AGE PLACEMENT
SCHOOL ADMISSION AGES
GEMS World Academy - Dubai places students in age-appropriate grade levels in accordance with the Ministry of Education/KHDA regulations.
The IB programmes allow for a great degree of academic differentiation and therefore we rarely accelerate children into higher grades, nor retain children in a lower year group.
Families are encouraged to use the country comparison chart below to ensure that they are applying to the correct grade level, taking into account the differences that exist in the naming of “grades” around the world. (As an example, Year 2 in England is equivalent to Grade 1 at GEMS World Academy - Dubai although both programmes are for a 6-year old that turn 7 during the Academy year).
If there are questions about the correct grade-level placement, please contact the Registration Team.
| UK Curriculum | American/IB | Age | Cut Off Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursery | Nursery | 2 Years | 31st August |
| FS1 | Pre-K | 3 Years | 31st August |
| FS2 | KG1 | 4 Years | 31st August |
| Year 1 | KG2 | 5 Years | 31st August |
| Year 2 | Grade 1 | 6 Years | 31st August |
| Year 3 | Grade 2 | 7 Years | 31st August |
| Year 4 | Grade 3 | 8 Years | 31st August |
| Year 5 | Grade 4 | 9 Years | 31st August |
| Year 6 | Grade 5 | 10 Years | 31st August |
| Year 7 | Grade 6 | 11 Years | 31st August |
| Year 8 | Grade 7 | 12 Years | 31st August |
| Year 9 | Grade 8 | 13 Years | 31st August |
| Year 10 | Grade 9 | 14 Years | 31st August |
| Year 11 | Grade 10 | 15 Years | 31st August |
| Year 12 | Grade 11 | 16 Years | 31st August |
| Year 13 | Grade 12 | 17 Years | 31st August |
*Applicable for all new Nursery/FS1/Pre-KG – Year 2/Grade 1 students; further information can be found here.
*Year 3/Grade 2 students – Year 13/ Grade 12, Transfer Certificate will be followed.