Abu Dhabi: Given the demand for quality education Aldar Academies is looking into developing more schools to meet the needs of all its residential communities across the emirate of Abu Dhabi, Mohammad Al Mubarak, the company’s chairman, said on Thursday.

“We are studying plans to develop other schools for the communities on Reem Island, Khalifa City and Al Raha Beach, among others,” Al Mubarak told Gulf News.

He was speaking at the formal opening of the Aldar Academies’ two new schools, the West Yas Academy on Yas Island, and Al Mamoura Academy, which is located on the Abu Dhabi island in the area that previously housed Al Nahyan Camp.

Aldar Academies, the education wing of property developer Aldar Properties, started its first school in the capital in 2007 by refurbishing a building previously occupied by a public school. The two new schools that opened at the start of the current academic year in September 2016 are however rather unique in the education they offer.

West Yas Academy brings the Massachusetts State curriculum to the capital, which stresses Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths learning and 21st century skills while following the American syllabus. When fully opened, it will be able to accommodate 1,800 pupils from kindergarten to Grade 12, but currently has 283 students enrolled from kindergarten to Grade 6.

Al Mamoura Academy, on the other hand, will only enrol girls in secondary school from Grade 7 to Grade 13, but will be co-ed in kindergarten and primary school.

Nilay Ozral, chief executive officer at Aldar Academies, said the school would therefore cater to families that prefer an all-girls education in the higher grades.

The school, which offers the English National Curriculum, currently has 902 students, and can accommodate up to 1,800. In secondary school, Al Mamoura has the British IGCSE curriculum, and hopes to also provide the IB curriculum in future.

Aldar Academies schools also place particular emphasis on Arabic language learning.

“Although learning Arabic is compulsory in the UAE from Grade 1 onwards, we have a special Arabic dimensions curriculum for our kindergarten students as well,” Ozral said.

“Together, the seven schools have a capacity of 8,700 students, and we are happy to note that all of them rank within Band A (the top three ranks) in school inspections.”