UAE back to school 2026: Live updates as record 1.27 million students return to classrooms

Students arrive at Indian High School in Oud Metha, Dubai campus after the summer break.

Morris Carreal, a new Year 4 teacher at Hamptons International School Dubai, is starting his first academic year at the school. Originally from the Philippines, he is excited to meet his students and get to know them as they begin a new school year.

Dressed as Pikachu for the first day, Carreal brought plenty of energy to the classroom and helped create a fun and welcoming atmosphere for his students.

“It’s really exciting to start a new school year and meet my students. I wanted to make the first day fun for them and help them feel comfortable in their new classroom. I’m looking forward to getting to know each of them and having a great year together,” he said.

Peter John Amata is starting his first academic year as a Year 4 teacher at Hamptons International School in Dubai. It is also his first time living and working in the UAE, and he said he is excited to get to know his new students and help them settle into the year ahead.

Dressed as Woody from Toy Story for the first day, Amata said the focus was on making students feel comfortable and excited about returning to school.

“It’s my first time in the UAE and it’s really exciting. Right now, I’m just introducing myself to the class and getting to know the kids. Since this is a new academic year and they are starting a new grade, we just want to help the kids get adjusted to their new grade.”

Several other teachers at the school have also dressed up as popular cartoon characters, adding a fun and lively touch to the first day back.

A fresh start brings nervous energy and that's a good thing: "I am more excited about a fresh start,” said Benn Richards, Head of Year 4 at GEMS World Academy, Abu Dhabi.

Speaking about welcoming students back after the summer break, Richards said many children return after spending a long time away. “It is always such a refreshing period where everyone comes in with new, exciting thoughts and feelings. There is always nervous energy, and I find that motivating.”

He said that nervousness also helped him build a connection with students who were new to him. “It helps me get to know the children, because likewise, I relate to them through nervousness, because we don’t know each other. I like putting them at ease.”

As Head of Year, Richards said his role also comes with a wider responsibility across all the Year 4 classes. “My responsibility is for language, spelling, science and maths, just the IB curriculum, really.”

Students are arriving at Yas American Academy on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, as the new academic year gets under way.

Samah, whose son Mohammed is starting Year 2, was up early to get him ready for the new academic year.

“I woke up at 5am to prepare his lunch box. His uniform and backpack were ready the night before. The first day back can be quite stressful, but also really exciting. It’s a fresh start, and it’s lovely to see the children so happy to be back and ready to see their friends and teachers. It’s also a little hard to say goodbye because you’ve had them at home for almost two months, but it’s nice to see them getting back into their routine and enjoying school again.”

Students at Pakistan Education Academy in Dubai are being welcomed back with a splash of colour and plenty of sweetness. Staff are painting heart emojis on the backs of students’ hands, while chocolate bars are also being handed out as a warm welcome to students returning after the summer break.

In Year 1 class 1C, of North Gate British Private School, Ajman, the children filing through the door this morning are meeting their teacher for the first time. Juhi Varma is meeting them for the first time as well.

"I have different kind of children with different nationalities in my classroom," she said. Some arrived in tears, others settled quickly and went straight for the activity stations set up around the room, which run from colour matching to upper case and lower case letters.

"They are entering as it's their first day and I am their teacher. They don't know me. It's a totally new day, so let's see how it goes," said Varma.

Her plan for the morning is a simple one. "I'll be just supporting all of them, to just engage them in the activities, to know about them. They should know about me."

Asked how she handles the separation anxiety that comes with day one, she pointed to one little girl in particular. "Some of the children are crying, not much. I have one girl, so I need to sit with her. I have to make her happy. I'll be just asking her why she cry," Varma said. The answer, she thinks, will be homesickness, and the fix will be a colouring and decorating task absorbing enough to take the child's mind off it.

She is not short of enthusiasm for the year ahead. "I am really excited, as every year I get a lot of different children. This year this is a new class, I'm totally first time I'm meeting them," she said.

Abhishek and Shyla Verma have just dropped off their daughter, Shyla, who is starting FS1 and joining the school for the first time.

“We are really excited and a little nervous because she is new to school, but she’s more excited than us to make new friends and start at her new school. We’re also happy to get back into a routine after almost two months of summer break.”

We are very excited to welcome back our existing students and our new students to the school. It has been a really busy summer, and we have all been getting ready,” said Shahina Ahmad, OBE, Executive Principal and CEO.

Speaking about the changes made over the summer, Ahmad said the school had also opened a new building with specialist facilities for secondary students. “We listened to what the community had to say and put family first. So parent voice, student voice and staff voice are important to us.”

She said this feedback had also led to changes in the school day, with a slightly later start and finish. “We have many activities before the school starts and afterwards too,” she said.

On the school’s wider educational priorities, Ahmad said building character remained a key focus. “Our mission and aim is to deliver education for global positive change.”

Another major development this year is the introduction of an AI curriculum, which Ahmad said would be rolled out through an extracurricular approach.

Addressing concerns parents may have about the ongoing conflict in the region, she said: “Obviously, there will be parents who will be apprehensive about the impact of the conflict. Our safety zone exists, and we have shelter-in-place procedures.”

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan congratulated students, teachers, administrators and parents as the new academic year begins. Calling children the nation's “true wealth”, he encouraged students to embrace learning with optimism and ambition, while urging families and schools to work together to build future skills and reinforce values.

Police officers are managing traffic around the school zone in Sharjah’s Muweileh area as students return to classrooms for the new academic year. Traffic is being regulated to help ease congestion and ensure a smooth start to the school day and students and parents are assisted to cross the roads safely. Sharjah Police had announced an integrated traffic, community and public awareness plan for the start of the 2026-2027 academic year, with patrols being stepped up around schools and inspections intensified on school buses.

Students have started arriving at Hamptons International School in Al Twar as schools across Dubai welcome pupils back for the new academic year. Returning students are being joined by many new pupils, with families arriving for the start of the school year.

For four year old Zad Hassan, this is not just a new school year but the first day of school he has ever had. He starts in FS2, at North Gate British Private School, in Ajman, and his father Hassan Mohyeldin and mother came to drop him off in the class.

“It’s really nice, as I said before, it’s a good feeling, as a parent,” Mohyeldin said. “And we’re very excited for him.”

The family, who are from Egypt, had been marking off the days at home. “We were counting down the days till the first day of school,” said Mohyeldin.

Any nerves seem to have dissolved on arrival. His father watched him settle straight into the play area. “He’s playing, as you can see. He’s accommodating himself as well,” he said.

Glambot for the students to make first day back to school memories at North Gate British Private School in Ajman.

Students at the The Philippine School Dubai in Muhaisnah were welcomed back to campus with an upbeat drum and lyre performance, setting a lively tone for the start of the new academic year.

The musical welcome added to the excitement as students reunited with classmates and teachers on the first day of school.

Khadidja Bessoltane GEMS Cluster Lead and National Identity at GEMS World Academy, Abu Dhabi is looking forward to a more enriching new year. "This year feels like a fresh start for all of us. We are welcoming our students back with renewed focus on National Identity, and strong sense of belonging with our international community. We want every student to feel connected to UAE, values and grow as confident global citizens. We are looking forward to seeing them back on campus, for another year of learning."

Year 3 pupil Tuhinbala Balaji arrived at the gates this morning as one of the school’s new starters, and by his father’s account he had barely slept. “The excitement kept him up through the night,” he said and the family was awake by 5am to get ready.

Balaji Anbanathan took the morning off work to drop his son at the gates. He said the little boy has been counting down to the day, with making new friends top of Tuhinbala’s list for the term ahead.

The first day is being built around settling students in rather than rushing them into lessons, according to Vice Principal Kamran Ajmal, of North Gate British Private School.

Morning form periods are the anchor. “Students first two periods with in the morning, they’re gonna get a chance to reflect on the day, ask any questions about what they did, about where they need to be, the form tutors will be there to support them,” Ajmal said, describing it as a wellbeing check.

The end of the day is being managed just as closely. Staff will sort students into their bus groups and walk them down themselves. “We’re going to organise the students into the correct buses at the end of the day. We’re going to walk them down and make sure they’re getting on the correct bus. They can get home on time,” said Ajmal.

Children being collected by car will be walked down to the front of the school and shown the route so parents can pick them up safely.

“At North Gate British School, we are extremely excited to welcome all of our students back to the start of the new academic year,” said Principal Thomas James Meakin. “Preparations have gone extremely well over the summer with some fantastic new developments within the school, including a fantastic, brand new auditorium, a new library facility, as well as developments across the school, towards our classrooms, to support the functioning of our new GCSE programme.”

Safety, he said, has shaped the planning throughout. “As always, safety has been paramount in all of our decision making, and our emergency response processes are still in place to ensure that the students are safe when they return to school,” Meakin said.

The school has designated safe zones on campus as part of that emergency response training, alongside evacuation procedures, so pupils have secure areas to go to if anything arises during the school day.

GEMS World Academy Abu Dhabi ready to welcome back children for the first day of school with balloon decorations.

Watch students in uniforms return to school in yellow buses. Students of The Indian High School, Oud Metha Campus, are all smiles as they are received with special “welcome back to school” messages.

UAE residents woke up to the familiar sight of yellow school buses on roads as students return to classrooms across the country, marking the resumption of learning after the summer break.