(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

At Dubai Sports City, students are busy building mini Teslas, coding self-driving cars, and chatting with AI avatars that can transform their lessons into virtual worlds.

Their daily cognitive training tools are the same ones used by Cristiano Ronaldo. Their robotics instructors include industry specialists from Boston Dynamics and Kawasaki. And their campus - GEMS School of Research and Innovation (SRI) - now stands as Dubai's most expensive school, and among the priciest globally.

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With annual fees surpassing Dh200,000 in senior grades, SRI has positioned itself at the extreme premium end of the market. But its leaders insist the price tag reflects not exclusivity, but access - to university-grade labs, industrial robotics, and a research ecosystem rarely seen in K–12 schools globally.

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During Khaleej Times' tour of the newly opened campus, Baz Nijjar, Vice President – Education Technology and Digital Innovation at GEMS Education, paused inside a 360-degree immersive room, surrounded by a fully projected underwater world where an octopus and other marine life glided across the circular screen.

“This is about immersing them in the learning environment,” he said.“They're more willing to learn if they see and feel what the storyline is... It creates curiosity. And with curiosity, they will then learn.”

Spanning 47,600 sqm, the GEMS School of Research and Innovation campus was developed with a $100 million (Dh367 million) investment - 30 per cent higher than the budgets of previous premium school projects.

Learning environment like a tech lab

The 360 immersive room is only the first layer. The school's collaborative centre for research and innovation, forms what SRI calls an“industry-level learning ecosystem".

Nijjar explains that even the youngest“are building mini Teslas” to understand computational thinking. Students begin with AI pet robots, modular robotic kits and simple sequencing cards; older ones progress into real self-driving car systems and advanced robotics.

“We've got various levels of robotics,” he said.“We want to give them access to the highest level. So, partnerships with Unitary, Kawasaki, KUKA Robotics - you can see an industry-level arm... Normally, you would have to go to a university or an industry lab to access this, but we bring them here.”

Industry specialists - from AI researchers to engineers and sports scientists - work inside the school daily.“The teacher is there to work with them,” Nijjar said,“but the industry people are coming here to actually lead the way.”

The ecosystem spans drones, quadruped robots, high-end 3D printers, humanoids, VR/XR systems and AI-generated learning avatars. Through EON Reality's platform, students can type any learning objective - or scan a picture like the pyramids - and instantly generate a virtual environment.“They'll be able to communicate with the avatar that leads the learning,” he said.“We can track their performance in those virtual environments... that's the missing link.”

For some students, he added, these alternative environments are transformative.“We've had students who are a little unsure of talking to an avatar, but they do very well when they're left to do maths.”

Why Dubai's most expensive school?

With fees crossing Dh200,000, the natural question is - why?

Nijjar was direct.“Even the top-end schools may have a specialism in one or two, maybe three areas. You've seen here... not only from the facilities, but the investment in partners, the investment in university research, the investment in the equipment in all areas... To do that, you have to invest a lot more.”

The aim, he said, is not to replicate premium British schools, but to leapfrog them.“Why not have industry-level, university-level? Why not challenge the traditional curriculum to go beyond?”

SRI follows the British curriculum - but layers over it a research-first model. Students who can accelerate are encouraged to do so; others may follow sports, arts, technology or engineering pathways.“It's about personalisation... pushing them enough to keep evolving and going beyond, if they are capable.”

A research gallery - launching in January - will showcase projects across nutrition, sports, XR/VR studies, engineering and wellbeing. Partnerships with Cambridge, UCL and MIT are in progress to deepen research exposure.

“The Industrial Revolution is in the school,” Nijjar said.

Teachers with research backgrounds, elite credentials

To deliver this model, SRI recruited staff with advanced research experience.“We have a number of teachers and leaders already with PhDs,” Nijjar said. Many others are currently completing doctorates or have published white papers.

He also highlighted NeuroTracker, a cognitive development technology used by Cristiano Ronaldo and elite sports teams.“Five to seven minutes a day... develops over 52 different parts of your brain,” he said, explaining how the school integrates university-grade cognitive science into everyday classroom routines.

The specialisms extend to sports and arts as well.“In Sports, our Head of Sports comes from Millfield,” he said.“In Performing Arts, we have someone from Wellington College, and for AI research, a specialist with a PhD in AI.”

Principal and CEO James Monaghan added that“most of the teachers have come from the UK private school system... We wanted the very best teachers. The parents expect a lot.”

Campus designed like university research centre

SRI's campus is built at a scale - and with technology - more typically associated with higher education.

From the 400-metre competition track and FIFA-standard pitch to the Olympic-sized FINA-certified pool, the sports facilities rival professional training centres.“We also have multi-purpose courts, cricket nets, and a big screen for replays and results,” Monaghan said.

Swimming is run by Hamilton Aquatics, athletics by AIS, and cricket by the Desert Vipers. Students have already begun fixtures in netball and football.

In the performing arts, the campus includes a 600-seat auditorium and a 120-seat Black Box Theatre. Its all-Steinway Premier Music Academy gives students access to concert-level instruments and recording studios.

The Media Suite, equipped to professional broadcast standards, allows students to produce news shows, podcasts and esports broadcasts.

Specialised engineering zones include an F1 and Karting Engineering Lab and a FoodTec Lab with hydroponics and 3D food printing.

The central learning hub spans three floors: a junior library with interactive research tables, a senior library for advanced study, and a top floor dedicated to university guidance and robotics labs.

Even sustainability is embedded into learning. The LEED Gold campus generates 30 per cent of its power from solar energy, and hydroponics, rainwater harvesting and low-flow systems double as teaching tools.

Building a 360-degree profile of every child

One of the school's most ambitious innovations is its“360 profile", which builds a multidimensional map of each learner's academic, cognitive and behavioural growth.

Nijjar said the system will merge“cognitive data, performance data from the innovation lab, academic performance, psychometric and aptitude testing". The aim is to compare progress with global and local peers, and to personalise future learning pathways.

This feeds into the school's SRI Diploma Pathway, which accompanies students through senior years.“When they're applying to US or UK universities,” Monaghan said,“they've got their examination results... but they've also got their pathway and profile.”

Parent spaces and 'Family First Fridays'

Though technology drives much of SRI's identity, the school emphasises parental involvement. It has a dedicated parent café and community spaces. Every week, families join information sessions through 'Family First Fridays', covering curriculum topics, life skills, phonics, or online safety.

Food is another deliberate touchpoint: younger children use their own age-specific cafeteria, and“65–70 per cent of students eat the healthy yet tasty school food,” Monaghan said. Menus are co-created with parents and overseen by a UK-trained head chef.

A new benchmark in ultra-premium schooling

With around 500 students in its first year, SRI is small enough to remain curated but large enough to run its comprehensive sports and innovation programmes. The school expects demand to rise sharply as its upper year groups, research gallery and secondary innovation hubs open through 2025.

For now, its defining promise is breadth. A K–12 institution where a seven-year-old can train to code a self-driving car, a teenager can work with industrial robotics, and every learner - from artist to athlete - can develop a research-backed profile to take into university.

“Why not challenge the traditional curriculum to go beyond?” Nijjar added.

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