Home is a short stop away for students at Repton Dubai, the first boarding school in the Gulf.
Two dozen boarders from countries including Tajikistan, Mozambique, India and Russia have been sleeping, dining and studying on the campus since September when the British school pioneered its first boarding house here.
The residents wake up indifferent to rush hour traffic, in cosy rooms within ear-shout of their classes in the school building near Nad Al Sheba.
The average combined tuition and boarding fees for a school year at Repton Dubai is Dh132,500.
Plush facilities
Unlike boarders in other nations, who usually have to share a dormitory, the ‘Reptonians' have just one roommate each. And the school may eventually grant every boarder his or her own room.
Moreover, Repton Dubai boarding rooms have attached baths, cutting out waiting lines and privacy concerns. Every room has its own air-conditioning system and high speed internet access.
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It's closer to a modern two-bed hotel room than a military-style barracks typical of British and Indian boarding schools.
A morning bell does, however, wake boarders at 6.45am. After washing, they put on their school uniforms, cleaned and ironed by housekeepers, though there is a student laundry room on campus.
Fitting feasts
A little after seven, breakfast is served – fresh fruits, juice, a breadbasket and dairy creams.
Classes start an hour later, giving boarders time to feast and socialise.
Both day students and boarders break for lunch at a common dining hall at half past noon.
Around 1,100 pupils go through an enormous buffet of roasted chicken or mushroom beef, oriental veggies with tofu and rice – as the case may be. Dessert of assorted pastries awaits them at the end of the main course.
Education plus
All Reptonians also take part in extracurricular activities and prep school – a session dedicated to homework and one-on-one tutoring within school hours. However, day pupils cover that between 3.30pm and 5pm, while boarders at Repton Dubai can push back the requirement until after teatime at 6pm.
Until then, boarders return to the house: a three-storey building that looks like a cross between a medieval German castle and a 21st century apartment complex.
Busy bees
Some of them rest, while others busy themselves in the common room, furnished with a 50-inch flat screen TV, sound speakers, videogames and leather couches. There are also pool tables, table tennis, foosball stations and a kitchen with dining area.
Resident students also have after-hours access to school facilities like the swimming pool and library. But, they must be back by bedtime, around nine at night.
Joshua Haywaid, 15, and his two brothers moved in because their parents are away in Kazakhstan.
Extended family
"It can get a little lonely sometimes, but you also get to choose your own family this way," said Haywaid. "We are like an extended family. Since you're in touch with different age groups all the time, it teaches you to be mature and have fun at the same time."
At the moment, only senior boys are boarding. The school plans a separate boarding house for senior girls by September 2009. And 11-year-old Abigail Leone wants to be among the first female boarders in the region.
Loads of fun
"My brother has tried boarding and said it was loads of fun. It was a quiet time – while he was away – which was also good for me," joked Leone, a British pupil.
Some Emirati and expatriate parents in the UAE have shown interest, said Nigel Kew, Head of Boarding at Repton Dubai.
"We already have a few [male] boarders from within the Emirates," Kew said.
Very convenient
"Some parents don't want to drive long distances in heavy traffic, two times a day. Others simply don't have the time."
Many couples also travel overseas frequently. It "makes sense not to disrupt" their children's schooling, Kew added. Parents and children catch up during weekends and term breaks.
Locus parentis
"Boarding is a completely new concept here. It makes students all rounded. We take the idea of locus parentis seriously," said Headmaster David Cook.
Locus parentis is a Latin phrase used to refer to someone who takes the place of parents.
Tradition matters
"All day schools teach some ethos and values. But we have reproduced here the experience and care of a strong British tradition in boarding." Repton Dubai is the only overseas branch of Repton, a high class boarding school running since the 1500s in a namesake English village.
The Dubai campus has earmarked 50 acres – 1.3 million square feet – of classrooms, boarding houses, gyms, indoor and outdoor sports fields, swimming pools, ice rinks, greenery and playgrounds.
Supervision
An adult housemaster, matron, and housekeepers live in the boarding house. There is also a designated student prefect for each corridor.
Boarders are not allowed off campus, but on weekends they can meet school friends outside – if they have the permission of parents as well as the school. However, they are still expected to be accompanied by one of the parents.
Health and Safety
The school demands a medical record of pupils before taking them on board. The records are kept confidential.
An onsite medical centre is open round the clock to attend to boarders. A physiotherapist is also on call to treat any injuries and a school counsellor is available to deal with any emotional or psychological stress, usually no more than a spell of homesickness. "I would actually be more worried if students did not get a bout of that," said Nigel Kew, Head of Boarding at Repton Dubai.
The school also arranges a visit from an outside doctor or takes the patient to a local hospital or clinic if there is a requirement.
Extracurricular
Art and Design; Drama; Music; Computing; Dance; Yoga; Fine Arts; Design and Technology; Film and Television; Debating; Cookery; Martial Arts; Gym Classes; Gymnastics; Equestrian; Ice Skating
Note: Some of these activities are not yet available. For details, visit www.reptondubai.org
The Repton History
Established in 1557 in Derbyshire, England, Repton School stems from a will left behind by Sir John Port of Etwall. It started out as a grammar school on a country estate – there was time when it only had one student – but over the centuries has grown to become a boarding school for roughly 500 pupils. It teaches the national UK curriculum, and opened its doors to students in Dubai in 2007.
- Annual tuition fees 2008-2009
- Nursery: Dh42,500
- Year 11: Dh80,000 (plus Dh60,000 for boarding)
