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GEMS Founders School - Masdar City

United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi

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· Reviewed by · B2C Marketing Manager

Independently researched by doris.
Not yet claimed by the school
The school at a glance
Instructs in English
Fees AED 26,000 - 34,000
Ages 3 - 14 years
Type Co-educational
Bus Service No
Availability Not shared by this school
Academic offering
Curriculum British Curriculum
Taught languages Arabic, English
Stages Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle School
Introduction

GEMS Founders School - Masdar City (GFA) offers the National Curriculum for England for students from FS1 to Year 10. Located in Abu Dhabi’s eco-friendly urban community, the campus integrates environmental responsibility directly into the student experience. A standout feature is the "Sustainnovation" program, which blends sustainability and innovation, teaching students to apply eco-conscious practices through hands-on projects and cross-curricular learning. The school operates with renewable energy sources and incorporates green spaces throughout. Students benefit from dedicated science laboratories, music rooms, and expansive outdoor play areas. Beyond core subjects, GFA provides an extracurricular program featuring robotics, coding, design challenges, and philanthropic activities. Leadership development is actively encouraged through roles like House Captains and the student council. By combining British educational standards with a unique focus on environmental stewardship, the school prepares students to be informed, earth-conscious citizens.

www.gemsfoundersschool-masdarcity.com

Masdar City, SE45 01, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Vibes and Culture
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The Essentials

GEMS Founders School - Masdar City has instruction in English.

Location
GEMS Founders School – Masdar City is located in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. It sits within the Masdar City sustainable urban community. The school offers admissions from FS1 to Year 9 for the 2025-26 academic year.

Stages
Foundation Stage (FS1–FS2); Primary School (Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2); Secondary School (Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4). The school currently serves students from FS1 to Year 9.

Type
Co-educational (mixed gender).

Pupil Nationality Mix
There are 84 nationalities represented in the school community. Emirati students account for around 30% of the student body. About 90% of students speak English as an additional language.

Additional learning support
GEMS Founders School provides inclusion for English as an Additional Language (EAL), lower ability learners, and students with special educational needs, as well as provision for more able and gifted and talented students. The Head of Inclusion coordinates assessments and supports individual education plans as needed.

Country affiliation
The school follows the British National Curriculum (England) and operates in the UAE as a British schools overseas institution.

Religious affiliation
No formal religious affiliation is stated.

School day structure
The school day starts at 7:30am. FS1–FS2 finish at 12:30pm; Years 1–8 finish at 2:40pm. A National Anthem is observed at 7:45am, and the school runs Monday to Friday with weekends on Saturday and Sunday.

Bus service
School Transport is operated by School Transport Services (STS) LLC. The service provides safe pick-up and drop-off with professional staff and a modern fleet of buses; specific routes and availability are arranged through the school's transport contacts.
Diving Deeper
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Fees

Annual tuition at GEMS Founders School - Masdar City ranges from AED 26,000 to AED 34,000 for 2026/27.

Application / Re-enrolment fee

- A re-enrolment (registration) fee is charged to secure a place and is non‑refundable but adjustable against the first term fee. The school states this fee is 5% of the next academic year's tuition; the published re‑enrolment amounts for AY2025‑26 are shown in the fee schedule (for example: AED 1,300 for FS1, AED 1,425 for FS2, AED 1,550 for Year 1–3, AED 1,600 for Year 4–6, AED 1,700 for Year 7–9).

Tuition fees by year group (per term and annual total for AY2025/2026)

- FS1 — Re‑enrolment: AED 1,300. Term 1: AED 9,100. Term 2: AED 7,800. Term 3: AED 7,800. Annual total: AED 26,000.

- FS2 — Re‑enrolment: AED 1,425. Term 1: AED 9,975. Term 2: AED 8,550. Term 3: AED 8,550. Annual total: AED 28,500.

- Year 1 — Re‑enrolment: AED 1,550. Term 1: AED 10,850. Term 2: AED 9,300. Term 3: AED 9,300. Annual total: AED 31,000.

- Year 2 — Re‑enrolment: AED 1,550. Term 1: AED 10,850. Term 2: AED 9,300. Term 3: AED 9,300. Annual total: AED 31,000.

- Year 3 — Re‑enrolment: AED 1,550. Term 1: AED 10,850. Term 2: AED 9,300. Term 3: AED 9,300. Annual total: AED 31,000.

- Year 4 — Re‑enrolment: AED 1,600. Term 1: AED 11,200. Term 2: AED 9,600. Term 3: AED 9,600. Annual total: AED 32,000.

- Year 5 — Re‑enrolment: AED 1,600. Term 1: AED 11,200. Term 2: AED 9,600. Term 3: AED 9,600. Annual total: AED 32,000.

- Year 6 — Re‑enrolment: AED 1,600. Term 1: AED 11,200. Term 2: AED 9,600. Term 3: AED 9,600. Annual total: AED 32,000.

- Year 7 — Re‑enrolment: AED 1,700. Term 1: AED 11,900. Term 2: AED 10,200. Term 3: AED 10,200. Annual total: AED 34,000.

- Year 8 — Re‑enrolment: AED 1,700. Term 1: AED 11,900. Term 2: AED 10,200. Term 3: AED 10,200. Annual total: AED 34,000.

- Year 9 — Re‑enrolment: AED 1,700. Term 1: AED 11,900. Term 2: AED 10,200. Term 3: AED 10,200. Annual total: AED 34,000.

Billing schedule and payment terms

- Tuition fees are payable in advance of attendance. Invoices can be issued to the fee sponsor on record on request.
- The school publishes the standard term/instalment due dates for AY2025‑26 as: 1st term due 11 August 2025 (parents are advised to pay before 5 August to avoid delays), 2nd term due 01 January 2026, and 3rd term due 01 April 2026. Tuition may also be paid in full in advance.
- Consequences for non‑payment include withholding examination entry, reports, references or examination results, loss of the student's place, and possible temporary or permanent exclusion. Timely payment is required.

Other costs and fees

- Uniforms: A full school uniform is required. Uniforms and PE kit information are provided and uniform items are supplied via the designated supplier (Threads). Specific uniform prices are not published in the tuition fee schedule.
- School transport: A dedicated school bus service is provided by STS Group; parents register for bus service and transport fees are charged separately and payable online through GEMS systems. Specific bus-route or fee amounts are not listed on the tuition fee schedule.
- Canteen / lunches: The school uses Slices catering with a cashless top‑up system. Parents add credit to their child's account (GEMS Connect / Slices payment portal). Food costs are paid via the top‑up system and are not included within the published tuition totals.
- Extra‑curricular activities: The school offers extra‑curricular programmes; any associated charges are handled separately (no central ECA pricing is published on the tuition fee schedule).

Refund information and student withdrawals

- The re‑enrolment (registration) fee is non‑refundable. Tuition fee refunds follow the UAE Ministry of Education policy; refund requests must be submitted in writing to the school admissions office and refunds are paid to the original payee. A 30‑day written notification of withdrawal is required to process student departures and documentation.

Fee payment options and channels

- The school advertises the FAB GEMS World Credit Card as a method to pay annual tuition in advance (with promotional savings noted for cardholders). This indicates acceptance of card payment arrangements for tuition.
- Bus fees and some school service payments are payable online via GEMS Connect / the school's payment portals; Slices lunch top‑ups are handled through the Slices payment portal. Tuition invoices can be issued to the fee sponsor on record.
Academics

GEMS Founders School - Masdar City teaches British Curriculum for students aged 3 to 14.

Curriculum
GEMS Founders School – Masdar City follows the British National Curriculum (National Curriculum for England) from Foundation Stage through Secondary (FS1 to Year 9), with English as the language of instruction. Foundation Stage (FS1–FS2) emphasizes play-based learning to develop early numeracy, literacy, motor skills and self-esteem. Primary covers Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, building foundational knowledge across subjects in an engaging, inquiry-led environment. Secondary (Year 7–Year 9) delivers core subjects—English, Mathematics, Science—plus Arabic (for Arabic speakers and non-Arabic speakers), UAE Social Studies, Moral Education, and Islamic Studies for Muslim students, together with specialist subjects such as Computing, History and Geography, French, PSHE, Physical Education, Art and Music, under a Design Thinking approach. The curriculum is designed to align with GCSE standards to prepare learners for Key Stage 4, with progression guidance and options discussed as they approach secondary transition.
Wellbeing
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Parent Experience
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Facilities
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Extra-Curricular Activities
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Languages
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Reputation
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Admissions

Admissions
Step 1 – Online Application: Complete the Online Student Enquiry & Registration. After submitting the form, you receive an acknowledgement with an online reference number and guidance on the following steps. This starts your child's admissions journey.

Step 2 – Assessment: Your child will be invited by the School Registrar for an assessment or an interview via email notification or phone. Results are notified by email or by phone. Observations are used for Foundation Stage 1 and 2 (FS1 and FS2); written assessments for Year 1 and Year 2; and CAT4 with written assessments for Year 3 to Year 8.

Step 3 – Enrolment: The Registrar sends offer letters to successful applicants, subject to seat availability. Families review the offer details and proceed to the next step in the process. The offer indicates a potential place at GEMS Founders School – Masdar City, pending completion of the subsequent steps.

Step 4 – Registration Deposit: The deposit is payable after the student has been offered a place and parents have accepted the offer. The registration deposit is 5% of the total tuition fees and is non-refundable. The deposit is deductible from the total tuition fees for the academic year. Once the above process is completed the student is enrolled. Parents will be notified via email the schedule of tuition fee payment, by the Finance department.

Step 5 – Required Documents: The minimum documents include passport copies for the child and both parents, residency visa pages, and a copy of the child's birth certificate (in English or Arabic). Recent passport photographs and the child's immunization/vaccination card, plus Emirates ID copies for the child and both parents, are required. Original Emirates IDs are required if the child is accepted. Copies of the child's last two school reports are required for Year 1-2; last two years' reports and CAT4 for Year 3+; nursery reports for FS1/FS2 if available; and a transfer certificate or leaving certificate.

Step 6 – Transfer Certificate Guidelines: The transfer certificate must be on official school letterhead and include the full name, date of birth, enrollment date and the year group when the child first started at the current school, present class, year promoted to, school curriculum, and the principal's signature and stamp. If transferring from a GCC country or another UAE emirate, the transfer certificate must be attested by the Ministry of Education. Countries outside the UAE (including but not limited to the USA, Australia, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, and New Zealand) require attestation from Educational Authorities, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the UAE Embassy. Within Abu Dhabi, transfer is online through eSIS once a seat is confirmed.

Step 7 – For Existing Students: Re-Registration Deposit: Re-registration deposits apply when existing students re-enrol for the following academic year. The re-registration deposit is 5% of the total tuition fees and is non-refundable, and it is deductible from the total tuition fees. The Finance department provides the schedule of tuition payments by email.

Step 8 – For Existing Students: Transfer Certificates and Overseas Applications: Students in Year 1 and above must submit a Transfer Certificate/School Leaving Certificate; this is a mandatory requirement by ADEK for eligibility to enter a classroom. The Transfer Certificate should state the student's name, age, the year the student was promoted to by the end of the previous academic year, the current year, and the curriculum, and it must be stamped by the school and signed by the Principal/Vice Principal. The Transfer Certificate may be in Arabic or English and must be attested as required by the origin country; for Abu Dhabi, attestation rules apply and eSIS will transfer the file online once a seat is confirmed.
School Events
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