What the Papers (and Other Media) Said…
UAE’s best schools honoured at awards ceremony
The National
More than 850 teaching staff turned out for the Top School Awards at Bollywood Parks on Thursday.
One of the oldest formal primary schools in Dubai has been named the best school in the UAE.
Dubai English Speaking School, founded in the upstairs room of a villa in 1963, won the ultimate accolade of the Top Schools Awards 2019 at a ceremony in Bollywood Parks on Thursday night.
It’s a packed house in Dubai at the Rajmahal Theatre for the Top School Awards 2019 pic.twitter.com/iEsBznAZ2W
— The National (@TheNationalUAE) March 7, 2019
Organised by education ranking website SchoolsCompared.com, a total of 21 awards were up for grabs at the Rajmahal Theatre.
Dubai English Speaking School, and the primary school’s collegiate counterpart, Dubai English Speaking College, shared the top prize.
“What a brilliant year we are having. So proud of our amazing school community,” a statement on the school’s Twitter account read.
Click for the full (online) story.
Top UAE schools recognised
Gulf News
Awards looked beyond traditional criteria and included holistic development
Dubai: They may lose weekends making lesson plans and sleep late to complete coursework grading, but Thursday was a well deserved night off for more than 850 of the UAE’s local teaching community, who attended the SchoolsCompared.com Top Schools Awards at Dubai Parks and Resorts.
Twenty-one awards, including the Outstanding Contribution to UAE Education, Best School Principal, and Best School in the UAE, were handed out in celebration of excellence in the UAE education sector.
SchoolsCompared.com, an education comparison site that helps parents choose a school for their child, received 170 nominations this year after opening nominations to all schools, parents, and editors.
David Westley, General Manager and Co-Founder of Which Media, said the awards looked beyond academics and assessed several other criteria that promoted ‘whole child’ education.
I’ll never forget the moment I realised that the @SchoolsCompared @WhichSchool_UAE awards ceremony was going to be a full on #oscars performance pic.twitter.com/imSAHCu0Ma
— RunandRant Home 📌 (@runandrant) March 8, 2019
The crowd erupted in cheers when Sasha Crabb, principal of Victory Heights Primary School, received the School Principal of the Year Award for “ensuring that the happiness of ‘her children’ and the whole school community remains the priority’.
“I don’t think we’ve done anything differently…” Crabb said when she received the award. “We’ve just had to go with our gut, with our passion for what we believe is important to children.”
UAE Teachers, Schools Receive ‘Oscars’
Khaleej Times
Riverston School Dubai: Winners of the Best International Initiative in the UAE award
Gulf News
Riverston focuses not only on getting the best grade but also on the best education and creating a lifelong passion for learning
In conversation with the school’s Founding Principal, David Quick
What does it mean for your school to be nominated and win the Top School Awards?
It means everything to us, not only as a school but as a group of schools and children’s centres that work under the Riverston umbrella. The award was given to acknowledge the innovative inclusion model Riverston has pioneered that enables all students — including those with additional learning needs and those who are gifted and talented — to succeed.
What is your institution doing to foster critical thinking among students from an early age?
Critical thinking skills are a necessity for all students because they’re crucial for living life. Every teacher at RSD looks for interesting ways to integrate them into classrooms.
Social Media
Top Schools trended on Twitter in the UAE the evening and day following the awards… Here are just a selection of tweets.
Such an amazing night at the @SchoolsCompared Top Schools Awards 2019. What a fantastic celebration of the wonderful schools and teachers here in the UAE
#topschoolawards19 @FMKDXB_Tech pic.twitter.com/ze2OOfEgBB
— Claire Kabbani (@ClaireKabbani) March 8, 2019
British School of the Year! BSAK @WhichSchool_UAE @SchoolsCompared #topschoolawards19 pic.twitter.com/1RfS04YAQC
— James McBlane (@McblaneJames) March 7, 2019
Looking forward to the @SchoolsCompared @WhichSchool_UAE Top School Awards tomorrow evening. Who’s going? pic.twitter.com/EREtZOe8KR
— James McBlane (@McblaneJames) March 6, 2019
All ready for the School Compared Awards #topschoolawards19 @BSAKAbuDhabi #excited pic.twitter.com/ZIOINa3svK
— Teresa Woulfe (@BSAKsecHead) March 7, 2019
Delighted to announce that @JESSDubai won ‘Best IB Blended Curriculum School’ & ‘Outstanding Use Of Technology’ at the @schoolscompared #topschoolawards19 last Thursday held at @dxbparksresorts & attended by over 900 teachers
@JESS_Director @independenthead @ShaneOBrien55 pic.twitter.com/0xIVso09xO
— JESS Dubai
Of the 10 finalists, DESSC were awarded Best School in the UAE 2019 for being an institution where “every child counts” (Isobel Abulhoul OBE, CEO & Trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation and one of the panel of judges). #topschool #topschoolawards19https://t.co/P7DPuvdqFZ
— Dubai English Speaking College (DESC) (@DESCDubai) March 10, 2019
Congratulations to DESS for winning Best Primary School at the @SchoolsCompared Awards! Well deserved, we are all very proud of you! @Dessdubai @desshead #topschoolawards19 #topschool pic.twitter.com/mhfVi8J5km
— Dubai English Speaking College (DESC) (@DESCDubai) March 7, 2019
Gotta love those thrones! Who will be crowned in these the #topschoolawards19 from @SchoolsCompared pic.twitter.com/9UswJZQcL8
— JESS Dubai
@Dessdubai @descdubai is a truly great organisation and thank you to all governors, staff, students and parents for making this happen! #topschoolawards19 https://t.co/ZDGcfoJiGh
— Chris Vizzard (@VizzardChris) March 8, 2019
So incredibly proud to pick up this award on behalf of @BSAKAbuDhabi #topschoolawards19 honoured to be shortlisted with so many outstanding schools in the UAE https://t.co/EBLJvJH9O7
— Teresa Woulfe (@BSAKsecHead) March 7, 2019
Congratulations to all involved at @JumeirahCollege
Some well-deserved recognition at the #topschoolawards19 by @SchoolsCompared
https://t.co/fPeqRRyoOb
— Interactive Schools (@intSchools) March 11, 2019
Full house at the @WhichSchool_UAE @SchoolsCompared #topschoolawards19 pic.twitter.com/QlP2bediys
— James McBlane (@McblaneJames) March 7, 2019
It gives us great pleasure to announce that @vhpsprincipal was awarded Principal of the Year at the @SchoolsCompared Top Schools Awards 2019. We couldn’t be more proud to be working with the BEST principal in the UAE. To view all the winners visit: https://t.co/YG73Ff4Xac pic.twitter.com/6yTgu8LK9Y
— Victory Heights (@VHPrimary) March 8, 2019
More than 850 teaching staff turned out for the Top School Awards at Bollywood Parks. We have reaction from the winners here: https://t.co/qzKV3dWrcD pic.twitter.com/4s0gbG4dwF
— The National (@TheNationalUAE) March 8, 2019
The team @vhps @SchoolsCompared awards scrubbed up pretty well for a noisy rabble of professionals @DubaiEye1038FM pic.twitter.com/ss4O3E6s66
— Sasha Crabb (@vhpsprincipal) March 8, 2019
So deserving and so honored to be working at VHPS with the most amazing staff. Best principal of the year
award by schools compared and which adviser tonight just goes to show how amazing you are Sasha Crabb amazing team @vhpsprincipal @VHPS_Events @KHDA @SchoolsCompared
— Hannah Hepworth (@VHPS_FSHead) March 7, 2019
Looking forward to tonight’s awards ceremony. Thank you @SchoolsCompared #ksabcommunity #ksablife pic.twitter.com/VliWbE68lD
— KSAB Principal (@kSABPrincipal) March 7, 2019
Delighted to accept the @SchoolsCompared Award for Best IB Blended Curriculum in
— JESS Director
The Arcadia team at the Top School Awards 2019! Stay tuned! @SchoolsCompared @WhichSchool_UAE pic.twitter.com/OjVz2vkjEQ
— The Arcadia School (@ArcadiaSch) March 7, 2019
Very proud to be with our three fantastic schools tonight @KingsAlBarsha @KingsNadAlSheba @KingsDubaiUAE @kingssixthform @KingsAlBarshaPE at the @SchoolsCompared Awards evening!
pic.twitter.com/9zgHwRDp3Q
— Alan D Williamson (@AlanDWilliamso1) March 7, 2019
Radio
ARN was a sponsor of the Top School Awards. The event was covered extensively pre and post event, with the winners announced on the news bulletin throughout the day after the event.
Members of Which Media and the winners themselves were interviewed on multiple shows.
