Preparing students for an AI-shaped world

This week’s blog is slightly later than usual; I wanted to write it after I’d given a keynote address for the British Chamber of Commerce in Dubai on the impact of AI on education and in the workplace. It was a timely conversation and one that feels increasingly urgent for schools, and employers because the future workforce is already sitting in our classrooms and the pace of change is unprecedented.

When I first visited Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet, back in January 2025, I arrived with an assumption, driven by the exceptional outcomes and the stellar destinations of its students, that the school would have a very narrow conception of who could succeed within it. That assumption lasted less than an hour. I was interviewed by a student panel, part of the school’s interview process for prospective staff. Sitting at the table was the Head Boy, articulate, perceptive, on his way to Cambridge to read Law. Alongside him was another pupil, equally assured and fully engaged in the discussion, questioning me with clarity and confidence. The difference was that the second boy was deaf. Aside of a hearing aid, there was no sense of accommodation that set him apart, no lowering of expectation, no quiet adjustment of standards. He held his own completely, in one of the most demanding academic environments imaginable and was clearly on his way to becoming the confident, able and responsible young man that the school is famed for.

At Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City, your child learns within a nurturing British community shaped by 450 years of educational heritage, strong scholarship and meaningful personal growth.

The highlight of last week’s Eid break, beyond providing some well-deserved rest for our founding team, was welcoming Mr. Neil Enright, Headmaster of Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet, to Dubai. He had a chance to meet the founding families, our founding staff team, and to take a tour of both phases of the construction project at the school. It was a special few days for me, as I had the chance to give an update on our exciting progress on a wide range of fronts, but also to get Neil’s view on the ways that we are planning to carry the heritage and traditions of QE Barnet to Dubai.

In what is becoming something of a trend, this week’s blog entry was inspired by a conversation with another of our scholars. Shortly after a tour of the school, he approached me to tell me, with some excitement, about a project he had been working on. He showed me his newly minted (that morning!) website, which he had built himself, through which he is selling his own 3D printed designs, as well as taking commissions. He was animated, and excited in a way that is instantly recognisable in young people when they have discovered something that feels truly their own. 

We hosted a super open day this past weekend, attended by founding families, friends, and families considering QE Dubai Sports City for their children. We were able to take tours of the completed Phase one of the school, while the project team were working on Phase two. 

One of our Founding Scholars was there, and he asked me a lot of very good questions (the scholarship panel clearly chose well!). He was super enthusiastic which was impressive, but more impressive still was the nature of his questions; he wanted to understand some of the day-to-day practicalities of being an Elizabethan, and this is my inspiration for this week’s blog – thank you Momo! 

There comes a moment in every teacher’s life when they really do understand just how old they are, and for me it came this weekend. A former pupil of mine, who had been in the boarding house at Repton, Derbyshire in 2008, came to visit our admissions suite with his wife and beautiful daughter, having moved to Dubai a few weeks ago. We reminisced about some incredible times; events, people and the place. Almost 20 years have elapsed, but we found ourselves exchanging stories of that earlier school, recalling traditions, teachers, and moments that had stayed with us long after we had left. While the nostalgia felt good, the sense of pride was stronger. Pride in belonging to something that had shaped us and left a lasting imprint well beyond classrooms and examinations. 

It has just been over sixteen months since I accepted the role of Founding Principal of QE Dubai Sports City, and during that time, I have been deeply involved in the planning of our school site. Like any school leader, I was excited by the architects’ renders, beautiful computer-generated images that translated our educational vision into form. Yet there is always an element of scepticism: will the reality truly match what has been promised on screen?

The story of Queen Elizabeth’s School is not defined by a single place or moment. It is shaped by time, purpose, and continuity. From its origins in 16th-century England to its presence today in Dubai Sports City, the journey reflects a steady commitment to scholarship, character and educational excellence.

This timeline of growth traces the journey from Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet to Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City, highlighting key educational milestones that define the School’s global education journey.

I am writing this blog at 40,000 feet, somewhere over Munich, as I return to Dubai following an inspirational few days in the UK. Along with Louise, our Head of Admissions, and Anna from her team, we hosted an event for founding and prospective families currently based in the UK. Guests heard directly from the Headmaster, as well as from an Old Elizabethan who has been at the forefront of Queen Elizabeth’s international expansion.

A strong school is built on more than classrooms and curriculum. It is built on relationships, shared values and a sense of belonging. Within the British education system, the house system plays a central role in creating this foundation.

At Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City, the house system is an integral part of school life. Rooted in British tradition, the QE House Programme supports students across K-12 by nurturing confidence, responsibility, and leadership skills. It strengthens wellbeing, encourages engagement, and builds a thriving school community where every child feels known and valued.

This guide explains how the house system works, why it matters, and how it supports holistic development beyond academics.

This weekend I had the chance to watch a recently released documentary that explores the rapid development of AI, and which painted (an at times alarming!) picture of the world that we are about to step into. The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, is framed around the director’s reflections as he prepares to become a parent and the film repeatedly returns to a simple but profound question: what kind of world are we creating for the next generation? The answers to that question were in parts inspiring, and in others terrifying, but throughout, there was a sense that certain human attributes will increase in importance, like good judgement, empathy, resilience, ethical reasoning, and the ability to collaborate with others.

One of the great joys of recent weeks has been seeing just how excited my senior team have been in discussions about our curriculum; teachers very rarely get the chance to design a whole-school curriculum from the ground up, so we are jumping at this chance. Our conversations with families have been similar energising, as we have been able to talk with passion about not only what children will study, but how their learning is designed, sequenced, and brought to life over time, and supports or core mission of developing Confident, Able and Responsible young people. 

When founding a new school, a few fundamental questions surface again and again: why does this school need to exist, and what will genuinely make it different? In a city as educationally ambitious and increasingly mature as Dubai, many schools are well led, well resourced, and staffed by talented professionals, something demonstrated clearly in the sector’s response to remote learning and again this week in schools’ handling of the cancellation of GCSE, A Level, and IB examinations.

I've recently fallen into a podcast habit, keeping up to date with nearly ten different shows every week. By complete accident, I discovered last week that one of my teachers from my own school days has launched a podcast, reflecting on a long career in education that culminated in him leading one of Scotland's most successful schools. Listening to a few episodes filled me with nostalgia - and more than a little pride.

Last week marked an important milestone in our project, when I visited our site with the Heads of Senior and Prep Schools. We took delivery of the first two classrooms, on time, and we are delighted with what we have seen. We are deeply grateful to the projects team who, working strictly in line with the best safety advice and government guidance, have kept the project on track in recent weeks.