Jumeirah English Speaking School

JESS places wellbeing at the heart of its approach to social and emotional learning (SEL). The school uses a Wellbeing Wheel with eight indicators to discuss and monitor student wellbeing: safe, healthy, active, achieving, responsible, respected, included, and nurtured. Wellbeing data is embedded in daily operations and used to plan care and support for individual students. Through all facets of school life, students and staff participate in activities that promote mental and physical wellbeing, with students empowered to take ownership and have their voices heard. Students feel safe to express themselves and to contribute as full members of the community.

JESS is an inclusive school that aims to discover the brilliance in every individual. The need for additional care and support may be recognised prior to entry, during school-based assessments, or via external reports. The Oasis (Learning Support) department may coordinate and deliver in-class support, personalised learning programmes, modified or reduced curricula, or an individual education plan (IEP); the arrangement is graduated and adaptive and part of the Standard School Service. The Counselling team provides play-based counselling sessions, friendship group formation, and guidance for parents and teachers. Provision includes Occupational Therapy Services and Speech and Language Services; some students may access specialist external support when appropriate. The school also runs a Gifted and Talented Programme for Primary and Secondary. The school is not a specialist SEN institution; it emphasises inclusive education.

The Admissions criteria require that applicants be fluent in English at an age-appropriate level; if English is not the applicant's first language or the applicant is multilingual, the English as an Additional Language Policy is referenced. This indicates that EAL support is provided under policy for non-native English speakers. Details of the EAL policy are published in the school policies and procedures framework.

Mental wellbeing is integrated into JESS's wellbeing framework. The Wellbeing Wheel identifies eight indicators and is used to monitor and discuss wellbeing, with data informing planning of care and support. The school provides opportunities for mental and physical activities, access to care and support, and a sense of belonging where voices are heard and individuals feel safe to express themselves. A counselling service and a range of wellbeing interventions support emotional health, with external verification of effectiveness from wellbeing awards and KHDA evaluations.

JESS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its students and staff, with safeguarding policies and procedures in place for staff and learners. Staff recruitment follows rigorous safety practices, including identity checks, qualification checks, online social media checks, and criminal background checks. All candidates are required to provide police clearance certificates for every country in which they have resided, with UK applicants also requiring Enhanced DBS and an International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC). A minimum of three satisfactory professional references is required, and safeguarding guidance is integrated into the school's policies and procedures.