Queen Elizabeth’s School appoints Dan Clark as Dubai founding principal

Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City, has appointed Dan Clark as founding principal of its new campus, due to open in August 2026.

The appointment follows last week’s announcement that Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet, in partnership with GEDU Global Education, has received initial approval from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) to open its first international branch in Dubai.

The new school will offer the National Curriculum for England, aligned with the standards that have seen Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet consistently rated Outstanding by Ofsted and ranked among the highest-performing schools in the UK.

Educated at George Heriot’s School, Edinburgh, and the University of St Andrews, Clark has held leadership positions since 2008 at Repton and Marlborough College. He is recognised for his academic rigour, innovation and commitment to balancing excellence with character development. Colleagues and pupils alike value his clarity of purpose, intellectual ambition and ability to build high-performing teams.

Chief executive of Queen Elizabeth’s Global Schools, Caroline Pendleton-Nash, said Clark’s appointment reflects the group’s commitment to academic excellence.

She said: “Dan joins Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City with an exceptional record of leadership at one of the United Kingdom’s most distinguished schools, Marlborough College. His deep expertise in academic excellence, character formation and high-performance school culture positions him to uphold and advance the Queen Elizabeth’s tradition here in Dubai.

“Our mission is to bring a truly world-class British education to the UAE, rooted in 450 years of scholarly heritage and a commitment to shaping confident, able and responsible young people. Dan’s appointment reflects our uncompromising standards and will support us in setting a new global benchmark for educational distinction.”

Clark added: “Throughout my career in outstanding schools, I’ve seen how powerful education can be. It challenges pupils to think deeply, act responsibly and believe in their own capacity to achieve. These values are fundamental to the Queen Elizabeth’s approach.

“As founding principal of Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City, I’m excited to establish a community that will produce confident, able and responsible young people who are ready to shape the future.”

Founded in 1573 by royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet is a leading grammar school with more than 450 years of heritage. It provides a merit-based education to pupils from diverse and modest backgrounds, and its academic results consistently place it at the top of UK league tables across both the state and independent sectors. The school was named Sunday Times State Secondary School of the Year for A-levels 2025.