Ras al Khaimah Academy
Ras Al Khaimah Academy is one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious international schools in the UAE.
The school was originally founded in 1975 and opening under the name RAK English Speaking School with just 20 primary-school, expatriate students on January 17th 1976. For the next 16 years the total number of students in the school hovered around the 100 mark. As the school’s reputation grew, so interest in the school grew from within the local Emirati population.
The Secondary School opened in 1994 and the school enrolment as a whole began to grow at almost 20% per year. The prestigious programmes of the International Baccalaureate (IB Diploma and Primary Years Programme) were added in 2006 and a British Curriculum Primary School opened in 2007. Today RAKAcademy welcomes over 2,800 students every day from over 60 nationalities. Emirati children make up 60% of the student body.
Established since 1988 under the royal patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, the school consists of two neighbouring campuses: one offering a British-style curriculum (RAK Academy BC) for Primary age students (3-11 years) and the other (RAK Academy IB) offering both an International Primary curriculum (IBPYP) and an International Secondary curriculum (IGCSE, IB Diploma and A/S Levels). The requirements of the UAE Ministry of Education covering the teaching of Arabic and Islamic studies are also catered for in all areas of the school.
Facilities include 196 classrooms, 12 science laboratories, three libraries, a three-storey media centre, two theatres, two gymnasiums, two swimming pools, two grass soccer fields, four tennis courts and outside covered play areas, and three cafeterias. The two campuses cover over 23 acres in total. There are extensive IT suites on both sites, including over 700 networked computers school-wide and Smart Board technology in most classrooms. The medium of instruction is English.
The school offers Arabic and French as second languages, together with a strong EFL program. Teaching staff are recruited mainly from the United Kingdom, although more than a dozen nationalities are currently represented on the teaching body. All teachers are appropriately certified in their professional area and the average length of stay of teaching staff at RAK Academy is four years.
Living in Ras al Khaimah
Ras Al Khaimah is very welcoming and liberal, and is considered to be the most scenic and varied of the seven Emirates. Within its territory it combines the coast, the desert, and the mountains. Ras Al Khaimah has more to offer than first meets the eye. If you scratch the surface, it isn’t too hard to fill your time. There are a huge selection of eateries – they are springing up all the time. The UAE is famous for its all-inclusive brunches and Ras Al Khaimah is no different. In addition, if you are a sportsman or woman then you won’t be bored - there are many activities on offer – sailing, diving, golf, off-road driving, squash, and much more. Staff also play football and basketball with the secondary students.