GEMS Founders School achieves International Inclusive School Status

November 24, 2025

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Established in 2016, GEMS Founders School (GFS) welcomes over 6000 students alongside its 750+ staff. Representing around 100 nationalities, the school embraces diversity and weaves inclusion into the very fabric of the school. Students and staff alike are aware of the importance of inclusion within the school, as it is regularly cited as a core value. The school’s vision of “Grow, Flourish, and Succeed,” drives its inclusive education model and specialised provisions tailored to meet diverse student needs. KHDA rated GFS’s inclusion provision as “Outstanding” in 2023/2024, recognising its comprehensive systems for identifying and supporting Students of Determination, and those identified as ‘gifted and talented’.

Valuing excellence in inclusion

Within the GEMS Education network, GFS stands out as unashamedly child centred, led by an inspirational leader who motivates a dedicated team. The school’s Head of Inclusion has even received the GEMS Inclusivity Award, showing how the school values excellence in inclusion the same as it does academic excellence. Inclusion is all encompassing, and it supports all leaners; More Able students, English Language Learner (ELL) students, Students of Determination (SOD), and indeed every learner within its walls. Staff and parents can also join in the school’s inclusion aspirations, with community voices valued and listened to.

Passionate and committed staff

The very school building has inclusion throughout. Signage, murals, and wall displays are not tokenistic, they are pedagogically and emotionally purposeful. The “Grow, Flourish, Succeed” motto is not only displayed but woven into lessons, language, and behaviour systems. There is also a real understanding of the need for the school to align with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) rules and regulations as well as the British Schools Oversees (BSO) requirements. The Executive Head is wholly committed to inclusion, and this enthusiasm has brought about a passionate and committed staff body that is fully behind his inclusive policies. The school is solution-focused and is keen to build a happy learning environment that students are eager to enter every day.

Every learner can engage

Despite the sheer size of the school, inclusion has amazingly infiltrated all aspects of school life. The building itself is built with the needs of its diverse student body in mind, and facilities are exemplary. Every display, poster, and sign is carefully considered to ensure every learner can engage and develop greater emotional literacy. The “Jewels of Kindness and Respect” campaign, visible throughout the school, builds a shared moral vocabulary centred on compassion, helpfulness, honesty, and inclusion. The High-Performance Learning Hive creates a bridge between character development and high aspirations. Civic and cultural identity is affirmed through celebratory boards such as “We Love UAE Leaders” and national displays, affirming GFS’s commitment to cultural inclusion in its host context.

Well-rounded learners

A balanced curriculum has resulted in well-rounded learners, who have as much curiosity for traditional academic subjects as they do they arts. It develops character, empowers agency, nurtures wellbeing, and places inclusion at the heart of every learning experience. Whether a child is accessing the core curriculum, the Flourish programme, the Alternative Pathway Curriculum, or Advanced Learner Provision, the message is the same: learning is for everyone. Designed around both national and local requirements, and deeply responsive to the diverse needs of the student body, the curriculum reflects the school’s inclusive ethos. Its implementation is underpinned by high-quality teaching, embedded values, intelligent use of data, and continual reflection. From Foundation Stage to Secondary, the GFS curriculum is anchored in core values. The visible integration of themes like empathy, resilience, respect, and aspiration ensures that curriculum content is not only intellectually stimulating, but emotionally and socially relevant.

Inclusion is a whole-school commitment

Staff are actively encouraged to collaborate and share best practice, indeed even learning from other schools. This is a school that, despite its many accolades, never rests on it laurels. Leaders are not complacent and are always willing to learn, acknowledging that they are living in a changing world. They know that in order to build strong learners today, they must look to tomorrow for best practice and pedagogy. All staff know that inclusion is a whole-school commitment, and that it is understood and owned across all roles. The Inclusion Team Board shows that key personnel include not only Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinators (SENCOs), Therapists, and Leaders, but also a parent representative and a Governor, symbolising shared ownership. The Executive Head has allocated notable funding to the provision for SOD, investing heavily in staffing and resources for leaners who require additional support through projects such as The Small Steps.

Aware of all help and support available

The school’s safeguarding and wellbeing policies work hand in hand to provide a learning environment that supports and empowers learners. Safeguarding and wellbeing are a top priority, and the practice in these areas is exceptional. The considerable care and excellent relationships in terms of safeguarding are backed up by extraordinary systems. The school has developed an exemplary wellbeing policy wherein students and staff are very aware of the help and support available. They talk about this issue easily and they participate in activities that support each other. Students embrace wellbeing support, and in turn show great kindness and empathy towards others.

Paths that empower learners

Inclusion is not just a one-off policy – it is woven into the very fabric of school life at GEMS Founders School. Every stakeholder can benefit from the school’s inclusive vision, and can find a path that empowers and uplifts them. The school encourages every student to dream big, and to support their peers along every step of the way. GFS reminds students that inclusion is not just for school; by living by inclusive values, everyone can thrive in a world that embraces difference and individuality.