Cities / Dubai / Queen International School Dubai (QIS)
Queen International School Dubai (QIS)
Located in the mature Hor Al Anz community, QIS has operated for over 25 years as a local British curriculum school serving families primarily from Arab backgrounds.
In brief
Located in the mature Hor Al Anz community, QIS has operated for over 25 years as a local British curriculum school serving families primarily from Arab backgrounds. Under current Principal Peter Kenneth Gutteridge since June 2023, the school follows British educational approaches from Foundation Stage through Grade 12 without formal external accreditation like IB or Cambridge programs. The school emphasizes enquiry-based learning in early years with focus on literacy, numeracy, and differentiation, though DSIB inspectors noted inconsistencies in curriculum coherence and assessment reliability across different year groups.
The school's student body of approximately 735 pupils represents a predominantly local demographic rather than the international expatriate community typically served by Dubai's premium British institutions. While this creates a more culturally cohesive environment, it also means QIS operates differently from schools targeting globally mobile families. Recent DSIB inspections highlighted the school's strengths in secondary outcomes and student values education, but identified persistent challenges with resourcing, governance, and teaching consistency that have prevented higher ratings despite some leadership improvements under the current administration.
Strengths
- Established 25-year track record serving the local Dubai community
- Affordable British curriculum option for families seeking English-medium education
- Strong student behavior and values education according to DSIB reports
- Enquiry-based learning approach in early years with focus on differentiation
- Majority Arab student body creating cultural cohesion
- Recent leadership improvements in monitoring systems
- Co-educational environment serving ages 4-18
Considerations
- KHDA Acceptable rating reflects ongoing challenges with curriculum consistency
- High leadership turnover with three principals in seven years
- Persistent challenges with resourcing and facilities noted by inspectors
- No formal external accreditation through IB, Cambridge, or other international boards
- Limited information available about university placement outcomes
- Assessment reliability issues identified across different year groups
- May not suit families seeking internationally mobile educational pathways
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| FS 2 | 3 | AED 15,554 |
| FS 1 | 3 | AED 17,175 |
| Year 1 | 5 | AED 15,554 |
| Year 2 | 6 | AED 16,526 |
| Year 3 | 7 | AED 16,526 |
| Year 4 | 8 | AED 16,526 |
| Year 5 | 9 | AED 17,494 |
| Year 6 | 10 | AED 17,494 |
| Year 7 | 11 | AED 17,494 |
| Year 8 | 12 | AED 18,471 |
| Year 9 | 13 | AED 19,445 |
| Year 10 | 14 | AED 23,337 |
| Year 11 | 15 | AED 23,337 |
| Year 12 | 16 | AED 25,282 |
| Year 13 | 17 | AED 29,170 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | AED 500 |
Reviews
A long-established British-curriculum school in Hor Al Anz, Deira, sitting at the budget end of Dubai's UK-curriculum market. The KHDA verdict has stayed at Acceptable for several inspection cycles, with the academic story strongest at the secondary and post-16 end (sciences, maths, Arabic) and the weaknesses concentrated around facilities, assessment, governance, and support for less able learners. Fees are low for Dubai, the teaching cohort is largely India-recruited, and the parent body is predominantly Arab. Public commentary outside the inspectorate and directories is sparse.
Positives
- Academic results at the senior end. Strongest outputs cluster in the secondary and post-16 phases, particularly sciences, maths, and Arabic, where attainment runs ahead of what the wider school profile would predict.
- Value fees. Annual fees of roughly AED 15,500 to 29,200 sit well below the Dubai British-school average, which is much of the draw for the school's catchment.
- Settled, low-turnover staffing. Teacher turnover sits around 8 percent, low for Dubai. The staffroom is predominantly India-recruited, which is typical for UK-curriculum schools at this price point.
Considerations
- Facilities and learning resources. Inspection commentary repeatedly flags dated facilities and thin resourcing. The campus is functional rather than modern, and specialist spaces lag what families would find at higher-fee British schools across the city.
- Assessment and SEN provision. Assessment systems were judged weak in primary and secondary at the last KHDA inspection, and support for less able pupils and students of determination is one of the school's softer areas.
- Governance and leadership stability. Governance was rated weak at the most recent inspection, with governors short on independent visibility of school performance. The principalship has turned over several times in recent years; the current head arrived in 2023.
- Published outcomes transparency. The school points to strong IGCSE and AS results but does not publish a full set of cohort outcomes, which makes the academic claim hard to verify from outside.
Leadership
Peter Gutteridge
Peter Gutteridge is an UK qualified educator holding a B. an in Business Studies and a M. an in Educational Leadership and Management.
Accreditations
- KHDA 01
Academic results
- Result DSIB inspectors reported outstanding IGCSE results in the 2022-23 academic year and good or better results at AS Level in Post-16.