Cities / Dubai / Sunmarke School Dubai
Sunmarke School Dubai
Founded in 2016 by the Fortes Education group, Sunmarke operates from a campus in JVT serving students from Foundation Stage through secondary levels. The school follows the National Curriculum for England enhanced with STEAM learning approaches and offers Forest School sessions in a nearby woodland area.
In brief
Founded in 2016 by the Fortes Education group, Sunmarke operates from a campus in JVT serving students from Foundation Stage through secondary levels. The school follows the National Curriculum for England enhanced with STEAM learning approaches and offers Forest School sessions in a nearby woodland area. Under Principal Ben Rothwell's leadership, the institution provides multiple post-16 pathways including IB Diploma, A-Levels, and BTECs, positioning itself as a through-school option for families seeking British curriculum continuity.
Parent discussions reveal deeply polarized experiences with the school community that contrast sharply with its official ratings. While some families appreciate individual teachers and the Foundation Stage programming, multiple recent reviews describe concerning administrative practices, unprofessional teacher behavior, and what parents characterize as business-focused operations with limited consideration for student welfare. Former students and parents describe issues ranging from harsh academic policies to what they perceive as politically motivated decision-making that has driven away quality teaching staff.
Strengths
- KHDA Very Good rating with Outstanding Foundation Stage recognition
- Multiple post-16 pathways including IB Diploma, A-Levels, and BTECs
- Unique Forest School programming in nearby woodland area
- Through-school continuity from Foundation Stage to secondary
- STEAM learning emphasis in curriculum delivery
- Some individual teachers receive positive recognition from families
Considerations
- Multiple recent parent reviews describe serious administrative and cultural concerns
- Former students report unprofessional teacher behavior and harsh academic policies
- Parents describe business-focused operations with limited consideration for student welfare
- Reports of quality teaching staff leaving due to management practices
- Limited visibility and discussion compared to established Dubai British institutions
- Jumeirah Village Triangle location may not appeal to all family preferences
Academics
Sunmarke School consistently achieves exceptional academic results across multiple pathways. For the 2024-25 academic year, the school reported: - International Baccalaureate (IBDP): Average point score of 36.5 (more than 6 points above the world average), with 90% of students exceeding the world average, 66% scoring 35+ points, and 28% achieving 40+ points (Sunmarke Academic Results). - A-Level & BTEC: 100% pass rate.
School life
Sunmarke offers over 160 extracurricular activities (ECAs), many of which are included in the school fees. - Sports: Football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, netball, badminton, mini-karate, kickboxing, athletics, swimming, and cricket (Sunmarke ECAs, Sports & PE). - Arts & Creative: Fine arts, drama, dance (Hip-hop, K-pop, Jazz), music labs, TV & radio production, fashion designing, and photography (Sunmarke FAQ).
The school features one of the largest campuses in Dubai with extensive facilities: - Sports: FIFA-18 sized football pitch, 200m athletics running track, a 25m swimming pool, a learner pool, and multiple courts for tennis, basketball, volleyball, and netball. There are also two expansive multipurpose sports halls (Sunmarke FAQ). - Performing Arts: A 600-seat auditorium, a dedicated 'Black Box' theatre for drama and dance, three fine arts labs, a drama studio, four music labs, and TV & Radio production studios (Sunmarke FAQ).
Student body
- Enrolment: Total enrolment is approximately 1,300 students (Third-party stats). - Nationalities: The student body is highly diverse, representing 90+ nationalities, with the largest percentage hailing from the U. K.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Stage 1 | 3 | AED 53,040 |
| Foundation Stage 2 | 4 | AED 58,164 |
| Year 1 | 5 | AED 65,844 |
| Year 2 | 6 | AED 65,939 |
| Year 3 | 7 | AED 66,824 |
| Year 4 | 8 | AED 66,920 |
| Year 5 | 9 | AED 66,980 |
| Year 6 | 10 | AED 66,982 |
| Year 7 | 11 | AED 82,676 |
| Year 8 | 12 | AED 82,755 |
| Year 9 | 13 | AED 82,876 |
| Year 10 | 14 | AED 86,860 |
| Year 11 | 15 | AED 86,985 |
| Year 12 | 16 | AED 88,411 |
| Year 13 | 17 | AED 88,538 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Application & Assessment Fee | AED 525 |
Reviews
Fortes Education's flagship, opened in 2016 and now one of the larger British-curriculum campuses in JVT. KHDA has held it at Very Good through three cycles and BSO rates it Outstanding. The wider sentiment is a school with a strong wellbeing ethos, an unusually broad post-16 offer (A Level, IB Diploma, IB Career-related, BTEC) and consistent if not stellar exam outcomes. The 2025 IB cohort averaged 36.4 points across 21 candidates with a 100% pass rate. The most common reservations cluster around sheer scale, Arabic and Islamic provision, and value at the upper fee bands.
Positives
- Wellbeing and pastoral. The Positive Education framework is the part of the school parents most often single out. Open-door tone, low reported friction over bullying, and visible attention to children with additional needs.
- Curriculum breadth at sixth form. Few Dubai schools run A Level, IB Diploma, IB Career-related and BTEC side by side. The 2025 IBDP average of 36.4 points sits well above the global mean, with university destinations including UCL, NYU, Toronto and Trinity College Dublin.
- Convenience for JVT families. A real draw for the neighbourhood. Walking and cycling distance for many, no school-run gridlock, and parents weighing higher-rated schools across town often land here on commute grounds alone.
Considerations
- Scale. A 3,300-capacity all-through site, currently around 2,240 pupils across 105 nationalities. Parents who want a small, intimate setting describe it as too big; others read the size as range of provision.
- Arabic and Islamic Education. The standing weakness flagged by KHDA across cycles. Attainment and progress lag the core subjects, and Arabic delivery has been a recurring soft spot since the school opened.
- Value at the upper fees. Fees run AED 53,040 to 88,538. Parents querying value tend to compare against the higher-rated Outstanding schools nearby and ask whether the gap in price is matched by a gap in outcomes.
- Consistency of teaching. KHDA's recurring recommendation is to spread very good practice more evenly across departments, and to sharpen written feedback. Parents echo this in a softer form: experience varies by teacher rather than by year group.
Leadership
Nicholas Rickford
Mr. Patrick Affley is a long-term UAE resident who served 11 years as Founding Principal of Dove Green Private School in Dubai.
Accreditations
- BSO Outstanding, 2023 IBO 01
- BSME, DASSA, FOBISIA games participant, Duke of Edinburgh 02
Academic results
- IBDP average points score 2024-25 36.5
- A-Level student pass rate 2024-25 100%
- A-Level A*-C 2024-25 97%
- A-Level A*-B 2024-25 78%
- A-Level A*-A 2024-25 53%
- GCSE pass rate 2024-25 100%
- GCSE 9-4 (A*-C) 2024-25 95%
- GCSE 9-6 (A*-B) 2024-25 74%
- GCSE 9-7 (A*-A) 2024-25 55%
Location
P.O 24857, Jumeirah Village Triangle , District 2, Street 5, Dubai, United Arab Emirates,