Welcome from the Principal/CEO

Welcome to our Dubai English Speaking School & College (DESSC) website, one that we hope captures the essence of our two schools at the same time as providing you with all the information you require, whether that be as a prospective or existing family.

For over 60 years (yes, it is older than the UAE itself!) Dubai English Speaking School (DESS), as the oldest UK curriculum school in Dubai, has occupied an iconic, highly regarded place on the educational landscape of the emirate.  Since 2006 Dubai English Speaking College (DESC), as its secondary school counterpart, has added to the standing and stock of its forebearer by providing high quality education to Years 7 to 13.

As two not-for-profit entities, with one Board of Trustees, and a one, through-school mentality, every dirham generated through fee revenues is reinvested back into both schools.  The results of that year-on-year investment are manifested across both sites. We are extremely proud of the facilities and opportunities on offer. 

The curricular and co-curricular lives of both schools, supported by a core set of values that revolve around decency, mutual respect, kindness, empathy and inclusivity, are such that they provide the requisite platforms for all our young people to achieve. The resulting energy and sense of purpose make both schools truly great places to learn, study and work. From a purely personal perspective, I cannot think of better schools I would want my children to – in the widest sense, most all-encompassing sense of the words - learn and grow in.

My advocacy for both the physical environments and the experiences on offer also extends to our most valuable of assets: the staff. The enablers. Both schools contain highly talented, dedicated professionals, each with the desire to do the very best by each of the children/students in their charge, whether that be within or beyond the classroom, sports fields, stage, etc.

Maybe I’m biased, but with every ounce of objectivity I can muster I stand by these words of affirmation. But, as the saying goes, words and talk are cheap: if you are a prospective family, please feel free to take a tour and see it for yourself and/or ask the overwhelming majority of our current families what their views are. I’d be disappointed if many of them were not as effusive as I am.

About our Principal/CEO

Andrew Gibbs joined DESC in 2011 as Headteacher and has overseen the most recent developments at the college including consistently rated as 'Outstanding' since 2012. He was appointed as Principal from 1st September 2014 and CEO from December 2020.

Andrew studied History at the University of Manchester. Upon graduation in the late 1980s, he worked in the City of London: on the money markets as a trader for the Bank of Japan. Two years later he pursued a career in teaching and duly completed his PGCE. Since successfully completing his teaching qualification, Andrew has worked at schools in Stockport, Doha, Bury and Wilmslow, before his appointment as Headteacher at DESC. He has enjoyed a variety of different roles in the schools he has worked in and, collectively, it has constituted a good grounding for leadership.

Andrew Gibbs, BA (Hons) N.P.Q.H
Principal/CEO