Some of the biggest names in education are setting up in the emirates in the coming years

From Harrow to Gordonstoun, a wave of centuries-old UK educational institutions is landing in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Here’s what families need to know about the newest names on the block.

Harrow International School Dubai

Founded in 1572 under a royal charter from Elizabeth I, Harrow’s alumni list reads like a highlight reel of British and world history: Winston Churchill, several other UK prime ministers and India’s first premier, Jawaharlal Nehru, among them. Now the school is making its Middle East debut with Harrow International School Dubai, rising on a 50,000 sqm plot on Hessa Street, operated by education group Taaleem. Construction is well underway ahead of a September 2026 opening, with the campus designed around “neuro-architecture” principles and paying homage to the original Speech Room in London. It’ll open with Early Years through Year 6, then scale to a full capacity of around 1,800–2,000 boys and girls. A second Harrow campus is also set for Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island. Tuition fees start from Dhs80,000 for FS1, rising to Dhs128,000 for Sixth Form.

Opening: 2026
Visit: harrowdubai.ae

Rugby School Dubai

Here’s a fun one for the sports fans: Rugby School, founded in 1567, is the actual birthplace of rugby football, named for the schoolboy who famously picked up the ball and ran with it. Rugby School Dubai opens for the 2026-27 academic year in Nad Al Sheba, in partnership with Aldar Education, taking over the existing campus previously home to Kent College Dubai (which is relocating). Unusually for a new opening, Rugby is launching as a complete through-school from FS1 to Year 13 from day one, rather than phasing in year groups gradually. The campus will include more than 90 classrooms, a 400-seat auditorium and an extensive sports offering. Leading the charge is Executive Principal Henry Price, a former Senior Housemaster at Rugby School UK. Tuition fees start from Dhs70,000 for FS1, rising to Dhs120,000 for Sixth Form.

Opening: 2026
Visit: rugbyschooldubai.ae

ALSO READ: The top 21 schools in Dubai and their fees 

Gordonstoun Abu Dhabi

If any school on this list needs no introduction to royal watchers, it’s Gordonstoun — alma mater of the British monarch, King Charles III, and reportedly attended for a summer by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. The Scottish school, founded in 1934 and known for its emphasis on resilience, character and the outdoors (it’s the birthplace of the Duke of Edinburgh Award), is opening its first-ever campus outside the UK on Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi’s mangrove-lined master development between Saadiyat and Yas Islands. Opening for admissions in September 2027, the campus will cater to students aged four to 18 under the English GCSE and A-Level curriculum, led by founding principal Brendan Law, previously the founding principal of both Brighton College Abu Dhabi and Cranleigh Abu Dhabi.

Opening: 2027

Epsom College Dubai

The newest name to join the UAE’s education boom, Epsom College only announced its Middle East arrival in late June 2026. In partnership with NEMA Education (the group behind Abu Dhabi University and Liwa University), the 170-year-old Surrey school will open Epsom College Abu Dhabi in September 2028, followed by Epsom College Dubai in September 2030. Both will be fully co-educational, K-12 day schools following the British curriculum through to GCSEs and A-Levels, each eventually catering to between 2,000 and 2,500 pupils. The Abu Dhabi campus is planned to mirror the scale of Epsom’s Surrey grounds, with a 50-metre pool, floodlit pitches and dedicated buildings for every school phase.

Opening: 2028 in Abu Dhabi, 2030 in Dubai
Visit: epsomcollege.org.uk

King’s College School Wimbledon, Abu Dhabi

King’s College School Wimbledon is bringing its near-200-year academic pedigree to Fahid Island, Aldar’s new Dhs 40 billion-plus coastal development between Yas and Saadiyat Islands. Set to open in September 2028, the 50,000 sqm campus will accommodate up to around 2,200 students, offering what the school describes as a “Mind, Spirit and Heart” approach to education alongside strong university placement rates. It’ll be the first confirmed educational institution on Fahid Island, with Aldar signalling more to come as the development matures.

Opening: 2028
Visit: aldar.com