Cities / Dubai / North London Collegiate School, Dubai (NLCS)
North London Collegiate School, Dubai (NLCS)
Sibling discounts of 5-15% and early payment discounts up to 7% are available.
In brief
Selective IB-only school in Sobha Hartland, opened 2017, the second campus of the historic North London Collegiate School. Dubai's most expensive school and consistently KHDA Very Good.
Full IB Continuum from PYP through MYP to DP, no British curriculum stream. Around 1,600 students from age 3 to 18. Led by Mr James Monaghan. Campus is genuinely premium, a 750-seat performing arts centre with fly tower, an eight-lane indoor pool, 13 science labs, six tennis courts and dedicated rugby and cricket pitches. Fees run from roughly AED 92,000 to AED 144,000 depending on year group.
2025 IB Diploma cohort averaged 36.5 points with a quarter scoring 40 plus and a top score of 45, strong but from a small and selective DP cohort of around 32 students. Parents speak warmly of the staff and describe genuine community, with several families having moved here from other top Dubai schools specifically for the IB and not regretted it. Selectivity at admission is real, particularly higher up the school. The proposition is academic depth at a price.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-KG | 3 | AED 91,735 |
| KG 1 | 3 | AED 96,157 |
| KG 2 | 4 | AED 104,999 |
| Grade 1 | 6 | AED 104,999 |
| Grade 2 | 7 | AED 104,999 |
| Grade 3 | 8 | AED 104,999 |
| Grade 4 | 9 | AED 108,314 |
| Grade 5 | 10 | AED 108,314 |
| Grade 6 | 11 | AED 127,103 |
| Grade 7 | 12 | AED 127,103 |
| Grade 8 | 13 | AED 127,103 |
| Grade 9 | 14 | AED 132,629 |
| Grade 10 | 15 | AED 132,629 |
| Grade 11 | 16 | AED 143,681 |
| Grade 12 | 17 | AED 143,681 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | AED 525 | |
| Confirmation Deposit | AED 10,000 |
Reviews
A Sobha Hartland anchor school that trades on the NLCS Edgware name and, for the most part, delivers on the academic side. IB Diploma averages sit around 36 to 37 with a long tail of 40-plus scorers, KHDA holds the school at Very Good with a stack of Outstanding sub-ratings, and the pastoral register comes through as warmer than the brand might suggest. Jonathan Locke took over as principal in September 2023 from the British School of Barcelona and has settled the senior team. The softer signal is that parent satisfaction has cooled from the early years: would-recommend numbers have slipped from the mid-nineties to the high seventies, value-for-money sentiment has fallen alongside it, and a meaningful share of families are paying for tuition on top of fees that run to AED 143,000 at the top end.
Positives
- IB results. Diploma averages around 36 to 37 against a global 30, with a quarter of the cohort clearing 40 and a 100 percent pass rate in the most recent cycle.
- Pastoral and wellbeing. An ethos of care that runs through the school, strong inclusion provision, and behaviour and relationships that hold up across phases.
- Facilities and extracurriculars. Purpose-built Sobha Hartland campus with serious sport, arts and music infrastructure, and a wide extracurricular programme that parents single out.
- Leadership and culture. A settled senior team under Jonathan Locke from September 2023, and a values-led tone that aligns Foundation, Junior and Senior phases.
Considerations
- Teaching consistency. KHDA has repeatedly flagged that teaching, assessment and stretch are uneven across the school, with the same tasks set regardless of ability and middle leadership identified as the lever to fix it.
- High-ability stretch. Parents of stronger students talk about thin challenge and no formal gifted track, and inspectors echo that critical thinking development is patchy.
- Value for money. Fees sit in the ultra-premium tier and the share of parents who agree they get value has fallen from around 78 percent to roughly 59 percent, with would-recommend cooling from 94 to 79 percent.
- Outside tuition. Close to 40 percent of families report paying for additional tuition, well above the Dubai norm, which sits oddly with the price point.
- Communication and transparency. Reporting on student progress has been a recurring grumble. Access to data has improved under the current leadership but parents still describe marking criteria as opaque.
- Arabic and Islamic Education. Attainment in Arabic and Islamic Education lags the rest of the curriculum, a long-standing KHDA action point for the school.
Leadership
Mr. Jonathan Locke
Mr. Jonathan Locke is the new Principal of NLCS Dubai, effective September 2023. He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a PGCE in Mathematics and has extensive experience in educational leadership, having previously served as Executive Principal at The British School of Barcelona. His focus is on fostering academic excellence and a holistic educational approach.
Accreditations
- KHDA 01
- British Schools Overseas (DfE) 02
Academic results
- IB Diploma 2025 average 36.8
- IB Diploma 2024 average 37.2
- IB Diploma 2023 average 37.2
- IB Diploma 2022 average 38.1
- IB Diploma 2021 average 40.1
Location
Nad Al Sheba,, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City,, PO Box 242773, Dubai, United Arab Emirates