In 2021, Arcadia Education announced its intention to open a third school, Arcadia Global School, in 2023 - following on from the original Arcadia Prep School and its secondary school, now merged into Arcadia British School - leaving itself plenty of time to complete the facility. Located on a prime plot at the heart of the Discovery Gardens/Al Furjan Community, AGS is located on a stone's throw from the nearest Metro station. The newer school offers premium facilities (in line with the original school in Jumeirah Village Triangle), but at a more affordable fee structure.
With the advent of the 2025-26 academic year, Arcadia Global School, now offers Fs to Year 9, to be followed by Year 10 in September 2026. Years 11 to 13 will open subsequently, subject to regulatory approval.
Without doubt, Arcadia Global School has been one of the most successful and popular with families in recent years. At the start of 2026, the school had opened its Secondary school and grown to over 2,250 students. Over 100 parents, who have responded to the WhichSchoolAdvisor.com parent survey, have rated the school 4.7/5 - a 94% positivity rating. 97% of parents would recommend Arcadia Global School to other parents.
On opening, the school became the second all-through school delivering the vision of well-known Dubai entrepreneur and philanthropist, Mr. Mohan Valrani, and the Al Shirawi Group.
Mr. Valrani said “Arcadia has always been about meeting the aspirations of our students and this school will provide access to thousands of students in Dubai to experience the Arcadia way. We have a metro stop right outside the plot, so our doors will be open to every student that is able to access the Dubai metro.”
As the Chairman of the school, Mr. Valrani is an avid believer in providing the very best education for future generations.
Ahead of the opening of the school, the group announced the appointment of the Founding Principal who joined AGS a year ahead of its opening, giving plentiful time for his direct involvement in the development.
Andrew Wilson joined Arcadia Global School from his position as the Vice Principal of GEMS Westminster School Sharjah for the previous nine years. Mr. Wilson clearly has very relevant experience of delivering a National Curriculum for England-based education at more affordable fee levels. The school was rated Good in the first published SPEA inspection ratings in 2022-23 - a success in which Mr. Wilson will have been heavily involved.
Previously, Mr. Wilson spent two years at GEMS' highly regarded and Outstanding-rated Jumeirah College as Assistant Principal. He is described by Arcadia Education as an "effervescent educator" who "adds enormous value to the organisation". Mr. Wilson is supported by Ms. Holly Simpson as Vice Principal - Foundation & Primary and Philip Stainton as Vice Principal - Secondary. AGS has also recruited Assistant Principals Ms. Stacey Knox as Student Success & Wellbeing Lead and Mrs. Beth Hodgkinson as Teaching & Learning Lead.
With the growth of the school for the start of the 2025-26 academic year, the teaching strength had grown to 133, supported by a further 48 teaching assistants and 23 members of the Inclusion team. The teacher:student ratio is 1:17.
Teachers come from a wide range of nationalities, with 21% from native English speaking nationalities ( the UK, at 15%, and Ireland, at 6%). The remaining teachers come from India (39%), The Philippines (25%) and Egypt (15%). All non-Arabic and Islamic Studies teachers are National Curriculum for England trained and experienced, with those recruited from outside the UAE having an average of three years' experience and those recruited from within the UAE, an average of five years' experience.
Ongoing Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a strong feature of the school and contributes to the school's success in retaining its teaching staff.
In January 2026, Arcadia Global School achieved accreditation from the Association of Character Education (ACE) as part of the school's focus on character development and its benefits to wellbeing and happiness.
Schools supported by ACE take a deliberate, whole-school approach to nurturing qualities such as resilience, integrity, empathy, respect and perseverance - traits that underpin both academic success and personal wellbeing. This focus helps students build strong relationships, make responsible decisions, develop confidence and self-discipline, and respond positively to challenges.
By embedding shared values into everyday school life, character education also contributes to a more supportive, respectful and purposeful school culture. Ultimately, this approach equips young people not only to achieve in examinations, but to thrive socially, emotionally and ethically in the wider world.
