As one of the world's most prestigious schools is opening a branch in Abu Dhabi, the principal is banking on attracting families from the UAE and Gulf region that would normally send their children overseas to study.
Harrow Abu Dhabi is expected to begin operating in August 2027, after the opening was delayed earlier this year. Families can expect to pay fees between Dh80,000 and Dh106,000 per pupil, and even more if they opt for boarding.
Adrian Frost, its founding headmaster, compared bringing the 450-year heritage British school’s education to the UAE to buying a Rolls-Royce overseas: some features would change to suit the country, while the thinking behind it should remain the same.
“You could buy a Rolls-Royce in the UK, and you can buy a Rolls-Royce here, and you'll notice that there are certain differences,” he told The National.
“It's a different regulator. It's a different location. It's quite plausibly a different demographic that will be interested in the school, but yeah, the ethos and culture is very, very much the same.”
For parents, that will be reflected in an extended school day with activities, shared mealtimes, supervised homework, along with an emphasis on reading and handwriting, and reduced reliance on screens.
Families looking for boarding options will have to wait beyond its first year, Mr Frost said.
Food will be regulated on campus, with pupils not allowed to bring lunch boxes from home. There are several dining halls that serve an array of meals and snacks throughout the day, focusing on the nutritional value of meals while ensuring pupils learn proper etiquette and table manners.
“It is a very different education offering,” he said, “one that is not really replicated in quite the same way in any school in Abu Dhabi.”
The Saadiyat Island campus will initially admit children from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 6. Boarding will be considered as the school expands into its next phase. The opening date or fees for accommodation have not yet been confirmed.
“It’s a few years away though, and we will obviously need to set up the first phase, which is FS1 to Year 6,” said Mr Frost.
That timeline puts Abu Dhabi's first boarding school at least two years away.
Half the building would not be needed for at least a year after the school opens, Mr Frost said.
The school was initially planned to accommodate 1,800 pupils on a site of about 70,000 square metres, which is 30 per cent larger than the Dubai campus, which opened earlier this year.
Alternative to boarding abroad
Mr Frost hopes families in the UAE and the wider Gulf region who might otherwise send their children overseas will consider Abu Dhabi.
Having attended boarding school himself, he recalled studying alongside children whose families lived in countries including Jordan and Bahrain. He intends to bring his experience and knowledge of boarding schools to Abu Dhabi’s first one.
“There are parents who want boarding. I hope that they will look to us as an alternative option,” he said.
He sees Saadiyat’s cultural institutions, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim museums, as well as proximity to New York University Abu Dhabi, as part of the appeal, particularly for a school that intends to place importance on music and performing arts.
“That location is not just an address, it’s a teaching resource,” he said.
Mr Frost previously worked as vice-principal of Brighton College Abu Dhabi and has experience in British day and boarding schools, and in establishing a boarding school in Portugal.
He said work was still under way with regulators, school operator Taaleem and Harrow to establish the policies and arrangements for boarding.
The school intends to align with standards set by the Boarding Schools’ Association, Mr Frost added.
Although being a boarding advocate himself, he warned against treating the option as the right choice for every family.
“All the children are different, every single one of them,” he said.
“There are some children that thrive in that type of environment, and there are some that can find it a struggle.”
What parents will pay for
Mr Frost said annual school fees are expected to range from Dh80,000 for FS1 to Dh106,000 for Year 6.
He added that although some schools charge extra for after-school activities, Harrow intends to include sport, performing arts and other activities within the premium fee range, but the arrangements with external providers in Abu Dhabi have not been finalised.
The extended day would begin with activities, followed by breakfast, continue through lessons, and finish with tea and supervised homework, known as prep. Teachers are called “beaks”, following Harrow tradition.
“That is all part of the provision that comes within that price,” he said.
At the Dubai school, where Mr Frost was completing his induction, about 96 clubs and activities were running for 400 pupils.
Boarding will carry an additional charge in Abu Dhabi but that price has not yet been finalised.
“There will obviously be a higher cost associated with it,” he said. “But it’s important to us that we don’t price ourselves out of the market.”
British families form a large proportion of the Dubai school’s intake, which Mr Frost said is “unsurprising”.
Why the opening was delayed
The Abu Dhabi campus was initially expected to open this year. Mr Frost said the postponement to 2027 was due to operational constraints on Saadiyat Island, including infrastructure requirements and approvals from authorities.
“It was nothing from the school's side, they were ready to go,” he clarified.
He said those obstacles had been overcome and construction had reached the third and final floor, allowing work to move towards the windows and interior fittings.
The Abu Dhabi campus would broadly reflect the Dubai school, although the shapes and sizes of the sites are different, he said.
During the visit, he highlighted Dubai’s early-years spaces, an auditorium, music rooms and sports amenities as examples of the provision planned for the capital.