The market for international schools is booming, with the total number increasing by 50 per cent over the past decade – and institutions with British heritage are proving particularly popular in the Middle East 

Words: Will Moffitt

Clad in smooth brick leading towards a turreted atrium, the arch at Repton Dubai is newer but no less distinctive than its British counterpart. Founded in Derbyshire in 1557, the original Repton is known for its first-rate facilities and ancient architecture. Its buildings incorporate remnants of a seventh-century abbey and 12th-century priory, but most striking of all is its school arch – referenced in its motto – that students have passed through for almost 500 years. Rising out of the sands of Nad Al Sheba, its turrets and towers dotted across a sprawling campus, Repton Dubai was founded in 2007 as the first partner school to Repton UK.

It caters to students aged three to 18 and has boarding facilities for students from age 11. Ranked by The Schools Index as among the top 15 schools in the Middle East, it is also one of the most expensive in  Dubai, with fees of up to 100,000 AED (£21,000) per year. “With over 6,000 pupils across our UAE schools, demand for places has never been higher,” says Daniel Lewis, managing  director, Repton Family of Schools. “Parents seeking a world-class education for their children are drawn to schools with an  authentic and meaningful connection to their British heritage.” The UAE now has 827 international schools, and nearly half of them are in Dubai. Brighton College is among them, offering a “distinctive British independent school ethos”.

Gordonstoun – the Scottish school that counts King Charles III as an alumnus – is launching a partner school in Abu Dhabi scheduled to open in 2026. Meanwhile, UAE provider Taaleem has acquired the rights to own and operate Harrow International Schools across the emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. According to data from ISC Research, this proliferation of international schools isn’t just a regional boon but a global trend. The number of international schools around the globe has increased by 50 per cent over the past decade, from 9,615 in 2014 to 14,457 last year

Buoyed by an influx of wealthy expatriates searching for schooling in the UAE and other regions, parts of the Middle East have undergone ambitious educational expansion programmes. “Lots of Brits are moving to the Middle East because they are paying less income tax and the school fees are much cheaper than they are in the UK, and the climate is better,” says Johanna Mitchell, founder and CEO of educational consultant Lumos Education, based on Regent Street. “The second thing that is fuelling the demand is internationals who are already living there, who’ve relocated there for work or for a better quality of life, who value education.” Owned and founded by New Era Education, dedicated to delivering world-class education in the region since 2018, Uppingham Cairo is the first school to offer Day Boarding in Egypt and the Middle East. Here the buildings are sandstone- shaded, but sleek and modern.

As a former pupil of its original  British equivalent – a boarding school in Rutland, founded in 1584 – I was sceptical that my traditional old school, with its particular customs and routines, could be recreated in the land of the pyramids. But speaking to headmistress Emma Webb my cynicism is subdued. “In my very first meeting with the headmaster and people involved in the project, it was very clear that Cairo was going to be a genuine Uppingham, and that’s why I’m here, because I didn’t want to create a wrapper school,” Webb tells me. “I didn’t want to be asked to pretend to be a British public school if I were not going to be allowed to be one. “I’ve been in international education for around 16 years, and not to name any names, but you’ve got these wrapper schools,” Webb adds. “They’ve got the right uniform, the right logo, and on the surface, it looks like what they say it is.

But in reality, in many cases, that is as far as it goes.” Of course, as Webb is only happy to admit, adaptations have to be made to suit the local climate and culture, but Uppingham Cairo is firmly grounded in values familiar to Uppinghamians – notably a rounded, inclusive attitude to education organised around a house system, with house masters and tutors, and state-of-the-art sports, drama and music facilities. Unlike Uppingham’s traditional model, students do not sleep in houses, but they stay at school to play sports, do activities and finish their homework. “Our school day starts at 7.30am and our older children don’t go home until 9pm. Our junior school children go home at 7.30pm, so the only thing we don’t do is put them to bed,” Webb explains. A line from Uppingham’s motto reads: “For tomorrow’s leaders; not defined by where they have gone. But where they are yet to go.” Looking at the current appetite for overseas education, British and international schools are all endorsing the mantra.