Queen Elizabeth’s School to open first overseas campus in Dubai

Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet is set to open a new campus in Dubai Sports City, offering QE Essentials – a suite of programmes and initiatives developed to underpin what the school describes as a coherent Queen Elizabeth’s (QE) education.

QE Barnet is working with its partner, GEDU Global Education, to establish independent, fee-paying schools in the United Arab Emirates and India – the first such venture by a UK state school. The international campuses will operate under the QE banner but will each have their own principal, leadership team and teaching staff.

Approval from Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has cleared the way for the school to open in August 2026, with applications for places opening on 4 November 2025.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “We are delighted to have received this encouragement from the KHDA to offer a rounded and enriching QE education to children in the UAE, spreading opportunity and supporting students to become the leaders of their generation.

“We are also excited by the potential for international collaboration, which, in time, will build a global network of Elizabethans for the benefit of our new students as well as those within the state sector in Barnet. Our intention is also to use revenue from QE Global Schools to support long-term educational excellence at Queen’s Road.”

Edward Hobart, His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, added: “I am delighted that Queen Elizabeth’s School will open in Dubai Sports City next year. This milestone represents the first time a British state-funded grammar school has expanded globally, testament to the enduring strength of UK-UAE educational partnerships.

“By bringing QE’s proven educational methodology and 450-year heritage of academic excellence to Dubai, it increases the opportunity for young people in the UAE to access world-class British education. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this world-class institution will have on students and the broader educational landscape in the UAE.”

Dubai Sports City is a multi-purpose complex built around five major sports venues and includes residential, retail and leisure facilities. Teaching at the new school will follow England’s National Curriculum.

Caroline Pendleton-Nash, chief executive of Queen Elizabeth’s Global Schools, said: “This landmark approval allows us to accelerate our vision to deliver world-leading K-12 education to students from across the UAE.

“While the model of establishing international branches is familiar among leading UK independent schools, this marks the first time in history that a distinguished UK state grammar school has embarked upon such a partnership. It represents an unprecedented and truly exciting milestone for global education.”

She concluded: “The Dubai branch campus will remain faithful to the mission, ethos, tradition, and exacting academic standards of Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet, while embracing Dubai’s spirit of innovation and ambition. Our mission is to nurture confident, able, and responsible young people who are prepared to lead happy and fulfilled adult lives and to make a positive contribution to others. In uniting the heritage of one of the UK’s most distinguished schools with the vision of Dubai, we aspire to set a new global benchmark for educational excellence.”