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Star International School, Al Twar teaches the secondary phase of the National Curriculum for England to students aged 11 to 16, across Years 7 to 11, on our own campus in Al Twar 4, Dubai. The school opened in 2005 and joined International Schools Partnership (ISP) in 2022, which connects us to more than 100 schools in over 25 countries. Our families come from more than 60 nationalities, and many have been with us since primary.
These are the years when GCSE and BTEC qualifications come into view. Students learn to think independently, solve problems and take responsibility for their own work, with personalised support from teachers who know exactly where each one is. For families comparing secondary schools in Dubai, the facts on this page are a fair place to start.
The essentials in one place, for families weighing up secondary schools in Dubai.
Year groups
Years 7 to 11
Phases
Years 7 to 9, then Years 10 and 11, known formally as Key Stage 3 and 4
Campus
Secondary Campus: 28th Street, Al Twar 4, Dubai
Opened
2005
Nationalities
More than 60
Qualifications
GCSE and BTEC, with A Levels and BTECs at Post 16
Latest GCSE results
90% at grades 9 to 4, 65% at 9 to 6, 42% at 9 to 7
Core subjects
English, Mathematics and Science, taught by subject specialists
Compulsory UAE subjects
Arabic, Islamic Education, and Moral, Social and Cultural Studies
Languages
Arabic as a First Language (Arabic A) and an Additional Language (Arabic B), French through to IGCSE, EAL support throughout
Options
GCSE and BTEC choices made in Year 9, supported by an Options Booklet, an Options Evening and taster sessions
Sport
An 8-lane, 25-metre swimming pool, football, cricket, padel, netball and volleyball
Extracurricular
Over 60 co-curricular activities
Transport
Bus routes across Dubai and Sharjah
Admissions
Open all year round apart from the examination years, with places offered on a first come, first served basis
School fees
Published in full for Years 7 to 11 on our tuition fees page
Accreditation
BSME, BSO, Pearson Edexcel, AQA, Oxford AQA, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, DASSA Sports
Curriculum
Ages
National Curriculum for England, enhanced, taught through ISP’s Learning.First™ framework
11 to 16 years
There are more answers to common questions about admissions, transport and school life on our FAQ page.
Enhanced British curriculum
Students move into more advanced work in the core subjects on the way to GCSEs and BTECs, with STEAM woven through the timetable. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics stop being separate boxes and start feeding each other.
GCSE and BTEC pathways
Students choose between GCSE and BTEC qualifications according to their strengths and ambitions. Every core subject and elective is taught by a specialist, and sport comes with proper coaching behind it.
Small class sizes
Classes are small enough for teachers to know exactly how each student works. Personalised support and steady guidance follow from that, in lessons and beyond them.
Emphasis on wellbeing
Wellbeing sits at the centre of the school’s ethos. A supportive, respectful environment helps students do well academically and emotionally, and pastoral care is planned, never left to chance.
Advanced learning environments
The Star, Al Twar secondary campus has Science, ICT, Design and Technology and STEAM labs, an Apple Mac suite, interactive whiteboards and industry-standard software, with a library that holds English and Arabic collections. At our school, Dubai students sit alongside classmates travelling in from Sharjah.
Mentorship and career guidance
Students are mentored through assessments, career counselling, workshops and university applications, with progress reviewed regularly and guidance that stays personal, never generic.
Skills for life
Cognitive, digital and communication skills grow through over 60 extracurricular activities, from sport to performing arts to clubs.
Leadership opportunities
Student council, prefect roles and ISP Changemakers give students real responsibility, and they learn to carry it with kindness.
International opportunities
Students collaborate with peers worldwide through ISP’s International Learning Opportunities programme, ILOS, and the school hosted the ISP Virtual Model United Nations.
Friendly admissions process
The process is straightforward and personal, with support in several languages for families arriving from overseas.
Results like these come from steady work by students and staff, not luck. Families comparing the best secondary schools in Dubai usually start with examination outcomes, so we publish ours here. They also give students a strong platform for choosing post-16 subjects that fit their plans.
91%
achieved grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) at GCSE
67%
achieved grades 9 to 6 (A* to B) at GCSE
46%
achieved grades 9 to 7 (A* to A) at GCSE
Students usually join us in Year 7, many moving up from our primary phase, and the secondary stage runs in two halves.
The early secondary years are deliberately broad. English, Mathematics and Science anchor the timetable, with Humanities, Languages, Arts and PE around them. This is the stretch American families would recognise as middle and early high school, and the aim is simple: strong foundations, wide interests, and the habit of thinking for yourself before the qualification years begin.
Students spend two years working towards internationally recognised qualifications in subjects they chose themselves. The work gets deeper and more independent, and it is built to prepare them for A Levels, BTECs, or whatever comes after.
Choosing GCSE and BTEC options in Year 9
Choosing GCSE and BTEC subjects is the first big academic decision students make, and we treat it that way. In Year 9, every student receives an Options Booklet setting out each course, and students and parents come to an Options Evening to talk to teachers directly. Taster sessions let students try a subject before committing to it. Teachers guide each choice personally, so the final selection reflects strengths, interests and goals instead of guesswork.
“Secondary teachers are particularly effective in using higher-order questioning techniques to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills.”
University and career guidance
Guidance starts well before Year 11. Students use the Unifrog platform alongside one-to-one counselling, visits to local universities and presentations from universities overseas. In 2024/25, students who continued with us through Post 16 went on to universities including the University of Birmingham Dubai, the University of Leeds and Gulf Medical University.
Among British curriculum secondary schools in Dubai, ours is built on the five pillars every ISP school shares. They describe what we want a student to leave with, which goes wider than a list of grades.
Academic achievement
Personalised learning sits at the heart of the secondary journey.
Life competencies
Critical thinking, collaboration, innovation and intercultural understanding are taught on purpose, inside every subject.
Multilingualism
Students work in a multilingual, multicultural environment and are held to a high standard in Arabic, with real success in literature and poetry competitions to show for it.
More than 26,000 students across ISP take part in ILOS every year.
Life & career pathways
Guidance runs from subject choices through to university applications, and it starts earlier than most families expect.
Personalised learning sits at the heart of the secondary journey. Each student has tailored academic and pastoral support from their form tutor and phase leader, guided by an individual learning profile with clear targets. Year 9 brings dedicated mentoring for GCSE and BTEC choices, so pathways reflect strengths and ambitions instead of habit. Across the ISP network, 93% of school leavers reach their first-choice destination, and ISP’s Learning Improvement Process, LIP™, keeps that consistent from school to school.
Critical thinking, collaboration, innovation and intercultural understanding are taught on purpose, inside every subject. Respect, integrity, inclusion, collaboration and excellence are the values underneath it all, and they show in how students treat each other as much as in any assembly.
Students work in a multilingual, multicultural environment and are held to a high standard in Arabic, with real success in literature and poetry competitions to show for it. Mother tongues are celebrated through cultural events and celebration days, and targeted English as an Additional Language support keeps the curriculum open to everyone. Across ISP, 83% of students master a second language before they leave school.
More than 26,000 students across ISP take part in ILOS every year. Ours join the Buddy Exchange, the Virtual Buddy Exchange, ISP Model United Nations, the International Summer Camp for ages 12 to 14, Maths and English challenges, the Film Festival and the global chess tournament. Hosting the ISP Virtual Model United Nations put the school’s name on that map properly.
Guidance runs from subject choices through to university applications, and it starts earlier than most families expect. ISP’s Future Pathways programme and its partnerships with more than 100 universities sit behind our own counselling, and the results show up in the destinations above.
Secondary teachers are particularly effective in using higher-order questioning techniques to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
KHDA Inspection Report, (2023-2024)
We take applications through the year for Years 7 to 11 from families across Dubai and Sharjah. Ask the Admissions team about scholarships when you speak to them. Choosing a Dubai secondary education is easier in person, so the useful first step is a campus tour.
The National Curriculum for England, leading to GCSEs and BTECs, with STEAM built into how the core subjects are taught. In line with UAE regulations, students also study Arabic, Islamic Education, and Moral, Social and Cultural Studies. French continues through to IGCSE, and English language support is available for students who need it.
Years 7 to 9 build breadth across English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, Languages, Arts and PE. Years 10 and 11 narrow to the GCSE and BTEC subjects each student has chosen, with more depth and more independence. The thread running through all five is learning to think critically and work things out for yourself.
Yes. Post 16 offers both, and students choose according to their strengths and where they are heading, university or career, with personal guidance throughout. Families arriving from the Indian system sometimes search for higher secondary schools in Dubai, and Post 16 is the equivalent here.
Students join us from CBSE, American and other school systems every term, and our Admissions team places each student by age and school records, the same as for any other applicant. The table below shows how the year groups line up.
Age
Year group at Star, Al Twar
CBSE (India)
American (US)
11 to 12
Year 7
Grade 6
12 to 13
Year 8
Grade 7
13 to 14
Year 9
Grade 8
14 to 15
Year 10
Grade 9
15 to 16
Year 11, GCSE exams
Grade 10
16 to 18
Years 12 and 13 at Post 16, A Levels and BTECs
Grades 11 and 12
One major difference from CBSE: the British pathway continues to Year 13. Students sit GCSEs at the end of Year 11, then move into Post 16, where A Levels and BTECs take them through Years 12 and 13.
Usually on three things: examination results, inspection findings and what current families say. Our latest GCSE outcomes are published on this page. KHDA, which inspects all private Dubai schools, praised the quality of secondary teaching in its 2023-2024 report. And families across both emirates have stayed with us for two decades, which speaks to the third.
Over 60 co-curricular activities run across sport, performing arts and clubs, with an 8-lane, 25-metre swimming pool, padel courts, a football pitch and cricket nets on the sport side. Leadership comes through student council, prefect roles and ISP Changemakers, and ISP programmes range from the Model United Nations to a film festival and a global chess tournament.
Experience confidence in learning and leadership with our British Secondary programme at Star, Al Twar.
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