The Pathway to JESS Secondary 2026-2027
Our Vision Educating to Make a Difference in the World
Our Mission Discovering the brilliance in every individual.
Building community through respect and a sense of belonging.
Empowering people to act with purpose.
Welcome Welcome to the first stage of exploring a potential move from primary to secondary at JESS. This booklet is designed to help you and your child learn more about our school, our values and the opportunities available to our students at the school’s open mornings. Whether you are already familiar with JESS or are considering us for the next stage of your child's educational journey, we hope the open mornings will provide a helpful introduction to our vibrant and supportive secondary community. Over the coming months, our teams will work closely together to ensure that families have the information they need to make informed decisions about their child's next steps. Throughout the admissions and transition process, there will be opportunities to meet key members of staff, hear from current students, visit the campus and gain a deeper understanding of our academic, pastoral and co-curricular provision. We look forward to meeting at the JESS Secondary open mornings and sharing what makes our school such a special place to learn, grow and thrive.
The Road Ahead JESS SECONDARY OPEN MORNING Wednesday October 21st 9:00am - 11:00am An opportunity to tour the campus, meet key staff and experience learning at JESS Secondary.
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TASTER SESSIONS Throughout terms 1 and 2, students from JJ and ARP will have the opportunity to experience different subjects in secondary.
OFFERS TO STUDENTS Offers will be sent out after the Winter break
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PARENT MEETINGS
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Key staff will meet with parents at JJ and ARP at the start of the summer term. These dates will be shared closer to the time.
HANDOVER MEETINGS Key staff will be involved in handover meetings with both primary schools.
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TRANSITIONS DAY Tuesday June 29th 2027 All Year 6 students will spend the day in JESS Secondary meeting their tutors.
Open Morning We would like to welcome you and your child to the Arabian Ranches site on Wednesday October 21st, 9:00am – 11:00am. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to meet the secondary team, and to observe the secondary school in action. During the morning you will have the opportunity to tour the secondary site with your child and meet the leadership team for a presentation and informal discussions. Please complete this sign up FORM to register your attendance. Your child will also have the opportunity to meet some of the teaching staff and experience an activity whilst you are listening to the Director’s and Headteacher’s presentation. Please complete the following form HERE with your child’s choice of activity. Please note there are maximum numbers for some of the activities, and whilst we will endeavour to place every child with their first choice this may not always be possible. The JESS Jumeirah team are aware that some students may be absent from school for this. Names will be shared with the JJ staff. This is a gentle reminder about our Open Morning. Please find below a few key points to help guide your visit:
Kindly bring your JESS parent badge with you if you have one. Upon arrival, please proceed directly to the auditorium. The morning will begin with student-led tours. For safeguarding purposes, Primary students must be accompanied by a parent / guardian during the tours. Following the tours, parents are invited to the Sixth Form Centre for a presentation. Students will then participate in their selected activities and will be ready for collection by 11:00am from Gate 2.
Transition Programme Date
24th September
Date
18th November
Lesson
Time
Class
Arabic
9:00 - 10:00
R&G
Arabic
10:20 - 11:20
Y&B
DT
9:00 - 10:00
Y&B
DT
10:20 - 11:20
R&G
Lesson
Time
Class
Maths
10:20 - 11:20
R&G
Maths
11:20 - 12:20
Y&B
French & Spanish
10:20 - 11:20
Y&B
French & Spanish
11:20 - 12:20
R&G
Break Instructions
Bring money for snack or packed lunch. If your child normally has canteen food, it will be available at AR
Break Instructions
Bring money for snack or packed lunch. If your child normally has canteen food, this will be available at AR
Transition Programme Date
26th January
Date
Lesson
Time
Class
PE
9:00 - 10:00
Y, B, R & G
Music, Drama or Dance (P4 only)
10:20 - 12:20
Y, B, R & G
Lesson
Time
Class
Geography
10:20 - 11:20
Y&B
History
10:20 - 11:20
G&R
Geography
11:20 - 12:20
G&R
History
11:20 - 12:20
Y&B
13th April
Break Instructions
Bring packed lunch as the children will be going straight back to JJ after lessons. Please ensure the children are in PE kit.
Break Instructions
Bring money for lunch or packed lunch. If your child normally has canteen food, it will be available at AR
Taster Sessions Cafeteria On their visit to the JESS Secondary, your child will be offered the opportunity to experience the JESS Cafeteria. If you wish your child to purchase their meal from the canteen, please give them cash (40AED) to cover the cost of a meal, drink and snack. Please provide your children with small denominations of notes. Students may also bring a packed lunch or snack.
MFL For Modern Foreign Language sessions, the students will be experiencing one language. This will be organised with their class teacher at JESS Ranches.
Uniform Your child will be required to wear their JESS school uniform unless indicated in the table.
We very much look forward to welcoming you to Arabian Ranches Secondary.
Quotes from Year 7's The things in the past two weeks that I really liked about JESS are the credited food cards (we don’t have to bring cash, instead we can just put money on the card and pay at the counter). Another thing that I liked was all the resources we can use during the lessons (on device and off device.) I also liked the house points system because it motivates us to work harder. The teachers are also really nice, and lessons often include fun activities. The teachers are very welcoming.
JESS secondary has been a fun and exciting time for me so far. The staff have been very friendly and kind, and I have enjoyed all my lessons and ECAs.
I have loved my first week and have made lots of friends. I think I have settled pretty well and established good relationships with my teachers.
In JESS Secondary, I have really enjoyed meeting the staff as well as having a go at the variety of sports. I feel included and comfortable, which helps me learn and focus.
The past two weeks at JESS have been exciting and new. There are subjects I have not tried before and grown to love, and I have made many new friends. I love how JESS caters to all interests; crochet, theatre, art, sport, and more. The ECAs are all different and fun. It shows JESS's core values especially commitment, curiosity, and excellence.
I have really enjoyed my first two weeks at secondary. I like going to the library. All of my teachers are really nice. Drama, DT and Art are probably my favourite subjects so far. I have also made some really good friends.
Main Reception 04 361 9019 www.jess.sch.ae Guided by our values