Same Cambridge education. A fraction of the Horizon fees.

Yes. DIS accepts mid-year enrolments at any point in the academic calendar. The process is straightforward: you complete an enrolment form, a brief academic assessment matches your child to the correct year group and subject set, and classes begin within days. There is no waiting list. For families leaving Horizon mid-term, DIS teachers review the syllabus progress already made and pick up from that point, so your child does not repeat content already covered or fall behind on new material. Contact us and we can confirm availability for your child's year group.

Yes. DIS runs on a fixed Monday-to-Friday timetable aligned to Gulf Standard Time, which covers the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman without a time-zone change. If your family relocates within the GCC, your child's class, teacher, timetable, and Cambridge curriculum all remain identical. There is no re-enrolment, no new admissions process, and no gap in schooling. This is one of the most practical advantages of a fully online British school for families on rotational postings or multi-year GCC contracts.

DIS students sit their Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level examinations at approved Cambridge exam centres. In the UAE, the primary centre is the British Council Dubai. Abu Dhabi families can also access the British Council Abu Dhabi and other approved exam venues in the emirate. DIS coordinates exam registration guidance and ensures students are prepared for the format and timing of each paper. DIS is not itself a Cambridge registered centre; students register through the approved centre directly, with full support from the DIS academic team.

Yes. All DIS live classes run Monday to Friday on Gulf Standard Time, which is UTC+4. This aligns directly with the UAE school week. Morning sessions start at times equivalent to a standard Abu Dhabi school day, so there is no early-morning or late-evening compromise. Parents in Abu Dhabi will find the DIS timetable mirrors the rhythm of a campus school day, with the difference that the school run is replaced by logging into the DIS platform from home.

Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level are internationally recognised qualifications accepted by universities across the UAE, the wider GCC, the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia, and beyond. UAE universities, including those in Abu Dhabi, routinely admit students with Cambridge qualifications. The qualification itself, not the delivery model, is what universities assess. A DIS student's Cambridge certificate is issued by Cambridge Assessment International Education and is identical in content and standing to the certificate earned by a campus school student.

Students returning to a physical campus school after DIS are in a strong position. They hold Cambridge predicted grades, a formal academic transcript, and a clear record of Cambridge syllabus progress, all of which campus schools use for year-group placement. Because DIS follows the same Cambridge curriculum as Abu Dhabi campus schools, there is no syllabus gap to bridge. Most families find re-entry straightforward. We can provide documentation and academic references to support any admission application to a new campus school.

Every DIS teacher is postgraduate-qualified and GCC-based. The teaching team numbers over 100 instructors, all of whom teach their specialist subject live to small groups. Qualifications include PGCE, QTS, and Cambridge-specific subject training. Teachers are assessed on subject expertise and on their ability to teach effectively in a live online classroom environment. Because classes run at 4 to 6 students, each teacher maintains detailed knowledge of every student's progress, which feeds directly into predicted grades and parent dashboard updates.

DIS charges AED 500 per month for Cambridge IGCSE and AED 800 per month for Cambridge A-Level. Both fees cover all subjects within the programme. There are no per-subject charges, no registration premiums, and no separate fees for resources or the parent dashboard. The pricing is published on the DIS website and does not change mid-year. For a family coming from Horizon Private School, the annual saving at IGCSE level is in excess of AED 57,000, depending on the year group and Horizon's published fee for that band.

The DIS monthly fee covers live Cambridge classes across all subjects in the programme, access to postgraduate-qualified GCC-based teachers, the full parent and student dashboard, direct instructor messaging, a complete resource library, and assignment tracking with teacher feedback. There are no textbook fees, no activity levies, no uniform requirements, and no transport costs. Cancellation is available without penalty, and there are no long-term contracts. What you see on the pricing page is the full cost of attending DIS.

DIS live classes run with 4 to 6 students. A standard Abu Dhabi campus class, including at Horizon, typically runs with 24 to 28 students. The practical difference is significant: in a DIS class, every student participates in every lesson, questions are answered as they arise, and teachers can monitor individual understanding in real time. The smaller group also means teachers build detailed knowledge of each student's strengths and gaps, which is directly reflected in the quality of feedback and predicted grades they issue.

Cambridge IGCSE science subjects, including Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, include a practical component in the examination. DIS students complete the Alternative to Practical paper, which is a standard Cambridge examination format that tests practical knowledge and scientific method through written questions. This paper is accepted by Cambridge Assessment International Education as a full component of the IGCSE science qualification. Students who go on to A-Level science at DIS continue in the same format. The qualification earned is identical to that of a student who sat practicals in a school laboratory.

DIS classes run in a live video classroom and require a stable broadband connection, a laptop or desktop computer with a working camera and microphone, and a modern web browser. A tablet can be used but a laptop is recommended for ease of note-taking and assignment submission. The DIS platform is browser-based and does not require specialist software installation. A connection speed of 10 Mbps or above is sufficient for clear audio and video in a small-group class. The DIS team can advise on setup before your child's first session.