The UK’s Harrow School will open its first Middle East campus in Dubai this September.
Harrow School is opening its first campus in the Gulf. Harrow International School Dubai is on track to open in September 2026, making it the first Harrow school anywhere in the region.
According to The National, the campus is about 85 percent ready, and construction has been running around the clock. The school is set to open with roughly 400 students, covering Foundation Stage through Year 6, and plans to grow to full operation through Year 13 within three years.
The Dubai campus sits on a 50,000 square metre plot in Jumeirah Village Circle. It is operated by UAE education group Taaleem and designed to hold up to 2,000 students, both boys and girls, at full capacity. An Abu Dhabi branch is expected to follow within a year.
Harrow School was founded in 1572 under a royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I, on a hill in north-west London. Its former pupils include seven British prime ministers, among them Winston Churchill and Robert Peel, along with India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the poet Lord Byron. Over the past 25 years, its international arm has spread across Asia, with campuses in cities such as Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Dubai marks its first campus in the Middle East.
When Will Harrow School Dubai Open?
Regional conflict tied to the Iran war created supply chain problems that forced the project team to adjust plans. The inaugural headmaster, Simon O’Connor, said the school did not lose a single day of construction during that period.
The school also lost four teachers. One UK-based staff member chose not to move her family to the Emirates, while three others had partners who lost jobs in finance or real estate and could not stay in the country. Some families who had already enrolled decided to defer for six months to a year while uncertainty over the conflict remained.
O’Connor said the picture has shifted in recent weeks. He said that over a recent 10-day stretch, many parents told the school they wanted to return and start in September, which he described as a sign of confidence in the market and the country. He added that no family had dropped out because of any issue with the school itself.
To track progress, the school set up a task force of 12 to 15 departments that meet regularly to cover construction, procurement, staffing, and safety at the same time.
Harrow Dubai Campus Admissions, Design & Curriculum
The campus was built using neuro-architecture principles, which study how physical space affects the way children think and learn. That approach shaped choices around air flow, natural light, sight lines, and sound. O’Connor said good air circulation keeps children alert and that natural light supports learning, which is why the building has large windows throughout.
The design also references the original London school, including a feature that echoes Harrow’s famous Speech Room. O’Connor said pupils from the London campus would likely recognize the space and feel a sense of familiarity.
Class sizes will run smaller than the Dubai average. There will be 18 children per class in Foundation Stage, rising to 20 in Years 1 and 2, and 22 in Years 3 to 6. The school will start with four classes per year group and grow to seven over time.
Facilities will include three swimming pools, a gym, fitness suites, and a yoga suite, all under heavy construction during recent site visits. The dining hall sits at the center of the school and looks out toward the playing fields. Meals will be communal and screen-free, modeled on the boarding school tradition.
The curriculum will be broader than many Dubai schools offer. It will include classical subjects such as Latin and ancient Greek, which O’Connor hopes to take through GCSE and A-Level. An extensive co-curricular program, covering activities from fencing to music to martial arts, will be built into the school fees. Children will complete their prep and activities before going home.
Inclusion is another stated priority. O’Connor, who said he has led two schools rated Outstanding for inclusion, is committed to a non-selective admissions policy. There will be a small, temporary cap on students of determination in the first year while the specialist department becomes fully operational.
Harrow School Dubai opens for the 2026 to 2027 academic year, with the Abu Dhabi campus set to follow.
