Finding a school that will truly support a child with special educational needs, a disability, a particular gift or a different home language can be one of the hardest parts of school hunting in Dubai. This guide explains your rights, the terms schools use, what you may have to pay for, and which schools KHDA rates most highly for inclusion.
Your child's rights in Dubai
Dubai uses the term People of Determination (or students of determination) for people with disabilities and special educational needs. Since KHDA launched the Dubai Inclusive Education Policy Framework in 2017, private schools have been expected to become fully inclusive. KHDA's directives for inclusive education, published in 2020, set out some important protections:
- Schools cannot refuse a place just because a child has special educational needs or a disability. If a school does decline, it has to follow KHDA's formal non-admission procedure.
- A medical diagnosis is not required for your child to sit an entry assessment or to enrol.
- No extra fees for standard support. The support a school normally provides is covered by tuition. Schools cannot charge students of determination higher fees for it.
- Extra, specialist support is the exception. A school may charge for enhanced provision, such as a specialist therapist or a one-to-one assistant, only through an individual service agreement registered with KHDA. The fee should not be more than the actual cost, and the school must show why the service is needed.
Policies are updated from time to time, so check the latest KHDA guidance or ask the school's inclusion team how they apply these rules today.
Words you will hear
- SEN / SEND
- Special Educational Needs (and Disabilities). Covers learning difficulties such as dyslexia, autism, ADHD, speech and language needs, physical disabilities and more.
- Head of Inclusion (or SENCO)
- The senior teacher who leads support for students with additional needs. Meeting them is the single most useful step on a school visit.
- Inclusion register
- The school's list of students who receive extra support, including gifted learners and students learning English.
- IEP or ILP
- An Individual Education Plan or Individual Learning Plan. A written plan with your child's targets, the support they get and how progress is reviewed.
- LSA / shadow teacher
- A Learning Support Assistant who works alongside a child in class. A shadow teacher (also called an individual support assistant) is usually dedicated to one child.
- Gifted and talented (G&T)
- Students with exceptional ability in one or more areas. Many schools keep a separate plan for them.
- EAL
- English as an Additional Language: support for children whose first language is not English.
Shadow teachers and extra costs
Shadow teachers are one of the biggest questions for families. Under KHDA's directives, if a school already has learning support assistants as part of its normal service, that support is included in tuition. If your child needs a dedicated assistant or specialist service that the school does not normally provide, the extra cost is paid by the family through an individual service agreement registered with KHDA.
Before you accept a place, ask the school to put in writing: whether your child is likely to need one-to-one support, who would employ the assistant, the cost per year, and how often the need is reviewed. Costs vary a lot between schools, so compare offers.
KHDA's framework also set out recommended staffing levels: about one specialist support teacher for every 200 students and one learning support assistant for every 125 students. Asking a school how its numbers compare is a quick way to gauge its investment in inclusion.
The KHDA inclusion rating
During inspections, KHDA gives every school a separate rating for inclusion on the same six-point scale as the overall rating. It looks at how well the school identifies needs, adapts the curriculum, supports students in class and works with parents. This is the most reliable independent signal of how inclusive a school is, and you can see it on every school page on this site.
Across the 206 Dubai schools with an inclusion rating, 157 (76%) are rated Good or better:
Don't rely on the overall rating alone. 34 schools have a higher rating for inclusion than overall, so a school rated Good overall may be Very good or even Outstanding at supporting children with additional needs.
The 27 schools rated Outstanding for inclusion
These schools received KHDA's highest inclusion rating in their latest inspection (mostly 2023-24).
| School | Area | Curriculum | Years | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcadia British School | Jumeirah Village Circle (South) | British | FS1 to Year 13 | Very good |
| Deira International School | Dubai Festival City | British, IB | FS1 to Year 13 | Outstanding |
| Dubai British School | Emirates Hills | British | FS1 to Year 13 | Outstanding |
| Dubai British School Jumeirah Park | Jumeirah Park | British | Nursery to Year 13 | Outstanding |
| Dubai English Speaking College | Academic City | British | Year 7 to Year 13 | Outstanding |
| Dubai English Speaking School | Oud Metha | British | FS1 to Year 6 | Outstanding |
| GEMS Dubai American Academy | Al Barsha South First | American, IB | KG1 to Grade 12 | Outstanding |
| GEMS Founders School | Al Barsha Second | British | FS1 to Year 13 | Very good |
| GEMS Jumeira Primary School | Jumeira Third | British | FS1 to Year 6 | Outstanding |
| GEMS Modern Academy | Nad Al Sheba First | Indian, IB | Pre-primary to Grade 12 | Outstanding |
| GEMS Royal Dubai School | Mirdif | British | Nursery to Year 8 | Very good |
| GEMS Wellington Academy | Dubai Silicon Oasis | British, IB | Nursery to Year 13 | Very good |
| GEMS Wellington International School | Al Sufouh First | British, IB | FS1 to Year 13 | Outstanding |
| Horizons English School | Al Wasl | British | FS1 to Year 6 | Outstanding |
| Jumeira Baccalaureate School | Jumeira First | IB | Pre-primary to Grade 12 | Very good |
| Jumeirah College | Al Safa First | British | Year 7 to Year 13 | Outstanding |
| Jumeirah English Speaking School (Al Safa First) | Al Safa First | British | FS1 to Year 6 | Outstanding |
| Jumeirah English Speaking School (Arabian Ranches) | Arabian Ranches | British, IB | FS1 to Grade 13 | Outstanding |
| Kings School Al Barsha | Al Barsha Second | British | FS1 to Year 13 | Outstanding |
| Kings School Dubai | Umm Suqeim Third | British | FS1 to Year 6 | Outstanding |
| Kings School Nad Al Sheba | Nad Al Sheba First | British | Nursery to Year 13 | Very good |
| Nord Anglia International School | Al Barsha Second | British, IB | FS1 to Year 13 | Outstanding |
| Regent International Private School | Al Barsha Second | British | FS1 to Year 13 | Very good |
| Safa British School | Al Safa First | British | FS1 to Year 13 | Very good |
| Safa Community School | Al Barsha South First | British, IB | FS1 to Year 13 | Outstanding |
| Uptown International School | Mirdif | IB | Nursery to Grade 12 | Very good |
| Victory Heights Primary School | Dubai Sports City | British | FS1 to Year 6 | Outstanding |
See all schools rated Very good or better for inclusion
Inclusion by curriculum and area
| Curriculum | Schools rated | Outstanding for inclusion | Very good or better |
|---|---|---|---|
| British | 90 | 23 | 50 (56%) |
| IB | 35 | 10 | 28 (80%) |
| Indian | 34 | 1 | 13 (38%) |
| American | 38 | 1 | 6 (16%) |
| French | 6 | 0 | 5 (83%) |
| UAE Ministry | 14 | 0 | 0 (0%) |
Schools offering more than one curriculum are counted in each.
Areas with the most schools rated Very good or Outstanding for inclusion:
Gifted learners and English language support
Inclusion in Dubai is not only about special educational needs. KHDA's inclusion rating also reflects how well schools stretch gifted and talented students and support children who are learning English. If your child is ahead of their age group, ask how the school identifies gifted learners, whether they get an advanced learning plan and what enrichment is offered. If English is not your child's first language, ask about EAL lessons, in-class support and how long children usually take to join mainstream lessons fully.
Questions to ask a school
- Can I meet the Head of Inclusion before applying?
- How many specialist teachers and learning support assistants do you have, and for how many students?
- Do you have therapists on site (speech and language, occupational therapy, counselling), or do you work with outside providers? Who pays for them?
- How do you write and review IEPs, and how often will I be involved?
- Would my child need a shadow teacher? If so, who hires them and what is the yearly cost?
- How do you adapt lessons, homework and exams? Can you arrange exam access arrangements such as extra time?
- Is the campus fully accessible (lifts, ramps, accessible toilets, quiet spaces)?
- What does your latest KHDA report say about inclusion, and what are you improving?
- Can I speak to another parent whose child receives support here?
How to prepare
- Gather your documents: any assessments, therapy or medical reports and previous IEPs. A diagnosis is not required to apply, but reports help the school plan support from day one.
- Be open with the school. Sharing your child's needs early leads to better planning and avoids surprises.
- Shortlist by inclusion rating, then visit. Watch how staff talk about support, and whether children with additional needs are part of everyday class life.
- Get agreements in writing, especially anything involving extra cost.
- If something goes wrong, raise it with the school's inclusion team first. KHDA also has channels for parents to raise concerns.
Find an inclusive school
Filter all 229 Dubai schools by inclusion rating, area, curriculum and age.
Sources
- Inclusion and overall ratings: KHDA school directory, checked 23 October 2026.
- Admissions, fees and individual service agreements: Khaleej Times, January 2020 and Gulf News, January 2020.
- Shadow teachers and learning support assistants: Khaleej Times, February 2020.
- Dubai Inclusive Education Policy Framework and recommended staffing levels: Al Tamimi & Co., 2019.
This guide is general information, not legal, medical or educational advice. Policies change, so confirm current rules with KHDA and the schools you are considering.