A GEMS Education, CBSE and CBSE-i curriculum based school, The Millennium School, Dubai is home to 3034 (up 150 on last year) mixed gender students, aged three to 17 (KG to Grade 12). Students are currently exclusively of Indian heritage.

Currently in its 14th year (and entering its 15th in September), the school has had plenty of time to bed down, and has performed consistently over the last four years, achieving a Good rating from Dubai’s education regulator, the KHDA, five years on the trot. Students are entered for a variety of national and international examinations including the AISSCE (All India Senior Secondary Examination) in Grade 12 and AISSE (All India Secondary School Certificate Examination) in Grade 10.

The school employs 169 teachers with an average turnover of 20 teachers per year. The school a student to teacher ratio of just under 1:18 – good to average for a Dubai based Indian curriculum school. Classroom sizes average approximately 35 students – again an average size for an Indian curriculum school. The largest classroom size is 39.

Teachers are recruited from India, and Arabic teachers from Egypt. Most teachers are either graduates or post graduates. Almost all teachers have B.Ed although some senior teachers, notably in the Commerce Department do not.

Both the school’s 2012/13 and 2013/14 reports are predominantly positive, noting high levels of attainment in mathematics, English and science in the senior school, and the behaviour of students – both of which you would expect to see in a school ranked Good by the KHDA. The school itself says it puts a particular focus, at senior level on Science, Commerce and the Humanities.

According to information from the school results are improving. In 2011, the number of of 10 CGPs (A1 in all subjects) in Grade 10 was 6, in 2012, 31 and 2013, 56.

The KHDA itself notes (2012/13)  “an extended curriculum with significant opportunities for students to fully develop their interests, a caring ethos, the regular celebration of the multicultural nature of the school community; and the “vision” of the senior management which provides clear direction for continued improvement.

Areas the KHDA identifies as needing further development include the strengthening of Arabic provision (something of a KHDA perennial in its reports); the need to modify the curriculum for students with special educational needs, as well as to identify those that have them. These recommendations have not changed over the school’s last two inspections. That said the KHDA does recognise improvements in the provision in Kindergarten, the management and training for staff regarding arrangements for students with special educational needs.

Millennium School, Dubai employs four Counselors/Special Educators across the school in charge of specific levels. According to information from the school all teachers can identify SEN students with the help of base line checklist. Frequent meetings are held between teachers and Counselors to develop Independent Learning Programs (ILPs) and Individual Education Plans (IEPs).

School leavers predominantly head to universities in the US and the UK, and Millennium School, Dubai actively facilitates university entrance, getting involved with documentation procedures, Information Fairs for choice of universities and counselling workshops for psychometric testing.The school also invites in benchmark testing agencies to conduct SAT tests, etc.

The school promotes its extracurricular activities here. These activities are covered by tuition fees. Clubs and activities range from drama to a variety of sports students can get involved in. Most students express satisfaction with the range of extracurricular activities the school offers.