History & Heritage | About Us | Sharjah English School, UAE

We are proud to be one of the oldest not for profit schools in the UAE that serves families seeking a traditional British education in an international context.

Sharjah English School was founded in 1974 by two Sharjah-based British bankers, David Eldon and David Bedford who brought together a number of prominent British companies to finance the construction and operation of the new school for Sharjah. Land for the project was granted by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi in the then-remote Dasman area.

Enrolment in the school started almost immediately, with temporary facilities provided initially on the second floor of Mahatta Fort, then part of RAF Sharjah. The first pupils attended the school on 30 September 1974, with a small staff of volunteers working with the school’s first headmistress, Mrs Marie Gladstone. 

The new buildings in Dasman were completed in April 1975 and on 3 June 1975, His Highness officially opened the new school. Soon after, Joyce Keep took over as headmistress from Marie Gladstone. In 1977, Michael Short became headmaster and a decision was taken to move to a new expanded campus. The school opened in September 1978 in Samnan, next to Sharjah Wanderers, which was to be SES' location for the next 27 years. Under headmaster George Savage, the school once again expanded, moving from Samnan to its current campus in 2005. As before, the land for the new school was generously donated by Sheikh Dr Sultan Al Qasimi. 

Now in its 50th year, Sharjah English School, Sharjah’s first British community school, has underpinned its progression from a small group of classrooms in an old fort to a modern British curriculum school that has consistently ranked as ‘outstanding’ and – over the years – provided a world-class education to tens of thousands of children.

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OUR TIMELINE

This timeline is designed to guide you through the journey of SES from its beginnings to where we are today. Each entry provides a snapshot of the moments that have shaped our story, and will help you understand the developments that have led us to where we are today.