GEMS Wellington International School

GEMS Wellington International School
Front facade of Wellington International School
Location
Al Sufouh Dubai United Arab Emirates
Coordinates	25°11′18″N 55°18′34″E / 25.18833°N 55.30944°ECoordinates: 25°11′18″N 55°18′34″E / 25.18833°N 55.30944°E
Information
School type	Private Independent school
Patron saint(s)	Prince Michael of Kent
Established	2005
Status	Open
Authority	KHDA
Principal	Ruth Burke
Staff	180
Years offered	FS-1 - 13
Gender	Co-educational
Education system	British National Curriculum and International Baccalaureate
Language	English
Houses	Emerald, Ruby, Onyx and Diamond
Colour(s)	Green, Red, Black and White
USNWR ranking	Outstanding
Newspaper	The Wellington Weekly
School fees	AED 52,000 - 85,000
Website	http://www.wellingtoninternationalschool.com/

GEMS Wellington International School (Arabic: مدرسة جیمس ولینغتون انترناسیونال‎) is a private school situated in the Al Sufouh area of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The school is situated in JBR and has over 2800 students enrolled. GEMS Wellington International School is a registered international school from FS-1 to Year 13. The school is part of GEMS, an international school business, and is a branch of the Local Emirati Boy Scouts Foundation, a private organization based in Al Barsha 1, Dubai, that was founded in 1971. Students of the school have gone on to attend some of the world's most prestigious universities, including Stanford University, Cambridge University, Princeton University, and the London School of Economics.

Curriculum

Wellington International School follows the British curriculum. The school offers iGCSEs, GCSEs and the International Baccalaureate. Science, English and Mathematics are compulsory subjects throughout the school. Students begin their secondary school years in Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9), following the National Curriculum of England and Wales, and then move into Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11). During KS4 they sit a range of UK national exams GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) and IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education). If students achieve the required grades they can go onto an advanced level of study which is a prerequisite for university. This course is done in the last two years of school (which are non-compulsory) and are spent in Key Stage 5.

Academics

Regarded as one of the best schools in Dubai and amongst the top recognised British curriculum schools in the world, Wellington International School has consistently produced strong academic results, with students scoring exceptionally well in both GCSE and International Baccalaureate examinations.

In 2014, 97% of students achieved the GCSE passing grade of A* - C, compared to 68.1% in the United Kingdom.^[1] 3 students achieved perfect A* grades, with UAE's top GCSE scorer, Tanishk Shanker, achieving 12 A*'s.^[2] 80% of their students passed the IB Diploma, 2% above the World IB Averages.

Student body

As of 2010, the school had 1,868 students. About 50% originated from British families.^[3]

Facilities

The facilities include an indoor, air-conditioned swimming pool, a soccer field, a gym, multiple science laboratories, an astronomy observatory, a recording studio, an underground music floor, a music room, media room and an auditorium.^[4] In addition, there is a library and five computer laboratories with over 120 computers. There are separate wings and playgrounds for each division and a separate common room for their Post-16 students called the Falcon Centre.

Extracurricular activities

Significant extracurricular activities participated in by Wellington International School include Model United Nations, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, and F1 in Schools.

Model United Nations

The school has regularly participated in local Model United Nations events. In 2015, the school started hosting their own event, Wellington International School Model United Nations. WISMUN 2015 was the inaugural annual conference, which had over 11 schools in attendance and featured 3 committees: General Assembly 1, Human Rights Council and Security Council. ^[5]

TEDxWIS

Since 2011, the school has hosted annual TEDxWIS events featuring key speakers from students throughout all grades in the school.

Musical Production

Every year, Wellington hosts a musical production with students participating in every year group. Recent performances include Grease and Hairspray.

Golf

Students from Wellington International School annually create a workforce of over 100 people from years 10 and 12 to perform scoring duties the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, the season-ending event of the European Tour.

KHDA inspection report

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is an educational quality assurance authority based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It undertakes early learning, school and higher learning institution management, and rates schools on Dubai based on their performance. Schools can achieve from Outstanding to Unsatisfactory. Wellington International School is one of only two schools in Dubai to achieve Outstanding in the last 6 annual KHDA inspection reports.

A summary of the inspection ratings for GEMS Wellington International School:

School Year	2015-2016	2014-2015	2013-2014	2012-2013	2011-2012	2010-2011	2009-2010	Curriculum
Rating	Pending	Outstanding	Outstanding	Outstanding	Outstanding	Outstanding	Outstanding	UK

A summary of all the schools in Dubai's ratings can be found at KHDA School Ratings.

References

1. Sedghi, Ami; Arnett, George. "GCSE results 2014: the full breakdown". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-09-14.
2. "Exceptional performance in 2014 IGCSE/GCSE exams". www.gemseducation.com. Retrieved 2015-09-14.
3. Mansell, Warwick. "Expat guide to the UAE: schools" (Archive). The Telegraph. 30 April 2010. Retrieved on 24 October 2015.
4. "Our Facilities | GEMS Wellington International School". www.wellingtoninternationalschool.com. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
5. "WISMUN 2015". WISMUN 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-01.

External links

School Website http://www.wellingtoninternationalschool.com