Does the price you pay for british curriculum schools reflect how good they are

[Sevenoaks1]

I am just trying to work out which British curriculum school to send my boys to when we move out in Jan. I am looking at prices at the various schools and they seem to vary considerably!! Without seeming tight(!!) if we moved to murdif area are there any cheaper schools which are quite good. Boys are 7 and 10 and academic. Eldest has been accepted to a top grammar school here in England, with 100% pass rate in his 11 plus, so ideally would love to keep him at that level.
We would like the boys to be at the same school so it would be a school that either has a link from a primary to a secondary or all on the same campus. At the moment I can only see GEMS Wellington silicon oasis. Any others in the area that anyone would recommend ?
Also we don't have to be tied to Murdif if there are any other suggestions. Do schools accept pupils purely on academic results or is it always a waiting list? Any help really appreciated, just feel like I am looking at websites and getting nowhere!!

[Toon]

Avoid gems if at all possible, it's a money making machine that doesn't give a fig about it's pupils (or teachers for that matter).

Appalling organisation - and my son goes there - not Wellington, but another one, his mother decided on that one.

[Tricktrack]

Originally Posted by Toon

Avoid gems if at all possible, it's a money making machine that doesn't give a fig about it's pupils (or teachers for that matter).

Appalling organisation - and my son goes there - not Wellington, but another one, his mother decided on that one.

Hi toon
I know you've posted stuff like this before about gems, but could you advise what the issues you have actually are please? Its my understanding that most of the schools are money making but does that make them all bad? Being new to Dubai this year I have experienced how hard it is to get children into schools in Dubai (I have 3) and quite frankly gems dso have been a godsend in a lot of ways by at least having spaces because they are a new and still expanding school, and by communicating good information in a timely manner, and being basically very nice! Obviously my kids haven't started there yet so my opinions are based on what I've said, however I've read a lot (I've done a lot of reading!) of really positive information about gems schools, particularly from parents of kids at DSO, so I would be keen to understand what problems you have so myself and others can try and avoid in the future please?
Thanks!

[Toon]

Originally Posted by Tricktrack

Hi toon
I know you've posted stuff like this before about gems, but could you advise what the issues you have actually are please? Its my understanding that most of the schools are money making but does that make them all bad? Being new to Dubai this year I have experienced how hard it is to get children into schools in Dubai (I have 3) and quite frankly gems dso have been a godsend in a lot of ways by at least having spaces because they are a new and still expanding school, and by communicating good information in a timely manner, and being basically very nice! Obviously my kids haven't started there yet so my opinions are based on what I've said, however I've read a lot (I've done a lot of reading!) of really positive information about gems schools, particularly from parents of kids at DSO, so I would be keen to understand what problems you have so myself and others can try and avoid in the future please?
Thanks!

Hey Trix,

OK, I have (that is me, not a company perk) paid in total well over AED400,000 to gems over the last 7 years for two boys, one left Jumeriah College to go to English college where he got better results and worked a lot harder, the other is about to leave Jumeriah Primary School.

As I said, I've spent around AED400,000 in 7 years - not an inconsiderable sum is it?

I swapped jobs, didn't have the fall back cash I thought I would (companies are great at not paying what's due you aren't they), and cos I couldn't afford to pay the AED14,000 (Divorce does that to you) the "lovely" finance department thought it was for the best if they excluded my son for 3 days a week (just three) until I paid the full amount, even though I said I would on 1 April (and did), they still decided to exclude him.

In the next but one term of his junior school year.

A total money making machine, I despise them with a passion.

Go anywhere, they don't care about your kids, all they want is to make so much money that varkey (the owner) can give a10 MILLION DIRHAMS to Dubai cares.

HAte them, hate them, hate them.

[Pink Fairie]

Originally Posted by Toon

... gems over the last 7 years for two boys....

HAte them, hate them, hate them.

Just wondering, why if you hate them so much would you keep your children with them for 7 years?? Not being funny, and I understand your child being in school is important, but if someone didn't pay my business for a service then the service would cease until a payment was made. I'm pretty sure ANY school you sent your child to in uae would not allow them to attend if you didn't pay the fee's, its not only GEMS who would do this. You have had 1 bad experience with them that was actually down to your own personal incidents (not theirs) and now you, on several occasions, bad mouth the whole organisation! you would have every sympathy if THEY had made a colossal error which resulted in your child having a 3 day exclusion but GEMS didn't ask you to change jobs or get divorced....

[Confiture]

Sorry, but that comes across as cold.

A little empathy and understanding, even flexibility from GEMS wouldn't have gone amiss in this situation (assuming the people at GEMS were informed of course).

If one of my longstanding customers came to me with an issue, I would always look to be flexible and supportive wherever possible.

Of course we don't know all the details, but can only imagine that going through a divorce with two children in the middle, let alone managing a job change here at the same time would be tough enough....

Hope it works out Toon....

Originally Posted by Pink Fairie

Just wondering, why if you hate them so much would you keep your children with them for 7 years?? Not being funny, and I understand your child being in school is important, but if someone didn't pay my business for a service then the service would cease until a payment was made. I'm pretty sure ANY school you sent your child to in uae would not allow them to attend if you didn't pay the fee's, its not only GEMS who would do this. You have had 1 bad experience with them that was actually down to your own personal incidents (not theirs) and now you, on several occasions, bad mouth the whole organisation! you would have every sympathy if THEY had made a colossal error which resulted in your child having a 3 day exclusion but GEMS didn't ask you to change jobs or get divorced....

[Tricktrack]

Hi Toon
What an awful situation to be in, really sorry.
Sadly I believe that all schools have pretty much the same t's and c's if the fees aren't paid not just gems, however that said, it's so sad that your boys had to suffer like that and that there doesn't seem to have been any importance and considerstion placed on the child's welfare in this situation, particularly when you had made an agreement that the fees would be paid. Profit making company or not, when your business is based on the lives of children it would be nice to think that exceptions could be made for certain circumstances.
Can understand why you are bitter.
For myself personally after the nightmare of looking for schools with space in Dubai, I will be just grateful to get all my kids in a school for September and hope the actual teachers and every day running of the school don't reflect what sounds like a very mercenary attitude to children's welfare.
Really sorry and glad it sounds like your boys have come through this doing well, hope you have too xxx

Originally Posted by Toon

Hey Trix,

OK, I have (that is me, not a company perk) paid in total well over AED400,000 to gems over the last 7 years for two boys, one left Jumeriah College to go to English college where he got better results and worked a lot harder, the other is about to leave Jumeriah Primary School.

As I said, I've spent around AED400,000 in 7 years - not an inconsiderable sum is it?

I swapped jobs, didn't have the fall back cash I thought I would (companies are great at not paying what's due you aren't they), and cos I couldn't afford to pay the AED14,000 (Divorce does that to you) the "lovely" finance department thought it was for the best if they excluded my son for 3 days a week (just three) until I paid the full amount, even though I said I would on 1 April (and did), they still decided to exclude him.

In the next but one term of his junior school year.

A total money making machine, I despise them with a passion.

Go anywhere, they don't care about your kids, all they want is to make so much money that varkey (the owner) can give a10 MILLION DIRHAMS to Dubai cares.

HAte them, hate them, hate them.

[Pink Fairie]

Originally Posted by Confiture

Sorry, but that comes across as cold.

A little empathy and understanding, even flexibility from GEMS wouldn't have gone amiss in this situation (assuming the people at GEMS were informed of course).

If one of my longstanding customers came to me with an issue, I would always look to be flexible and supportive wherever possible.

Of course we don't know all the details, but can only imagine that going through a divorce with two children in the middle, let alone managing a job change here at the same time would be tough enough....

Hope it works out Toon....

Not meaning to come across as cold and I appreciate it must have been a tough situation. Divorce is never easy for anyone especially in a foreign country but on the flip side, he does slate GEMS at any given opportunity and from my experience with GEMS exclusion would have been the last resort, they certainly wouldn't have just kicked his child out straight away, there would have been compromises which perhaps couldn't have been kept. All I'm saying is he is very bitter towards an organisation because of one unfortunate event, what about all the good they have done for his children? When new people are asking for info he just says how much he hates them, its not informed advice. Not being cold, just having an opinion. I do hope he is in a better situation now but seriously beds to let go of the bitterness, its not healthy.

[Sevenoaks1]

Toon, that is a terrible situation for you and you children to have found themselves in, and I totally understand how upset you must be with GEMS, however it seems to be the only option I can find so far for a jan intake for both my boys where they can start at the same school. However we are coming over in may so would love to look at as many schools as possible. If anyone can recommend any other schools near murdif area where there would be a chance of getting both boys in ( primary and secondary) it would be very much appreciated.

[Tricktrack]

Originally Posted by Sevenoaks1

Toon, that is a terrible situation for you and you children to have found themselves in, and I totally understand how upset you must be with GEMS, however it seems to be the only option I can find so far for a jan intake for both my boys where they can start at the same school. However we are coming over in may so would love to look at as many schools as possible. If anyone can recommend any other schools near murdif area where there would be a chance of getting both boys in ( primary and secondary) it would be very much appreciated.

If it helps at all from an education perspective I've only read good things about gems DSO, and the support staff have been really helpful to us, fantastic new facilities.
Have you looked at the bsme website and the khda reports (although I cant find one for DSO yet as it only opened last September). There is also gems royal Dubai in midriff I think? Repton is nad al Sheba and kings are opening a new school primary and secondary near Repton area I think next year?