Dubai English Speaking College

DESS operates across three Dubai campuses. DESS Oud Metha hosts the primary school (ages 3–11) on Oud Metha Road. DESS College provides secondary and sixth form (ages 11–18) at Academic City. DESS Primary Academic City opened in September 2025 at Academic City, opposite DESS College. The Oud Metha campus is centrally located near the Oud Metha Metro on the Green Line, while the Academic City campuses sit in Dubai's educational hub.

DESS Oud Metha serves Foundation Stage to Year 6 (ages ~3–11). DESS College offers secondary and sixth form (Year 7–Year 13, ages 11–18). DESS Primary Academic City is the latest primary campus (opening 2025), joining the two existing primary and college sites to form a continuous path from age 3 to 18.

Co-educational day school; the DESS group operates on a not-for-profit basis. The college and schools are described as mixed/gender-balanced in KHDA references. There are no boarding facilities advertised.

DESS provides inclusive education with access to external specialists as needed. If applicable, reports from outside agencies (Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Educational Psychologist, etc.) may be used to inform provision.

Affiliation to the United Kingdom in practice through use of the English National Curriculum for Year 7–13; the schools are British-curriculum (UK) oriented and part of the Dubai English Speaking Schools family.

No formal religious affiliation; the schools are non-denominational and emphasise inclusive, diverse education.

School days for the secondary campus start around 07:30 (Academic City) and finish around 15:30; Oud Metha also runs a similar day length (approximately 07:25–15:30). Specific timetables may vary by campus and year group.

A school bus service is provided for DESS Academic City by Maverick, a private, specialist provider. The service is door-to-door and available from Foundation Stage 1 upwards, with GPS tracking, seat belts, and a dedicated bus coordinator in time. Routes cover wide areas, including far reaches of Dubai's residential zones.

Application fees

- Application fee: AED 525 (an application-stage payment is requested for applicants; payment details are provided after submission of the application form).

- Acceptance (registration) fees (payable on receipt of the offer; non-refundable and deducted from the first term invoice):
- DESS Oud Metha (FS1 – Year 6): AED 3,500.
- DESS Academic City (FS1 – Year 6): AED 4,000.
- DESS College (Years 7–10): AED 5,000.
- DESS College (Year 12 / Sixth Form): AED 7,500.

Tuition fees — full year and termly breakdown (amounts in AED)

- DESS Oud Metha — Foundation Stage 1:
- Full academic year: AED 43,084.
- Term 1: AED 17,234; Term 2: AED 12,925; Term 3: AED 12,925.

- DESS Oud Metha — Foundation Stage 2 and Years 1–6:
- Full academic year: AED 53,320.
- Term 1: AED 21,328; Term 2: AED 15,996; Term 3: AED 15,996.

- DESS Academic City — Foundation Stage 1 (discount applied where indicated):
- Full academic year: AED 55,250 (includes specified discount where indicated).
- Term 1: AED 22,100; Term 2: AED 16,575; Term 3: AED 16,575.

- DESS Academic City — Foundation Stage 2 and Years 1–6 (discount applied where indicated):
- Full academic year: AED 63,750 (includes specified discount where indicated).
- Term 1: AED 25,500; Term 2: AED 19,125; Term 3: AED 19,125.

- DESS College — Years 7–11:
- Full academic year: AED 84,326.
- Term 1: AED 33,730; Term 2: AED 25,298; Term 3: AED 25,298.

- DESS College — Sixth Form:
- Full academic year: AED 90,633.
- Term 1: AED 36,253; Term 2: AED 27,190; Term 3: AED 27,190.

Billing schedule and payment terms

- Standard term payment due dates (term-by-term invoices): 1 September; 5 January; 6 April. Invoices and term-due dates follow the published term schedule.

- Acceptance fees are non-refundable and are deducted from the child's first term invoice. One term's written notice is required when withdrawing a child from the DESS family (notice is to be sent to the admissions contact specified in school correspondence). Sibling discounts for third and subsequent children are calculated and applied in the Term 2 tuition invoice.

- Examination charges (e.g., GCSE/GCE) and external examination charges (e.g., music or dance exams) are not included in published tuition fees and are invoiced separately.

Boarding fees

- Boarding is not applicable. DESS operates as day schools and does not list boarding provision or boarding fees. Transport services (school buses) and day-care/after-school offerings are provided where indicated.

Other costs and fees

- Examination and external assessment fees: Fees for GCSE, GCE and other external assessments are charged in addition to tuition and are invoiced separately.

- Transport (school bus) service: A door-to-door school-bus service is provided; safety features and operating arrangements are specified by the school and its transport partner. Transport fees are handled separately from tuition and are invoiced as a distinct charge. Specific route and pricing information is managed through the school's transport arrangements.

- After-school care / SuperClub: An extended-hours SuperClub is available for Foundation Stage 1 pupils; participation and any associated charges are managed separately.

- Uniform: Uniforms are supplied through the school-managed uniform arrangements in partnership with a uniform supplier; uniform costs are paid separately by parents via the supplier channels indicated by the school.

- Incidental charges: Trips, activities, specialist courses, replacement books, lost items and similar incidental costs may be invoiced separately and are not included in published tuition figures. The bank-transfer instruction fields reference reason-for-payment codes such as tuition, acceptance fees, application fees, trip, bus etc.

Refund information

- Acceptance (registration) fee: non-refundable; it is deducted from the child's first term invoice when a place is accepted.

- Withdrawal: one term's notice in writing is required when leaving; failure to provide the required notice may affect fee liabilities as stated in the school's admissions/fee terms.

Fee payment options and bank details

- Payment methods accepted: credit card payments via the SKIPLY mobile app, bank transfer, or bank cash deposit. Guidance on SKIPLY registration is provided to families for credit-card payments.

- Bank details for bank transfer (reference information must include pupil name or parent account code and reason for payment):
- Account name: Dubai English Speaking Special Branch College.
- Account number: 101-49485189-01.
- IBAN: AE50 0260 0010 1494 8518 901.
- Bank: Emirates NBD.
- SWIFT: EBILAEAD.
- Email a receipt/evidence of transfer to remittances@dess.sch.ae after payment.

Notes for parents

- Sibling discount application: sibling discount for the third and subsequent siblings is calculated and applied in the Term 2 tuition invoice.

- Examination and external charges (e.g., GCSE/GCE, music/dance exams) are additional to the tuition figures listed and are invoiced separately.

(If you need the specific invoice wording, payment reference format, or the school's formal fee policy, those items are reflected in the school's published fee and admissions materials.)

The student body represents 114 nationalities. The most common nationality and the local-to-international ratio are not published by the school.