Sport is a big part of the vision too
Cranleigh Abu Dhabi is getting a major upgrade, with Aldar Education announcing a AED 385.8 million investment to relocate the school’s Prep and Senior campus to a brand-new, purpose-built site on Saadiyat Island.
Set to open for the 2027–2028 academic year, the new campus is designed to feel more like a next-generation learning environment than a traditional school.
It will bring together advanced teaching spaces, high-performance sports facilities and cutting-edge creative studios, all built with a focus on future-ready education.
Located just seven minutes from the current site and next to the existing Pre-Prep campus, the move will bring Cranleigh’s full school community together in one unified district on Saadiyat Island.
Inside the new campus, science and learning take centre stage, with dedicated Biology, Chemistry and Physics labs enhanced by AI and VR tools to make complex concepts more interactive and hands-on
The Sixth Form area will also feature collaborative study zones, a research library, a student exhibition hall and a leadership conference room, alongside a Sixth Form Majlis designed to deepen students’ connection to Emirati culture and identity.
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Younger students will also benefit from expanded STEM and discovery labs, as well as an upgraded Model United Nations (MUN) suite to support global thinking and communication skills from an early age.
Sport is a big part of the vision too. The campus will include a 50-metre, 8-lane competition swimming pool, aquatic gym, multi-purpose sports hall, padel courts, basketball facilities, cricket and table tennis areas, a golf simulator and even a natural grass football pitch, one of the few of its kind in the emirate.
For the creative side, students will have access to a 650-seat auditorium, black box theatre, music and recording studios, fine arts spaces, digital media labs, a radio and podcast studio, and more, giving plenty of room to explore everything from performance to production.
Aldar Education CEO Sahar Cooper said the vision behind the project is simple but ambitious: “We have designed Cranleigh Abu Dhabi’s new campus with the belief that the quality of a student’s environment is inseparable from the quality of their outcomes.
“Every decision; from the discipline-specific science labs and AI-integrated classrooms to the competition-standard aquatic centre and Sixth Form Majlis, was made with this in mind.”
“This is a next-generation environment that expands what is possible for our students: intellectually, athletically, creatively and culturally.
It preserves everything that makes Cranleigh Abu Dhabi extraordinary while enhancing the individual intimacy and academic excellence the school is known for.”
The campus has also been designed with sustainability at its core, achieving an Estidama Pearl 5 rating, the highest green building standard in the UAE, focusing on energy efficiency, lower carbon impact and long-term environmental performance.
Cranleigh Abu Dhabi will continue operating at its current campus until the move is complete in 2027–2028, with a phased transition plan in place to ensure students experience a smooth and uninterrupted journey.
This isn’t just a school relocation, it’s a full-scale reimagining of what education in Abu Dhabi can look like.
