GEMS Royal Dubai School

GEMS Royal Dubai School supports Social and Emotional Learning through the RDShineBright Wellbeing Core, which operates within the

RoyalStandard framework. The Core fosters emotional, mental, and physical health and emphasizes resilience and self-care to help students thrive in all areas of life. The school also emphasises that every child matters and provides personalised attention to nurture each student's talents, abilities and needs, supporting an inclusive, caring environment. A member of the senior leadership team, Michaela Bullock, serves as Assistant Principal with 11 years of SENCO experience, highlighting a strong focus on wellbeing and inclusive education. The Principal's welcome stresses an inclusive, family-oriented ethos and high expectations for personal development.

The school has a dedicated SENCO, Michaela Bullock, who has 11 years of SENCO experience. The school operates within a mainstream, inclusive setting rather than as a specialist SEN institution. SEN support is integrated into the school model and led by the SENCO and senior leaders. The kinds of Special Educational Needs the school can support are not explicitly listed on public-facing materials. The school emphasises holistic development and wellbeing alongside academic progress within an inclusive environment.

GEMS Royal Dubai School offers the English Language Learning (ELL) programme for students who are not native English speakers. An Individual Language Plan (ILP) is used to identify targets and tailor English language instruction and support sessions. Liadh Sheehan, the ELL and Gifted and Talented Lead at RDS, leads the ELL provision. FlashAcademy has been used to support English language acquisition since August 2021, including independent practice and vocabulary development across languages. About 4% of students are reported as accessing English language support, reflecting a structured approach within a diverse student body.

The RDShineBright Wellbeing Core fosters emotional, mental, and physical health. The Wellbeing framework is part of the

RoyalStandard approach and emphasizes resilience and self-care to empower students. DSIB 2023-24 rated Wellbeing as Outstanding, noting that students feel safe, valued and well supported. The Principal highlights an inclusive environment focused on personal development as part of wellbeing. Michaela Bullock's SENCO role also includes a wellbeing focus for students with additional needs.

The School Policies page shows a dedicated section to view and download safeguarding-related documents, indicating formal safeguarding policies exist. DSIB 2023-24 notes that students feel safe and well supported, reflecting safeguarding in practice. The Principal describes the community as inclusive and safe, reinforcing safeguarding in daily practice. Wellbeing initiatives, including RDShineBright, are integrated with safeguarding across the school's approach to student welfare.