Back to the books: How Dubai families and schools are easing into the post-Eid Al Adha return
For Dubai families, the long Eid Al Adha break ends today. After nine days of family gatherings, travel and slower mornings, students across the UAE are heading back to school on Monday, June 1, with one of the most demanding stretches of the academic year ahead. How that first week unfolds, though, will vary noticeably from one school to another, and the families speaking to local media in the run-up have made clear that the work of getting children ready actually started days ago at home.
Different schools, different first days
Schools across the emirate are taking visibly different approaches to the post-Eid return, depending on where they are in the term.
Some are using the first week to deliberately ease students back in. At Dewvale School Dubai, the focus is on a smooth and positive transition rather than diving straight into content. Principal Seema Umar said teachers will use reconnecting activities, revision sessions and classroom discussions to help students settle back into learning, and students will be given space to share their holiday experiences while gradually resuming their normal schedule. Crucially for many families, the school will not run any assessments or examinations during the first week back, with the focus instead on helping students settle and reconnect with their classmates and teachers.
Umar also asked parents to play their part by helping children re-establish healthy routines at home, including consistent sleep schedules, punctuality and regular attendance, so that students return refreshed and ready for new learning rather than playing catch-up on basic energy levels.
At other schools, the return is much more academically charged. Deepika Thapar Singh, CEO-Principal of Credence High School, said that as soon as the school returns from the Eid break, students will dive straight into the first round of formal assessments. The assessment calendar was shared with students and parents before the start of the academic year, so the timing is not a surprise, and Singh stressed that students should not feel overwhelmed because the assessments cover a relatively short and manageable portion of the syllabus. Even an hour of focused revision each day during the break, she said, would set students up well.
The contrast is a useful reminder for parents: in Dubai's mixed-curriculum landscape, two children attending different schools on the same street can return to very different first weeks, one easing in with revision sessions and the other sitting their first formal paper of the term. Checking the school's communication, both the term calendar and any post-Eid notes from the class teacher, is the quickest way to know which version of Monday your household is preparing for.
The quiet work parents have been doing at home
Across the country, parents speaking to Gulf News described a back-to-school process that goes well beyond stationery and uniforms. The practical checklist matters, but mental and emotional preparation, they said, is what really makes the first week back work.
June Rayos, mother of a Grade 7 student, said her family treats physical preparation as one part of a wider agenda. Books, bags and Nol cards are sorted in advance, but she has also encouraged her daughter to review subjects, revisit school tasks and stay connected with classmates during the holiday, on the basis that maintaining friendships outside class makes children feel more comfortable and engaged once they return. The household has also tried to balance focused activity, reading, art and chores, with time to celebrate the children's achievements and enjoy the break.
For Fahad Keviden, father of Grade 1 twins, the challenge has been helping younger children move from the excitement of Eid family visits and trips to water parks back into the structure of school life. The family allowed the children a complete break from academics during the holiday, but as classes approach they have been reviewing lessons, completing pending homework and returning to regular sleep and study schedules so the children can adjust both mentally and physically before walking through the school gate.
Sarah Fajardo, mother of a Grade 2 student, said her son adapts easily to changes in routine, so the family's preparation has been relatively light: small mental cues that school starts on Monday, a reminder of the friends and teachers he will see, and an earlier bedtime in the days before.
Mamta Sharath Karunan, mother of a Grade 1 student, framed the end-of-holiday transition as more than a return to routines. Preparation, she said, is about building confidence and enthusiasm: organising supplies, speaking positively about going back, slowly adjusting bedtimes, limiting screen time, and promoting reading and meaningful conversations that keep curiosity alive. A balanced routine, she added, helps children return feeling refreshed, focused and ready to learn.
Schools, for their part, are preparing the other side of the equation. Rabiya Najeeb, mother of a Grade 5 student, described the work happening behind the scenes inside classrooms: organising spaces, preparing learning materials and planning interactive activities so that students reconnect easily with their teachers and friends. Physical activities, classroom games, collaborative tasks and social interactions, she said, help children become mentally and physically ready for learning again.
A practical checklist for Monday
For families still finalising the return, a few simple steps can make the first week noticeably smoother.
The night before, pull bedtime earlier than it has been all holiday, ideally by gradual 15-minute shifts over the preceding days rather than a sudden one-hour jump, and check that uniforms, water bottles, lunch boxes, school shoes and bags are out and ready. Confirm transport arrangements, whether that is the school bus, a Parkin-linked school parking arrangement or a personal carpool, so the morning is not the moment those decisions get made. For families with younger children, a short, calm conversation about who they will see at school and what the first day might look like can ease back-to-school nerves.
For the first week itself, expect tiredness and slightly shorter attention spans, and resist the urge to load on extracurriculars or late evenings before children have adjusted. If your child's school is one that runs formal assessments immediately after the break, treat the first few evenings as light revision and early-night opportunities rather than full study sessions, and let the school's published assessment calendar guide what to focus on. If your child is at a school using the week to ease in, lean into that: time for reading, conversation about what they did during Eid, and a gentle rebuild of routine will do more for the rest of the term than rushed catch-up work.
What this signals about the rest of the term
The post-Eid return is the start of one of the most consequential stretches of the academic year. Term-end assessments, end-of-year reports and, for older students, board exam preparation all sit in the weeks ahead, with the summer break following at the start of July. How the first week back is handled, in school and at home, often shapes how settled the rest of that stretch feels.
Across the families and school leaders quoted in the local press, the common thread is striking: the return is not really about stationery and timetables, it is about emotional readiness, healthy routines and reconnection. Schools are organising classrooms and planning activities to make returning feel welcoming rather than abrupt. Parents are pulling bedtimes back, encouraging reading, easing children off screens and reminding them, gently, who they will see again on Monday. The school bell will do the rest.
Sources:
Khaleej Times, "UAE students go back to school after Eid break; some return straight to exams" by SM Ayaz Zakir (June 1, 2026). https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/education/students-back-to-school-exams-after-eid-break
Gulf News, "How UAE families are transitioning back to school after the Eid break" by Tricia Gajitos (May 30, 2026). https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/education/how-uae-families-are-transitioning-back-to-school-after-the-eid-break-1.500557839
