:

• The child is coming from a completely different curriculum where different content has been taught and different subjects.
• The child is coming from a completely different curriculum where the start/end of the academic year are different.
• The child’s report demonstrates that they are not performing at the required level to be considered for their age appropriate year.

In all cases such as these, the child’s educational history will be considered individually and they may be invited for an assessment in order to determine in which year they should be placed. We will not place a student in a year above the stated age appropriate guidelines.