Dubai English Speaking School celebrates 50 years of excellence

Suzie Wright still remembers the most important lesson she learnt at Dubai English Speaking School (Dess), where she was pupil from 1979 to 1986.

“It was imparted to me by the then head mistress Ms Bernadette McCarthy,” she says. “She was an amazing lady who had time for everybody, be it a pupil or a parent. She taught us all about respect for one another, respect for ourselves and how to embrace self-confidence.

“One of the main things she taught me was honesty. It happened after an incident when I was in year two,” says Suzie, now 37. “One day I accidentally knocked a towel into the toilet and it blocked the pipes. Ms McCarthy told the school that until the culprit came forward and confessed, the whole school would forfeit play time.

“I remember sitting in the car on the way home crying to my mum saying that it was an accident but I was too scared to admit it to Ms McCarthy.
The next morning my mum took me to the headmistress and made me tell her what had happened.

Ms McCarthy told me she admired my honesty and because of that the school could have play time again. She also informed everyone else about this. It was a valuable lesson I learnt that day – that no matter what you’ve done, be honest as the end result is always a lot easier than living with guilt if you do not own up.”

Though Suzie went on to a boarding school in the UK, she didn’t lose touch with her old school. Now a full-time mum back in Dubai, she is part of Friends of Dess.

“It’s a parents’ committee that raises funds for the school,” she says. They organise events such as barbecues, fairs and sales and Suzie
also volunteers in school.

The fact that the alumni still care for the school and make an effort to continue being in touch with their alma mater is what sets Dess apart, says David Hammond, head teacher, who’s been with the school since 1990. “I have a lot of ex-students whose children are now coming into the school. It’s a great feeling – like having your family here,” he says.

“There’s more to Dess than just bricks and mortar,” says Kirsty Radley, assistant head teacher. “There is a feeling here – a real sense of community – that I don’t think any other school has got, and that’s why the 50th anniversary we are celebrating this year is so important to us.

“It’s more than what we’ve achieved. I think the community should be proud of having achieved it with us.”

Best of British

Dess is the first British school and one of the oldest schools in Dubai. It opened rather informally in a villa in Bur Dubai in 1963. There were only three European families in the emirate at the time and the school was formed to cater to their children, recalls George Chapman, former director of Gray Mackenzie and chairman of Dubai Ports Services, who was one of the three who had his family here.

“Our wives taught the children at first, and then British Officer Flight Lieutenant F Luffman, who had some experience teaching in the UK, was roped in to teach them,” he says.

From such humble beginnings to teaching more than 1,700 students including those at Dubai English Speaking College at Academic City, Dess has come a long way.

To say that the story of Dess is intrinsically linked with the story of Dubai would be an understatement. “It has grown up with the city,” says head teacher David.

Now as the school celebrates its golden jubilee, the staff have come up with various activities to get the community involved in the celebrations. Dess took a stroll down memory lane recently with a week filled with fun and educational activities.

The school’s primary students played journalists for a day, interviewing alumni, who were invited by the school, about their experiences as Dess students.
Inspired by Sophie Marmount, a year one student at Dess, who recited a poem about commemorating the school’s 50th anniversary by planting a tree, a tree-planting ceremony was organised.

A Sixties music and dress-up day and a jubilee ball were also part of the week-long celebrations.

An oasis in Oud Metha

As David looks out over the Dess playground in Oud Metha, Dubai, he says: “This sea of green you see here now used be just sand for miles around when I first came here in 1990.”

David has seen the school develop through many stages. “In those days we had a lot of kids, although Dubai was a much smaller community,” he says. “They were mostly children of businessmen and embassy staff.

We also had lots of Emirati children. We still do.

“Even after so long, we maintain our not-for-profit status. What we earn from the tuition fees is reinvested in the school for the benefit
of the students. We’re primarily concerned with providing high-quality education.”

Marcus Smith, 34, founder of fitness and performance coaching company InnerFight, is another Dess alumni. “The lessons I learnt there, the memories and experiences I had are invaluable,” he says.

“The academics was one thing, but the fun I had in the sports I learned there is also something that will stay with me for ever.

“I remember it like it was yesterday, when I walked into the reception and met my teacher Mrs Baher. She was the warmest, calmest and most welcoming teacher I have ever had and I enjoyed every minute of my time in her class.”

Plenty of former pupils return to Dess as adults. “We have a lot of past pupils dropping in all the time at school – almost every day,” says Kirsty. “It’s really lovely when families who are in Dubai for a holiday come in. They want their children to see and experience the school they grew up in. It’s really great when they point out their favourite spots and tell their kids, ‘we used to play here’.”

David agrees: “I enjoy our ex-students dropping by. I think the fact that so many former pupils are coming back to the school just to say hello to their former teachers is a good indicator of their sense of loyalty to the community. They come back to reminisce and share the happy memories they’ve had here.”

Dess’s relationship with the British royal family is another feather in its cap. “We’ve had visits from members of the family over the years, including Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall,” says David.

There is a long waiting list of children wanting to join Dess, not only because of its excellent academic credentials, but also because of its community appeal. “You become part of a wider community,” says David. “And it’s not just academics here, we also lead the way in sports and arts. We focus on all aspects of education.”

Naturally, Suzie couldn’t look beyond Dess for her son. “My eldest son started at Dess this year in foundation stage two, and hopefully my younger son will get a place for September 2014,” she says. “There was never another school on my mind to get my children into.

“The plus points of Dess are its excellent standard of education that takes each child into consideration, fabulous ethos and culture and a real buzz about the place. People are happy and children are taught respect and good manners.”