GEMS School of Research and Innovation's next phase: New principal outlines his priorities

When Richard Jones takes over as principal of GEMS School of Research and Innovation (SRI) in January 2027, he will be stepping into a school that has just completed its first year, but he does not plan to arrive with a long list of changes.

Instead, Jones says his immediate priority will be to listen, learn and understand what is already working before deciding what needs to evolve.

“I think ultimately for me coming in, the first thing I've got to do is listen and learn,” Jones told Gulf News at the GEMS Awareness Day, this year.

He has so far been preparing for the role from outside the school, working with its existing leadership team and speaking with parents who have experienced SRI’s first year.

He said the feedback he has received has been largely positive, particularly given the challenges the school faced during its opening year.

“The overwhelming message has been that the team that set the school up have done a brilliant job and there's a huge amount of positivity in the school as it goes into its second year,” he said.

Why parents are drawn to SRI

For Jones, part of SRI’s appeal lies in its attempt to move beyond a traditional definition of educational success.

He said parents choosing a school are making one of the biggest decisions for their children, and that SRI appears to be attracting families who believe the conventional education model needs to evolve.

“I think it's attracting a certain type of parent who believes that the traditional education model needs to change and that they want to see something that's slightly more innovative,” he said.

Rather than focusing only on grades and academic outcomes, Jones said SRI’s approach is about preparing students to leave school feeling confident and equipped for life beyond the classroom.

“Success is something that you can't really measure it actually. Every family has got a different measure of success,” he said. “But, we want to help young people go into the world feeling equipped, confident in who they are. So it's far more than just the grades.”

Building a school community

Jones also pointed to the sense of community among SRI families as something that has stood out to him.

One example is the Family First Cafe at the school, where parents can stay for coffee after dropping their children off, creating opportunities for informal interaction with teachers and other families.

“There's a cafe there, a Family First Cafe... and having that cafe where parents actually can drop their child off and then sit and have a coffee,” he said.

He believes such spaces can help reduce the traditional barriers between schools and parents.

Jones also cited the school’s parent activities, including a group of fathers who play padel together, as examples of the informal connections developing around the school.

“Just those little things help build that sense of community,” he said.

Keeping SRI innovative

Dubai’s private-school sector is highly competitive, and Jones believes SRI’s ability to stand out will depend on remaining faithful to the vision behind its creation. That means continuing to question established approaches and looking for ways to bring experiences from outside the school into students’ education.

“It's to be bold, it's to be innovative. It's to ask questions. It's why do we do things that way? How can we do things differently?” he said.

Jones also highlighted partnerships with external organisations as a way of bringing the “real world” into the classroom.

But he stressed that innovation should not mean introducing change simply for the sake of being different.

“We've got to challenge ourselves to keep being as innovative as we possibly can, not for the sake of it, but where we think we can do things better and we can really add value,” he said.

No major changes planned — yet

With SRI only one year into its journey, Jones said it would be premature to arrive with a major restructuring agenda.

“I think it's too soon,” he said when asked what he plans to change.

“The school is brand new. You know, it's only just done its first year.” Instead, his initial focus will be on embedding the systems and ideas already in place, allowing the school time to assess their impact before making adjustments.

“Actually, we're probably looking more at how we embed what we want to do rather than thinking about changing things already,” he said. “Let's embed what we've got. Let's make sure we're giving it time to see the impact of what we're doing. And then we can adapt that as we go along.”

Listening to students, parents and staff

Jones said that learning about Dubai and the wider GEMS school network will also be an important part of his transition into the role.

“I've got a huge amount to learn about Dubai, about the school network here,” he said. But perhaps most importantly, he wants to spend time with the students themselves.

“I've got a huge amount to learn about our children. And I want to make sure I've got the time to listen to them and spend time with them and see how what's working for them and what isn't,” he said.

The same approach, he added, will extend to parents and staff.