Cities / Abu Dhabi / Yasmina British Academy
Yasmina British Academy
Large British school in Khalifa City A, FS1-Y13, ADEK and BSO Outstanding (May 2023); 50% Emirati students on a new campus with HPL framework and 650-seat auditorium.
In brief
An ADEK Outstanding British curriculum school in Khalifa City, operated by Aldar Education. Consistently among the most-recommended schools in Abu Dhabi for value relative to results, and a default shortlist entry for British expat families on the mainland side.
Founded in 2007 as the second Aldar Academies school, Yasmina runs the National Curriculum for England from FS1 to Year 13 and has held the ADEK Outstanding rating across multiple cycles. A new state-of-the-arts campus has expanded capacity towards 4,000 students.
Parent recommendation rates run consistently above 80 percent on Aldar's own surveys, and the school is widely viewed as offering some of the best results-per-dirham in the city. Scale and demand make admission competitive at popular year groups. Strongest fit for British and international families wanting Outstanding-rated provision at a more accessible fee tier than the very top end.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| FS1-Y1 | 2 | AED 49,740 |
| Y2-Y6 | 6 | AED 51,180 |
| Y7-Y8 | 11 | AED 56,910 |
| Y9 | 13 | AED 61,010 |
| Y10-Y13 | 14 | AED 67,270 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Registration Fee (5% of annual tuition - new students) | AED 2,487 | |
| Re-registration Fee (5% of annual tuition) | AED 2,487 |
Reviews
Aldar's second school, now in a 180,000 sqm purpose-built campus in Khalifa City with a dedicated Sixth Form block, and an Outstanding ADEK rating sustained across the 2023 and 2025-26 cycles. Scale runs through everything: a big through-school operating on consistent teaching frameworks, broad BTEC and A Level pathways, and a busy sport and activity programme. Most parents recommend it; satisfaction softens around top-end academic stretch, communication, and value for the fees.
Positives
- Inspection standing. Outstanding across all six ADEK performance standards in the October 2025 inspection, sustaining the 2023 result. Teaching quality reads as consistent across phases, with strong progress flagged in maths and science.
- Campus and facilities. The 2022 Khalifa City A campus carries specialist science labs, media suites, arts studios and sports surfaces. Designed-in capacity around 4,000 students with a separate Sixth Form facility.
- Sixth Form pathways. A Levels alongside BTEC Business, Creative Media and, from 2025-26, Level 3 BTEC Engineering. The post-16 offer reads as a destination block in its own right rather than a tail on the main school.
- Pastoral and inclusion. Pastoral systems and wellbeing culture come through as a strength. Inclusion provision supports around 60 identified students and is described as working in practice, not just on paper.
- Activities and sport. Over 80 extracurriculars across sport, arts, community and academic enrichment. A Manchester City coaching link sits behind the football programme.
Considerations
- Exam results. A Level outcomes in 2024-25 land at roughly 55% A*-A and 88% A*-C, with IGCSE 9-7 around 43%. Solid breadth, but the top end is patchier than at the strongest British competitors and cohort detail is not always published.
- Fees and value. Annual fees run roughly AED 48,000 to 66,000, premium for Abu Dhabi British schools. Around half of surveyed parents call it good value, but a quarter push back hard on that, and a chunk talk about needing outside tutoring on top.
- Communication. Feedback from school and parent-side communication come up as inconsistent across a big roll, with some families reporting good responsiveness and others flagging gaps.
- Scale. At around 3,600 students the experience is a large all-through school rather than a boutique one. Families wanting small year groups will feel that; families wanting breadth of pathways and peer group will get it.
Leadership
Mr. Keith Miller
Keith Miller has over 36 years of experience in education, with the last 11 years spent in the GCC region. He has led several successful schools and holds an MA in Educational Management, the NPQH, and is a trained performance and leadership coach. He is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching (FCCT) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). He joined Aldar Education as Executive Principal in March 2022 and currently leads Yasmina British Academy.
Accreditations
- ADEK 01
- British Schools Overseas (DfE) 02
- British Schools in the Middle East accreditation 03
Academic results
- GCSE entries (2025) 1,000+
- GCSE grade 9 (2025) 13%
- GCSE grades 7-9 (2025) 43%
- GCSE pass rate (2025) 85%