Same Cambridge results. A fraction of the Alpha Private School fee.

Live class sizes of 4 to 6 students mean DIS students know their classmates well. Because lessons run on a fixed daily timetable with the same cohort, relationships build naturally over time — much as they do in a small tutor group. Many DIS families in the UAE also coordinate in-person meetups, sport sessions, and social activities through the parent community. The after-school window, which campus schooling typically fills with commute and decompression time, becomes available for genuine in-person socialising instead.

Yes. Because DIS students finish their school day without a commute, the entire after-school window is free for in-person activities. Students across the UAE attend local football academies, swimming clubs, martial arts, drama groups, and community sports leagues. DIS does not run its own physical facilities, but it does not need to — the Gulf has a dense network of private sports and enrichment providers, and a DIS student has more time to use them than a campus student who spends 90 minutes a day in a car.

Socialisation in a small live online school is different from a campus of 1,000 students, but it is not absent. DIS students interact face to face with their teacher and 3 to 5 classmates in every live lesson. Over a term, those relationships become genuine. Outside school hours, DIS students in the UAE attend in-person sport, arts, and community activities. Research consistently shows that meaningful peer relationships depend on the quality and consistency of interaction, not the square footage of the building. A cohort of 5 who meet daily builds strong bonds.

Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level qualifications are internationally recognised and accepted by universities across the UAE, the wider GCC, the UK, the US, and globally. The qualification itself is what universities assess — not the school building where lessons were delivered. Students sit their exams at the British Council Dubai or another approved Cambridge exam centre, and their results appear on a standard Cambridge transcript. UAE universities including the American University of Sharjah and the University of Dubai accept Cambridge results on this basis.

DIS students in the UAE sit their Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level examinations at the British Council Dubai or other approved Cambridge exam centres operating in the country. DIS is not itself a Cambridge registered centre; it prepares students fully for their exams and coordinates with families on exam registration at the appropriate centre. The exam papers, mark schemes, and results are administered entirely by Cambridge Assessment International Education through those approved centres, so the qualification is identical to one earned at any campus school.

DIS runs a Monday to Friday timetable aligned to Gulf Standard Time (GST, UTC+4). Live lessons typically begin at 08:00 and run through to approximately 14:30 or 15:00, depending on the year group and subject load. This mirrors the structure of a UAE campus school day, which means there is no early-morning or late-evening compromise for families in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or elsewhere in the UAE. Students in other GCC countries — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain — sit within one hour of GST and experience minimal adjustment.

All live DIS lessons are recorded and made available through the student's dashboard, so a missed class does not mean missed content. Students can review the recording, access the resources shared during the lesson, and submit any assignments through the platform. Teachers are also contactable via direct messaging for follow-up questions. DIS recommends attending live where possible — the small class size means a student's absence is noticed and followed up by the teacher the same day, which helps maintain consistency and accountability.

All DIS teachers are postgraduate-qualified and GCC-based. Many hold PGCE qualifications, QTS, or equivalent Cambridge-recognised credentials. DIS employs over 100 instructors across its subject range. Campus schools including Alpha Private School also recruit qualified teachers, but class sizes at a physical school typically run 24 to 28 students. At DIS, every teacher works with live classes of 4 to 6 students, which means more direct interaction per student in every lesson. The qualification bar is equivalent; the student-to-teacher ratio is significantly better.

Yes. DIS accepts mid-year enrolments. A student transferring from Alpha Private School can join at the point in the Cambridge syllabus that matches where they left off. The admissions team reviews the student's current year group and subject selections, confirms the syllabus position, and places the student into the appropriate live class cohort. There is no penalty for starting mid-year and no requirement to wait for a September intake. Families should contact DIS as soon as they know the intended transfer date to allow time for timetable placement.

Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level sciences include a practical component, which is assessed through the Cambridge Alternative to Practical (Paper 6 for most sciences) rather than requiring a physical laboratory for every student. DIS prepares students thoroughly for this paper through detailed written practicals, data analysis exercises, and method-based questions in live lessons. Students who wish to supplement with hands-on lab experience can do so through local science enrichment programmes in the UAE. DIS teachers are explicit about exam technique for the practical paper and build this into the teaching schedule.

AED 500 per month covers all Cambridge IGCSE subjects — there is no per-subject charge on top. The fee includes live online classes on a fixed timetable, access to the DIS learning management platform, the resource library, assignment tracking, and direct messaging with subject teachers. Parents have their own dashboard login to monitor attendance, assignments, and lesson schedules. There are no registration fees, no uniform costs, no textbook levies, and no end-of-year facility charges. The A-Level equivalent is AED 800 per month, again covering all subjects. Students can cancel their enrolment at any time.

A DIS student needs a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer with a working camera and microphone, and a stable broadband or 4G/5G internet connection. The DIS platform runs in a standard web browser — no specialist software download is required. A screen size of at least 10 inches is recommended for comfortable reading of Cambridge resources during live lessons. Most UAE households already meet these requirements. DIS recommends testing the connection speed before the first live lesson; a minimum of 10 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload is sufficient for stable video participation in a small live class.