Age-Grade Placement Guide
"At what age is my child ready for school?"
"I've just moved to a new country and I am not sure what grade my child should transfer to?"
At GEMS schools, we are regularly asked about the appropriate age for school admissions in the UAE. That's why we've put together this helpful guide and detailed table for you.
We will place students in age-appropriate grade levels in accordance with the Ministry of Education/KHDA regulations. To assist families coming from various curriculums, please refer to the table below as a guideline for which grade to apply to. Further clarification will be available by the Admissions and Educational teams of the school.
School Age Cut-off Requirements
To support children’s wellbeing and readiness for school, education authorities have introduced age cut-off requirements that ensure children begin their learning journey at the most appropriate developmental stage, while also creating consistency across schools and Early Years providers.
For schools and Early Years starting in August or September, children enrolling in FS1 / Pre-K must be three years old on or before 31 December of the admission year. For schools starting in April, children enrolling in Pre-K must be three years old on or before 31 March of the admission year.
These requirements apply to new student admissions from the 2026–27 academic year.*
*These age eligibility requirements apply to children enrolling in a school or Early Childhood Centre for the first time, in accordance with the approved age cut-off dates. Students who are currently enrolled in schools or ECCs will not be affected by this amendment.
Useful Information:
United Arab Emirates: Ministry of Education: Admission Age Guide for KG and Grade 1 Students
School Ages by Grade/Year (New Age Eligibility Requirements)
|
Age |
British Curriculum (UK) |
American Curriculum |
Australia/ NZ |
South Africa |
|
|
"Year" |
"Grade" |
"Year" |
"Year" |
||
|
2 years old as of Dec 31 |
Schools for Age 2 |
Nursery |
Nursery |
-- | -- |
|
3 years old as of Dec 31 (toilet trained) |
Schools for Age 3 |
FS1 (Nursery) |
PreK or Nursery |
-- |
-- |
|
4 years old as of Dec 31 (toilet trained) |
Schools for Age 4 |
FS2 (Reception) |
KG1 |
KG |
-- |
|
5 years old as of Dec 31 |
Schools for Age 5 |
1 |
KG2 |
Prep |
Reception |
|
6 years old as of Dec 31 |
Schools for Age 6 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
7 years old |
Schools for Age 7 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
8 years old |
Schools for Age 8 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
9 years old |
Schools for Age 9 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
10 years old |
Schools for Age 10 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
11 years old |
Schools for Age 11 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
12 years old |
Schools for Age 12 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
|
13 years old |
Schools for Age 13 |
9 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
|
14 years old |
Schools for Age 14 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
9 |
|
15 years old |
Schools for Age 15 |
11 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
|
16 years old |
Schools for Age 16 |
12 |
11 |
11 |
11 |
|
17 years old |
Schools for Age 17 |
13 |
12 |
12 |
12 |
School Ages by Grade/Year (Current Students)
The table below shows the current age eligibility requirements, which remain unchanged for all students who are already enrolled. These requirements will continue to apply for the duration of the student’s enrolment
|
Age of August 31 of each school year |
British Curriculum (UK) |
American Curriculum |
Australia/ NZ |
South Africa |
|
|
"Year" |
"Grade" |
"Year" |
"Year" |
||
|
2 years |
Schools for Age 2 |
Nursery |
Nursery |
-- | -- |
|
3 years old (toilet trained) |
Schools for Age 3 |
FS1 (Nursery) |
PreK or Nursery |
-- |
-- |
|
4 years old(toilet trained) |
Schools for Age 4 |
FS2 (Reception) |
KG1 |
KG |
-- |
|
5 years old |
Schools for Age 5 |
1 |
KG2 |
Prep |
Reception |
|
6 years old |
Schools for Age 6 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
7 years old |
Schools for Age 7 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
8 years old |
Schools for Age 8 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
9 years old |
Schools for Age 9 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
10 years old |
Schools for Age 10 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
11 years old |
Schools for Age 11 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
12 years old |
Schools for Age 12 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
|
13 years old |
Schools for Age 13 |
9 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
|
14 years old |
Schools for Age 14 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
9 |
|
15 years old |
Schools for Age 15 |
11 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
|
16 years old |
Schools for Age 16 |
12 |
11 |
11 |
11 |
|
17 years old |
Schools for Age 17 |
13 |
12 |
12 |
12 |
More to Explore
-
At some stage, all parents face one critical decision in their parenting journey: which school to choose for their child or children. It’s a difficult, sometimes confusing, but nonetheless important decision that impacts both your life as a parent and your child’s future.Read More
-
When it comes to understanding the price range within different academic grades in the UAE, it's important to consider the specific needs and goals of students at various stages of their education.Read More
-
Whether selecting what subjects to take for GCSEs or the IB Diploma Programme, the pressure on students to choose the right electives that will carry them through the remainder of school and then into college is more or less the same.Read More
-
As a GEMS parent, there are many ways you can save on your annual school tuition fees.Read More
-
GEMS Rewards is an exclusive rewards programme for our community of students, parents and staff designed to make quality education accessible.Read More
-
Our parent community are our best advocates and the Ambassador Programme is our way of saying thanks for playing an active role in our success.Read More
-
We offer Academic Scholarships to students who have consistently placed at the top of their class in all their subjects for at least the last three years.Read More
