Harrow Abu Dhabi announces delayed opening for August 2027, fees starting at Dh80,000

A branch of one of the world’s most prestigious British schools is set to open on Saadiyat Island in August 2027, with the founding headmaster aiming to draw families from the UAE and Gulf region who would normally send their children abroad.

Adrian Frost, who will lead Harrow Abu Dhabi, compared bringing the 450-year-old school’s education to the UAE to buying a Rolls-Royce overseas: some features change to suit the country, but the thinking behind it remains the same.

“You could buy a Rolls-Royce in the UK, and you can buy a Rolls-Royce here, and you’ll notice that there are certain differences,” he told The National. “It’s a different regulator. It’s a different location. It’s quite plausibly a different demographic that will be interested in the school, but yeah, the ethos and culture is very, very much the same.”

A British heritage adapted for Abu Dhabi

For parents, that heritage will appear in an extended school day with activities, shared mealtimes, supervised homework, emphasis on reading and handwriting, and reduced reliance on screens. Food will be regulated on campus, and pupils will not be allowed to bring lunch boxes from home. Several dining halls will serve a variety of meals and snacks throughout the day, focusing on nutritional value while teaching proper etiquette and table manners.

“It is a very different education offering,” Frost said, “one that is not really replicated in quite the same way in any school in Abu Dhabi.”

Teachers at the school will be called “beaks”, following Harrow tradition.

Fees and boarding plans

Annual fees are expected to range from Dh80,000 for Foundation Stage 1 to Dh106,000 for Year 6. Frost said that although some schools charge extra for after-school activities, Harrow intends to include sport, performing arts and other activities within the fee range, though arrangements with external providers in Abu Dhabi have not been finalised. The extended day will begin with activities, followed by breakfast, continue through lessons, and finish with tea and supervised homework, known as “prep”.

Boarding will carry an additional charge, but the price has not yet been set. “There will obviously be a higher cost associated with it,” Frost said. “But it’s important to us that we don’t price ourselves out of the market.”

Families looking for boarding options will have to wait beyond the first year. The school’s initial phase, from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 6, will open first, and boarding will be considered as the school expands into its next phase. The opening date or fees for accommodation have not yet been confirmed. “It’s a few years away though, and we will obviously need to set up the first phase, which is FS1 to Year 6,” Frost said. That timeline puts Abu Dhabi’s first boarding school at least two years away.

Targeting families seeking international education

Frost, who attended boarding school himself, recalled studying alongside children whose families lived in countries including Jordan and Bahrain. He hopes families in the UAE and the wider Gulf region who might otherwise send their children overseas will consider Abu Dhabi. “There are parents who want boarding. I hope that they will look to us as an alternative option,” he said.

He sees Saadiyat’s cultural institutions, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim museums, as well as proximity to New York University Abu Dhabi, as part of the appeal, particularly for a school that intends to place importance on music and performing arts. “That location is not just an address, it’s a teaching resource,” he said.

Frost previously worked as vice-principal of Brighton College Abu Dhabi and has experience in British day and boarding schools, and in establishing a boarding school in Portugal. He said work was still under way with regulators, school operator Taaleem and Harrow to establish the policies and arrangements for boarding. The school intends to align with standards set by the Boarding Schools’ Association, Frost added.

Although a boarding advocate, he warned against treating the option as the right choice for every family. “All the children are different, every single one of them,” he said. “There are some children that thrive in that type of environment, and there are some that can find it a struggle.”

Delay and construction progress

The Abu Dhabi campus was initially expected to open this year. Frost said the postponement to 2027 was due to operational constraints on Saadiyat Island, including infrastructure requirements and approvals from authorities. “It was nothing from the school’s side, they were ready to go,” he clarified.

He said those obstacles had been overcome and construction had reached the third and final floor, allowing work to move towards the windows and interior fittings.

The school is planned to accommodate 1,800 pupils on a site of about 70,000 square metres, 30 per cent larger than the Dubai campus, which opened earlier this year. The Abu Dhabi campus will broadly reflect the Dubai school, although the shapes and sizes of the sites are different, Frost said. During the visit, he highlighted Dubai’s early-years spaces, an auditorium, music rooms and sports amenities as examples of the provision planned for the capital.

At the Dubai school, where Frost was completing his induction, about 96 clubs and activities were running for 400 pupils.

What changes for you

What

A new Harrow school offering a British-style education with an extended day and eventual boarding options on Saadiyat Island.

From when

August 2027.

Who

Families in Abu Dhabi and the Gulf region seeking an alternative to sending children abroad for schooling.

Where

Saadiyat Island campus; admissions details to be announced. The school will initially accept children from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 6.