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Victory Heights Primary School Dubai
Victory Heights Primary School Sports City is an Outstanding-rated British curriculum primary school that opened in 2013, distinguished by its emphasis on oracy, community spirit, and founding Principal Sasha Crabb's continued leadership after 12 years.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation 1 | 3 | AED 40,138 |
| Foundation 2 | 4 | AED 43,785 |
| Year 1 | 5 | AED 47,435 |
| Year 2 | 6 | AED 47,435 |
| Year 3 | 7 | AED 51,084 |
| Year 4 | 8 | AED 51,084 |
| Year 5 | 9 | AED 54,733 |
| Year 6 | 10 | AED 54,733 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | AED 525 |
Reviews
A small primary in Sports City that has carried a KHDA Outstanding rating since 2023 and BSO Outstanding alongside it. The reputation is built on a tight, family-feel community, low staff turnover, and fees that sit toward the cheaper end of the truly British market in Dubai. The trade against that is a cramped site, an Arabic and Islamic Studies offer that has long lagged the rest of the school, and the slight uncertainty of a new headteacher in post at the Sports City campus from June 2025, with the founding principal moving across to launch the sister campus at City of Arabia.
Positives
- KHDA Outstanding and BSO Outstanding. Outstanding from KHDA from April 2023 onwards and Outstanding from British Schools Overseas in May 2022, reconfirmed in 2025. The English, maths and science teaching is the engine.
- Small primary, family feel. FS1 to Year 6 only, capped roll, intentionally village-scale. Staff are described as knowing each child by name. Pastoral care and student protection sit at the strongest end of the KHDA judgements.
- Inclusive intake. Around 8 percent of the roll have identified additional needs and over half arrive without English as a first language. The school takes children other British primaries in the area have turned away, and the inspection record on support for students of determination is strong.
- Fees toward the lower end of British primary in Dubai. Annual tuition runs roughly AED 40,000 to 55,000 across the year groups, which puts it well below the marquee British primaries. Parent survey responses on value for money sit clearly above the Dubai average.
- Low teacher turnover. Staff turnover has been reported in the low single digits in recent years against a Dubai average closer to twenty. Continuity in the classroom shows in the inspection findings on teaching quality.
Considerations
- Arabic and Islamic Studies. The one area inspectors keep flagging. Achievement in Arabic, particularly for non-native speakers, sits below the rest of the school and below ministry expectations. Common to most Dubai British primaries, but a real gap here.
- Site and traffic. The Sports City plot is tight. The library is small for the roll, the canteen seating is largely outdoors which bites in hot months, and drop-off and pick-up in the surrounding Sports City roads can be slow.
- Headship transition at Sports City. Ben Rothwell moved across to lead the new City of Arabia sister campus in 2025. Matthew Hawley returned to Sports City as headteacher in June 2025, having been deputy from 2016 to 2019. Principal Sasha Crabb, in post since opening, remains across both sites and is the continuity figure.
- Primary only, no onward route. The school ends at Year 6. Families have to choose a secondary at the Year 6 to Year 7 transition rather than letting a school carry the child through. Many move on to Dubai British, Repton, Kings or Brighton College, but the search is on the parent.
Leadership
Sasha Crabb and Matthew Hawley
Ben Rothwell is the Founding Principal of Victory Heights Primary School City of Arabia, having joined the Victory Heights family in 2013 at the original Sports City campus where he progressed through roles including Head of ICT, Head of Innovation, Assistant Head, Deputy Head, and Headteacher until July 2025.
Accreditations
- British Schools Overseas (DfE) 01
- Council of International Schools 02