As Dubai’s international education sector continues to expand, Sixth Form provision is becoming an increasingly important point of differentiation for British curriculum schools. One emerging trend is the growing emphasis on early futures planning, real-world exposure and scholarship readiness - an approach that is beginning to show measurable results.
This year, Arbor School Dubai reported that its first graduating cohort has collectively secured more than USD $1 million in university scholarships, alongside offers from institutions across the UK, United States, Europe and the UAE. While Arbor is a relatively young school, the scale of these outcomes offers insight into how newer Sixth Form models are responding to the expectations of globally mobile families.
Rather than relying solely on traditional academic pathways, Arbor’s post-16 structure combines A Levels, BTECs and the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) with a long-term Futures Counselling Programme that begins in Year 9. Students receive guidance on subject choices, university systems, scholarships and career pathways over several years, allowing decisions to be shaped gradually rather than compressed into the final stages of school.
A distinctive element of this approach is the inclusion of mandatory work placements in Year 12, completed with UAE-based organisations across sectors such as engineering, technology, healthcare, hospitality and the creative industries. These placements are designed to help students test career interests, develop professional behaviours and strengthen university applications with tangible experience.
University offers from Arbor’s first cohort span disciplines including Environmental and Civil Engineering, Business and Entrepreneurship, Psychology, Architecture, Medicine, Economics and Politics, reflecting both academic breadth and alignment with global and regional labour market trends. Several students hold multiple offers supported by merit-based scholarships, particularly from North American and European universities.
According to the school, the outcomes reflect a deliberate focus on academic depth, independent thinking and application-based learning, alongside pastoral and wellbeing support during a high-pressure stage of education.
As competition for university places intensifies globally, Arbor’s early results highlight a broader shift within Dubai’s British education landscape - one where structured futures guidance, exposure to industry and scholarship literacy are becoming integral to Sixth Form provision, rather than optional extras.
With further offers still pending, Arbor’s first cohort provides an early case study of how evolving post-16 models in the UAE are positioning students for international higher education in an increasingly competitive global context.
