We use cookies to improve your online experiences. To learn more and choose your cookies options, please refer to our cookie policy.
Admissions are now open for 2025/2026
You might have seen the trend going around - “If I could tell my younger self one thing…” - a moment to reflect, to offer advice we wish we’d heard earlier, or to remind ourselves of what truly matters.
As students prepare to cross some of the biggest milestones in school life, it feels like the perfect time to pause and join in that conversation. But it’s not just our students who are preparing — so are we, as parents. These milestones don’t just belong to them. We’re living every part of it too: the anticipation, the pride, the nerves, and the quiet hopes. Sometimes, it’s the hardest thing in the world — to watch them take these big steps, to stay strong when they wobble, to let go just a little more. It’s a milestone for us as much as it is for them — and we’re walking it together.
So, if we could speak to our younger selves — or even just to our current selves in moments of doubt — here’s what we might say:
"You don’t need to have it all figured out."
"You don’t need to know exactly where you’re going, or what comes next. What matters more is how you show up along the way — with kindness, curiosity, and courage."
"Mistakes? They won’t break you — they’ll shape you. The hard moments will pass, and the lessons will stay. Comparison steals joy, so walk your path proudly — it is yours, and it is enough."
We’d remind ourselves (and each other) to celebrate the small wins. To laugh more. To worry less. To trust that, even when things feel uncertain, we are still becoming exactly who we’re meant to be.
And maybe most importantly: "You are more capable than you realise. You always have been."
If your future self could speak to you now — whether you’re a student or a parent — they’d probably say this:
"Keep going. You’ve got this.
You always have!"
Aine McGlue
Head of Secondary
Celebrating Our Shared Success: A Year of Partnership and Recognition
As we approach the end of a vibrant academic year filled with events, achievements, and memorable moments, I am delighted to share some fantastic news with you all. Our school has been honoured with not one, but two prestigious awards in recognition of our commitment to parent engagement: the MENA Parent Partnership Award and the ADEK Best Parent Engagement Award.
Read on to discover how these awards celebrate our collaborative culture, highlight parent-school partnerships, and support meaningful improvements for our students.
It’s something I’ve believed for a long time — that learning isn’t predetermined by our genes. It’s about growing, persevering, and learning through the process. I was really mindful of this idea at this week’s wonderful Primary Summer Concert, after which I found myself reflecting on whether these amazing children have an innate talent, or whether they have achieved so much because of hard work and practice.
I believe it’s the latter. These children, their parents, and their teachers all seem to share the belief that by trying and working hard, they will get better at what they do. This is what we call a growth mindset.
This week at BIS Abu Dhabi, we have had the joy of celebrating both ends of the school journey and it has been a beautiful reminder of how we support our students to dream big and grow into their future selves.
As exam season unfolds, there's a special kind of stillness that settles over the school. In the quiet hum of the examination hall, behind the rustle of papers and the soft clicking of keyboards, is a profound truth: we are witnessing a moment that our students will carry with them forever. It is the culmination of years of learning, growth, and perseverance, a chapter closing and a new one ready to be written.
Admissions: +971 2 510 0123
Admissions: admissions@bisad.ae
HR: hr@bisad.ae
We use cookies to improve your online experiences. To learn more and choose your cookies options, please refer to our cookie policy.