Virtual School in the UAE: Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and the Long Drive to School

By Brendaliz Chelangat, Head of Academics · October 2026 · 10 min read

Most writing about schools in the UAE is about Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Many families live elsewhere: in Sharjah and Ajman because rents are lower, in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah because the work is there, in Al Ain because it is home. Their questions are different. They are about the drive south on the E311, a subject the local school cannot staff, and an A Level set of three. This guide covers those families, the rules that apply to them, which are stricter than many people assume, and the equivalency question that matters most in the final two school years.

Smartious for families in Dubai and the UAE

The emirates beyond the two big cities

Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and the city of Al Ain together hold a large share of the country’s families. They have good schools, but fewer of them, and with a narrower spread of subjects at IGCSE and A Level than the largest Dubai schools can offer. Many Sharjah and Ajman children attend school in Dubai and spend a long part of each day in traffic on Al Ittihad Road or the E311. In Ras Al Khaimah and on the east coast the distances are longer still. Live online teaching does not fix the commute for a child who loves their Dubai school. It does help the child whose local school is good but cannot run the subject they need.

Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and the east coast

Ras Al Khaimah’s economy runs on hospitality around Al Marjan Island, manufacturing and its free zone. Fujairah’s runs on its port and the energy trade. Families who move there for work often find a school they are happy with for the early years and a gap at upper secondary: Further Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics or a third science that the school cannot staff for a handful of students. A live group drawn from several emirates and countries turns four interested students into a class. The usual arrangement is two or three subjects alongside the local school. Because the UAE is one hour ahead of Nairobi, a 16:00 class in Fujairah is 15:00 for our teachers.

The rules, stated carefully

Private schools are regulated by KHDA in Dubai, ADEK in Abu Dhabi, which includes Al Ain, and the Sharjah Private Education Authority in Sharjah. These bodies regulate physical schools operating in their emirates; they do not formally regulate online delivery for non-Emirati expatriate families, and KHDA has said publicly that it does not recognise homeschooling programmes. Smartious is not a UAE-licensed school and claims no approval from KHDA, ADEK or the Ministry of Education. Expatriate families who study online do so under home-country curriculum documentation, which we provide. Emirati families use international study alongside the Ministry of Education’s national pathway, not instead of it. These positions can change, so confirm yours with the relevant authority before you withdraw a child from a UAE school.

Emirati families: alongside the national school

For Emirati students the national school remains the base. It keeps Arabic, Islamic Education, national studies and the official record, and we do not teach those subjects in place of it. What we add is specific: IGCSE English, Mathematics and the sciences for a student aiming at an English-taught university programme, or AS and A Level Mathematics and Physics for a student heading towards engineering. Lessons run after the school day, Monday to Friday, and every lesson is recorded so that a late afternoon commitment never means a missed class. This is the configuration we recommend for any family where the national pathway matters, and it carries none of the questions that full-time online study raises.

Grades 11 and 12: equivalency before subject choice

The final two school years are where planning matters most. Any student who wants a UAE university will need Ministry of Education equivalency, and the Ministry’s guide sets conditions on the number of IGCSE and AS or A Level passes, and on which subjects count. Read the current guide on the Ministry’s website before your child chooses subjects, not after. Universities such as UAE University, the American University of Sharjah and NYU Abu Dhabi each set their own requirements on top of that, so ask them directly whether they accept private-candidate results and what documents they need. Private candidates sit Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel exams through the British Council, in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Centres are confirmed per family, per session, so plan the drive from the north early.

When the local school is the right answer

Often. If your child is settled at a good school within a reasonable drive, and it teaches the subjects they need, keep it. If your family is Emirati, the national school is the base and we are an addition. If your child is likely to re-enter a UAE school later and you are unsure how an online year would be treated, ask that school what it would need before you change anything. The cases where we help most are narrow and clear: a missing subject, a thin A Level set, a mid-year arrival waiting for a place, or an expatriate family who has confirmed its own position and wants a full programme.

Outside Dubai and Abu Dhabi the schools are good but fewer, and the gaps are specific: a subject, a set, a long drive. A live subject teacher fills those gaps alongside the local school, which is where we fit best in the UAE. Full-time online study is a decision for expatriate families to confirm with the authorities first. Book an assessment, and we will start with your emirate, your child’s school and the subjects they need.

Frequently asked questions

What time are live classes in the UAE?

The UAE is on Gulf Standard Time (UTC+4), one hour ahead of Nairobi. A 9:00 Nairobi lesson is at 10:00 in the UAE, classes run Monday to Friday, and every lesson is recorded.

Is full-time online school allowed in the UAE?

KHDA, ADEK and SPEA regulate physical schools, and KHDA has said it does not recognise homeschooling programmes. Smartious claims no UAE approval. Expatriate families should confirm their own position with the relevant authority, and Emirati families use us alongside the national school.

Can my child stay at school and add a subject?

Yes. Two or three subjects after the school day is what we recommend for most families outside Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Where would a student from the northern emirates sit exams?

Private-candidate entries are made through the British Council in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Entry deadlines fall months before each series, and centres are confirmed per family, per session.

Next steps

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