UAE School Starting Age: What’s the Update

Over the past few months, there have been many conversations in nurseries, in schools, in leadership meetings and around family dining tables about starting age changes.

Parents were worried.
Schools were reviewing their admissions processes.
Nurseries were fielding questions daily.

The shift of the national admissions cut-off from 31 August to 31 December created real uncertainty, particularly for families with children born between September and December.

And in that uncertainty, something important happened parents came together and concerns were expressed clearly and collectively.

The Ministry of Education has now issued a clarification for British curriculum Foundation Stage entry so, let’s walk through what has actually changed and just as importantly, what hasn’t.

A Quick Recap

In December, the UAE Ministry of Education confirmed that the national school entry cut-off date would move from 31 August to 31 December for schools starting in August or September.

This meant that children born between September and December would enter school earlier than under the previous framework.

For some families, this raised real concerns:

• Very young children starting FS1

• Children moving directly into FS2

• Some effectively skipping a year

Those concerns were widely discussed particularly within the British curriculum community because the revised cut-off would have placed some children out of sync with the UK system.

The Latest update from the Ministry

The Ministry of Education has now clarified how the revised policy applies to British curriculum schools.

For certain Foundation Stage cases, placement will not be based on date of birth alone.

Specifically:

• Children born between 1 September and 31 December who do not turn three before the start of the academic year may be assessed for FS1 entry.

• Placement decisions will be made jointly between the school and parents.

• If a child is not considered ready, enrolment can take place in the following academic year.

In addition, for the 2026–2027 academic year only, a one-time provision applies to children born between 1 September and 31 December 2022 who are not currently enrolled in an educational system. Schools and parents may jointly determine whether FS1 or FS2 is the most suitable placement. The Ministry has also confirmed that once a child is enrolled in a grade, placement cannot later be changed.

So Are British Schools Exempt?

No.

The revised 31 December cut-off remains in place, what has been introduced is structured flexibility within that framework for British curriculum Foundation Stage entry, allowing readiness to be considered in specific cases. This is clarification, not exemption.

Some families were previously informed that their child’s placement would change under the revised cut-off and in a few cases, confirmed places were adjusted or withdrawn. If that applies to you, Schools and nurseries are likely reassessing placements carefully to ensure they align with the clarified framework. That process may take a little time, but clarity should come directly from the setting. This update was recent, and settings will need time to review how it applies to individual cases.

What Should Happen Next

If you are a nursery leader:
Speak directly with your feeder schools. Clarify how they are applying the readiness provision and ensure your team are giving parents accurate, consistent guidance.

If you are a school leader:
Ensure your admissions, early years and leadership teams are aligned in how you communicate this update.

If you are a parent:
Refer directly to the official Ministry guidance and speak to your child’s intended school about how readiness will be assessed.

As with any regulatory update, further clarification from regulators such as KHDA, ADEK, and SPEA may follow.

We will continue to monitor developments and share confirmed updates as they are formally issued subscribe to Think Nursery to keep up to date.