A Comprehensive School Age Guide in the UAE for Expat Parents

If your child is eight years old now, in what grade will they be when they transfer to a school in the UAE? This school age guide in the UAE will help you answer this and similar questions.

In this post, we discuss the UAE school admission age, what age children must be to enter a particular year or grade, and at what age UAE education becomes compulsory. Read on and — with a little help from this handy age-grade placement table — easily figure out your children’s grade or year in the UAE.

The Minimum Age for Admission in the UAE

In the UAE, the minimum age for school admission refers to age by cut-off date. The cut-off date is 31 August for private schools that start their academic year in September. It’s 31 March for private schools that begin their academic year in April.

GEMS Wellington Academy, one of our British schools, starts its school year in September. Therefore, a child must be three or should turn three by 31 August to get into the school’s FS1 programme. Likewise, GEMS American Academy Abu Dhabi, an American school also on the September academic calendar, will admit only Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) students who are three or will turn three years old by 31 August.

The Age of Compulsory Education in the UAE

Compulsory education in the UAE begins at age six. Thus, your child must be in Grade 1 or Year 2 by September if they are turning six on or before 31 August. Additionally, children residing in the UAE must remain in school until one of these two things happen:

• They complete Grade 12 in GEMS IB curriculum and American schools and Year 13 in British schools.

• They turn 18.

Nursery, Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) or Foundation Stage 1 (FS1), Kindergarten 1 (KG1) or Foundation Stage (FS2), and Kindergarten 2 (KG2) or Year 1 are non-compulsory. Even so, most parents in the UAE choose to enrol their children early so they are better prepared for Grade 1 or Year 2.

At GEMS, we take the early years as a precious opportunity to develop foundational skills and inculcate a love for learning in our young students. As a case in point, at some of our schools, like the GEMS Al Barsha National School, we start Arabic language education in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), one of the British curriculum age groups in the UAE, which pertains to FS1 and FS2 for children three to five years of age.

The UAE government requires Arabic language education for non-Arab passport holders in Grade 1 or Year 2. However, by teaching Arabic in EYFS or Pre-K and KG1, we can help our students develop foundational Arabic language skills they can draw on later.

The UAE School Admission Age Per Year or Grade Level

The UAE school admission age varies depending on the type of curriculum and the year or grade. Here are the school admission ages for all International Baccalaureate (IB), American and British curriculum stages.

Two Years Old

Two is the typical nursery age in the UAE.

Three Years Old

Three is the Pre-K age in IB and American curriculum schools and is the required FS1 age in British curriculum schools in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other parts of the UAE. Pre-K and FS1 are equivalent to the following year or grade levels in other parts of the world:

• FS1 or nursery in the United Kingdom

• Petite Section or PS in France

• Preschool in the United States, Singapore and Canada

Four Years Old

Four is the KG1 age in UAE American and IB schools and the FS2 school age in UAE British schools. KG1 and FS2 are equivalent to:

• KG1 in the United States

• Junior KG in Canada

• FS2 or reception in the United Kingdom

• KG in Australia and New Zealand

• Moyenne Section or MS in France

• Preschool in Singapore

Five Years Old

Five is the admission age for KG2 in UAE IB and American schools and the age required for Year 1 in UAE British schools. In other countries, KG2 and Year 1 correspond to:

• KG2 in the United States

• Senior KG in Canada

• Year 1 in the United Kingdom

• Prep in Australia and New Zealand

• Reception in South Africa

• Grande Section or GS in France

• Preschool in Singapore

Six Years Old

Six is the age at admission required for Grade 1 (American and IB curriculum) and Year 2 (British curriculum). They are equivalent to:

• Grade 1 in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

• Year 2 in the United Kingdom

• Cours Préparatoire or CP in France

• Primary 1 or P1 in Singapore

Seven Years Old

Seven is the required age for Grade 2 and Year 3 in the UAE. These correspond to:

• Grade 2 in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

• Year 3 in the United Kingdom

• Cours Élémentaire – 1ère année or CE1 in France

• Primary 2 or P2 in Singapore

Eight Years Old

Eight is the minimum age for Grade 3 and Year 4,  which are equivalent to:

• Grade 3 in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

• Year 4 in the United Kingdom

• Cours Élémentaire – 2ème année or CE2 in France

• Primary 3 or P3 in Singapore

Nine Years Old

Nine is the admission age for Grade 4 and Year 5, equivalent to:

• Grade 4 in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

• Year 5 in the United Kingdom

• Cours Moyen – 1ère année or CM1 in France

• Primary 4 or P4 in Singapore

10 Years Old

Ten is the required age for Grade 5 and  Year 6, equivalent to:

• Grade 5 in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

• Year 6 in the United Kingdom

• Cours moyen – 2ème année or CM2 in France

• Primary 5 or P5 in Singapore

11 Years Old

Eleven is the admission age for Grade 6 and Year 7, equivalent to:

• Grade 6 in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

• Year 7 in the United Kingdom

• Sixième in France

• Primary 6 or P6 in Singapore

12 Years Old

Twelve is the admission age for Grade 7 and Year 8, which correspond to:

• Grade 7 in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

• Year 8 in the United Kingdom

• Cinquième in France

• Secondary 1 or S1 in Singapore

13 Years Old

Thirteen is the minimum age for admission to Grade 8 and Year 9, equivalent to:

• Grade 8 in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

• Year 9 in the United Kingdom

• Quatrième in France

• Secondary 2 or S2 in Singapore

14 Years Old

Fourteen is the required age for Grade 9 and Year 10, which correspond to:

• Grade 9 in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

• Year 10  in the United Kingdom

• Troisième in France

• Secondary 3 or S3 in Singapore

15 Years Old

Fifteen is the minimum age for Grade 10 and Year 11, equivalent to:

• Grade 10  in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

• Year 11 in the United Kingdom

• Lycée seconde in France

• Secondary 4 or S4 in Singapore

16 Years Old

Sixteen is the admission age for Grade 11 and Year 12, corresponding to:

• Grade 11 in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

• Year 12 in the United Kingdom

• Première in France

• Post-secondary education in Singapore

17 Years Old

Seventeen is the admission age for Grade 12 and Year 13, the last year required before students can enter university. These year levels are equivalent to:

• Grade 12 in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

• Year 13 in the United Kingdom

• Terminale in France

• Post-secondary education in Singapore

School Age Guide in the UAE: Placement Made Easy

Use the above comprehensive school age guide in the UAE to determine which year or grade level your children should transfer to when you move to the UAE. In the UAE, your children won’t need to attend school until they’re six. However, you can (and we encourage you to) enrol your children in nursery when they turn two.

In nursery school, toddlers will engage in structured and unstructured play-based activities that will help them develop fine-motor, communication, listening, and social skills. Your children also get to spend time away from you, their primary caregivers, so they get the opportunity to practise independence. These can lead to a better academic performance when they’re older.

At GEMS schools, moreover, we use the early childhood years to provide children with foundational Arabic skills. This can be particularly beneficial because Arabic language education is compulsory in UAE schools from Grade 1 or Year 2 onwards. Getting a head start on the language can be extremely beneficial to children as they move forward in their educational journey.

We are GEMS Education, a leading provider of excellent private education in the UAE. Contact our admissions team if you need help to determine which grade or year level you should enrol your children in the upcoming school year.