How environmental push helped Dubai school win prestigious global award

Arbor School becomes first institution in the UAE to win a World's Best School Prize

Pupils learn in a biodome at Arbor School in Dubai. Photo: T4 Education

A school’s efforts to improve environmental awareness among its pupils has helped it become the first in the UAE to scoop a coveted global award.

Arbor School, an independent kindergarten, primary school and secondary school in Al Furjan area of Dubai, has won the Environmental Action category in the World’s Best School Prizes. It was one of three UAE schools nominated in different categories in this year’s contest.

Gemma Thornley, principal of Arbor School, told The National that the school has focused on eco-literacy since it was founded in 2018. “It’s more than knowing facts about the environment, it’s about developing skills and values and a sense of responsibility among young people,” she said.

“We believe education has to prepare people not only for exams, but for life. That’s about giving them confidence and knowing how to make sustainable choices. Climate change and global challenges can feel really overwhelming. For young people it’s a big weight knowing their generation will have to solve problems that haven’t come before.”

The school, which has more than 1,530 pupils of 87 nationalities, follows the national curriculum of England, but has a focus on environmental education that, Ms Thornley said, “runs through every aspect” of what is taught.

This is thanks to Dr Sa’ad Al Omari, the school’s founder and chief executive of its operator, Praxis Education. Dr Al Omari has a doctorate in palaeoclimatology, the study of ancient climates, from the University of Cambridge.

“It was his vision this school stemmed from, it’s something he pioneered,” Ms Thornley said. “We’re putting an eco-lens over everything we do. It’s not just taught, it’s lived.”

Boidomes at Arbor School in Dubai. Antonie Robertson/The National

Climate of education

Issues such as mangrove conservation and protecting turtles are integrated into the curriculum, while the school has specialist members of staff who have worked in conservation-related fields. Pupils learn about subjects such as plant cultivation, ecosystems and sustainability in six biodomes, or “living classrooms”, and some students even grow their own food.

The school, where buses are fuelled by biodiesel, has an eco-council, eco-influencers and eco-ambassadors, while students have been involved with external initiatives including reef restoration off Dubai. Two student groups from Arbor School spoke at the Cop28 climate change conference in Dubai in late 2023.

Ms Thornley, who became principal in August 2024, said that although the environmental focus was “very ambitious”, it could be replicated, and Arbor School has worked with other schools to this end.

“Not every school has biodomes, but every school can develop an eco-literacy curriculum,” she said. “There’s lots of opportunities for schools to get involved in beach clean-ups … you can integrate that into the curriculum. All schools, no matter how small or big, can prepare people for a future that’s uncertain. Part of that is looking at environmental sustainability.”

Sustainable lessons

The World’s Best School Prizes were created in 2022 by T4 Education, which runs an online education platform, to share the best practices of schools that have a positive impact on their pupils and wider society.

In a statement, Vikas Pota, the founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, hailed Arbor School’s “trailblazing work” and its “tremendous achievement” in winning the prize.

“Our world stands at a crossroads,” he said. “We need leaders who can rise to the 21st century’s greatest challenges, from climate breakdown to the AI revolution, from war to want, from populism to prejudice. Above all, we need leaders who recognise that at the heart of all these crucial questions lies the enlightenment of a quality education.”

Further nominations

Earlier this year two other UAE schools were shortlisted in different categories in the World’s Best School Prizes.

Dubai British School Jumeirah Park was one of 10 schools shortlisted in the Community Collaboration category. T4 Education said that when the finalists were announced, it “integrated families and the broader community into the learning journey” giving each child “a personalised pathway to success”.

A curriculum focused on careers and emphasising project work led to Applied Technology Schools – Umm Al Quwain Campus being shortlisted in the Innovation category. All three UAE schools have been invited to World Schools Summit in Abu Dhabi on November 15 and 16, where they will discuss their efforts with others in education.

In the World Best School Prizes, judges select the winners in five categories – Environmental Action, Community Collaboration, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity and Supporting Healthy Lives – while a Community Choice award is chosen by public vote from the 50 shortlisted schools.

Aside from Arbor School, the other winning schools this year are based in the United States, Mexico, Malaysia, Brazil and India. Applications for next year’s awards are open through an online portal that closes on March 6.