markhighpeak

Hi everyone

Well after a long few months I actually move out to AD on 19/09. Initially I'll be on my own but I'm hoping the wife and 3 children can follow ASAP, this is where the problem arises. My children are aged 2,5 & 6 and although I've wrote to the main local schools, Pearl, Yasmina and RIS, they are all saying that they have long waiting lists to get in.

Is this normal? (from reading other posts on here, it appears to be) or is it case of people are registering their children at multiple venues then for whatever reason once the school term begins then the waiting lists disappear? I would appreciate your input, as the last thing I want is to be stuck in AD for months on my own waiting to get my family into the local shooling system.

Everything else is really sorted, it would be a shame for this to be the last major stumbling block.

busybee2

no this is the problem here, you will find that there is too many people with school aged kids moving over here, 2 issues first no accommodation and second no school places. It will change once the school starts but you will find that the waiting lists are true, but the way things here is that people may have a confirmed place at say yasmina but sometimes dont come, its a wait and see, i have been here many a year, and some people 2 years ago before pearl and yasmina were built, waiting over 1.5 years to get a place at bsak, the fact that peal was opened last year has helped and obviously when yasmina opens this year it will help as well, but there is just too many people here waiting for places and not enough schools yet. My advice is you come over and bring over the family when a school place appears.

soukie

Unfortunately - this is a lot more common these days due to the schooling issues - I know lots of people who are here on their own as they are waiting for schooling places. It might be best to wait until the schools start in Sept and see what the waiting lists look like then as some people leave the country and don't inform the schools so therefore don't re-enrol. I would still expect to see waiting lists but maybe shorter ones.

SNEAKINMEAKIN

We applied for our 3 boys (7, 9, 13), at RIS, Yasmina in August. It seemed to make a difference when informing them that you are already here as opposed to saying that they are waiting in UK until a place is available. We stayed on the waiting lists up to the start of the school term. RIS provided places for all 3 boys and Yasmina found places for 2 so we opted for RIS which is an International Baccalaureate curriculum as opposed to British curriculum at Yasmina. Its worth speaking to them face to face rather than by telephone.

busybee2

yes if you are physically in the country, then if you get the phone call you can start the same day etc, but if you are not, then it will take time for you to fly over etc etc, but this will only work in your favour at the moment, come middle of january you cannot swap schools so places will then be offered to 'overseas' students.

Squirty Cream

There was a nasty experience with a teenager from RIS this weekend. The girl beat up another (older girl) in the toilet of a hotel - actually headbutted her! The girl in question was 15 or 16 and was drunk and was at a place called Enigma (entry age is 21) and was very proud of the fact that she was from Newcastle and apparently, according to her you can't mess with people from their.

This type of behaviour is unusual here and quite frankly disgusting - 15 year olds should not be drinking and especially in this country. Whilst your kids are little, I would raise the issue of what sort of teenagers go the RIS and parents of teenagers who are considering the school need to know this. I know from friends that this type of behaviour would not be tolerated by Al Khubairat, in fact they expel students if they find out they are going to bars, pubs and nightclubs, etc underage.