Today, one of the most prestigious independent British Curriculum schools in the UK, the Royal Grammar School Guildford(RGS Guildford), held a ceremony to celebrate the official opening of its new school in Dubai.
Exactly 512 years after the founding of the first Royal Grammar School in Guildford in the United Kingdom, the school’s UAE campus was officially opened with a plaque unveiling ceremony in the presence of Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Director-General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Craig Lamshed, Founding Principal RGS Guildford Dubai and Dr Jon Cox, Headmaster RGS Guildford UK, as well as; Clare Turnbull, RGS Guildford Dubai’s Head of Prep, Chris Jansen, CEO Cognita and David Baldwin, Managing Director, Middle East, Cognita.
Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Director-General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said:“The Royal Grammar School Guildford is joining the Dubai education community in a new academic year full of excitement and optimism. The school’s students, teachers and parents will get the best of two worlds – a school with a long history of excellence in education in a dynamic city that is focused on the future. We welcome RGS to Dubai and to a school community that has quality and wellbeing at its heart.”
Craig Lamshed, Founding Principal of the Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai, said: “I am delighted that we have reached this momentous occasion of welcoming our first cohort of Guildfordians in Dubai. Staying true to RGS’s ethos and values, we will begin our journey of preparing our pupils for challenges of the 21st century by constantly innovating and providing a platform for our pupils to reach their full potential.”
Bringing over 500 years of heritage and innovation to Dubai’s education sector
Dr Jon Cox, Headmaster of the RGS Guildford, UK, said:“It is a great pleasure to welcome RGS Guildford Dubai as the new member of our international family. As the school opens its doors to young people for the first time today, we are very excited to bring the excellence of an RGS education to Dubai and looking forward to inspiring our young students with the skills and experience they need to become the leaders of the future.”
RGS Guildford Dubai benefits from over 500 years of pioneering heritage, knowledge and practice of what makes great education. It maximises the learning experience for each pupil through exceptional teaching, a curriculum that maintains a balance between ‘what’ is to be learnt and ‘how’ it is learnt, and a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. The school is located within Majid Al Futtaim’s flagship Dubai community, Tilal Al Ghaf, adjacent to Hessa Street, between Dubai Motor City and Sports City. The incredible school sits on an impressive 40,000 square metre campus and will accommodate up to 2,100 pupils. The light and dynamic building includes a 25-metre competition standard swimming pool and state-of-the-art classrooms and labs that will support science, art, languages, music and more.