Dear Respected Parents,

I am delighted to be writing to all parents of GEMS Al Barsha National School to provide an update on the work taking place and the progress of our school development plans during the first 2 weeks of the summer break. I pray that all our families are enjoying a well-deserved break at the end of a uniquely demanding year.

I have been very encouraged by the progress made by our Project Team responsible for enhancing our school campus during July and August. Our Construction Team have fully developed plans for improving our site which include:

- The redesign of the building to fully segregated dedicated independent blocks for girls and boys.

- The construction of a full-size sports field.

- The addition of two Multi-Use Games Areas for Physical Education and recreational use at breaks and lunchtimes.

- The development of a second canteen.

- The reconfiguration of the clinic to separate and dedicated girls and boys clinics.

- The development of a one-way car park and traffic management system using the previous bus lane at the side of the building.

We are very grateful for the support of our parents who have contributed to our Parent Consultation Groups on the development of our campus for the coming academic year. Parents insights and inputs have helped us to develop our plans for managing our school site from September. These include:

• Dedicated boys and girls entrances

• Staggered breaks and lunchtimes

• Dedicated timetabling of facilities for boys and girls on separate days

• Staff supervision around the building at all times to ensure the correct following of routines and processes (Our pupil to teacher ratio of 8:1 – the lowest in GEMS Education group of schools - ensures that we have robust supervision of students at all times).

A summary of the insights shared by parents and the actions taken by our Senior Leadership team is found in the You Said, We Did section below.

In addition to the work that is taking place for the enhancement of the campus for the coming academic year, the Senior Leadership Team has been working tirelessly on the planning for reopening in September while ensuring that all Health and Safety Measures are taken as part of the Dubai-wide strategy to open our schools safely. Summary details of our plans for re-opening in September are found in the Re-opening Readiness section below.

Beyond the logistical planning outlined above, the Senior Leadership Team have been working hard on the development of our Academic Priorities for this academic year. This includes:

- The development of high quality first teaching across all subjects.

- Curriculum development allowing for the rigorous progression of skills and knowledge.

- A sharp focus from leaders on attainment standards in the core subjects of Arabic, Islamic Studies, English, Mathematics and Science.

- Continue expanding our curriculum enrichment provision.

- Development of strategic partnerships with the local and international community.

- Dedicated Post-16 Lead to personalised guidance for students about future careers, so that they understand the expectations for university entrance, and what they should do to achieve their goals.

- The recruitment and professional development of new and existing leaders to enhance the school’s capacity for ongoing improvement.

As part of the exciting chapter that we will be starting in September we have developed some new elements to our school uniform. While the core uniform remains the same, we have improved the material and design of some of our existing items. We have also introduced a new House Colour PE kit to strengthen the sense of community amongst all students. Our updated catalogue and details of the new location for purchasing the uniform are found below.

We are very proud of our students starting the next steps of their educational journeys in September. We wish all students the best as they start exciting new beginnings with fresh opportunities for renewal. This is particularly important for pupils starting entirely new phases. In particular, parents of students moving in to Year 1 and year 12 in September should please refer to the relevant sections below relating to their transition.

We will be holding further engagements with parents during July and August focused on elements of our academic plans for September and I look forward to keeping parents updated on our progress throughout the summer.

Yours sincerely,

Karim Murcia