The UAE’s new children’s “admission cut-off age to Early Childhood Centres and Schools” policy & why it can have an important impact on your child

The UAE’s new children’s “admission cut-off age to Early Childhood Centres and Schools” policy & why it can have an important impact on your child

The Education, Human Development and Community Development Council has announced the adoption of a new admission age policy for enrolment in Early Childhood Centres and Schools. The decision will be implemented starting from the 2026-2027 academic year.

Under the new policy, 31 December (previously 31 August) of the enrolment year will become the new date for calculating the admission age in schools and kindergartens whose academic year starts in August or September. For example, a student must reach 3 years of age by 31 December (previously 31 August) of the enrolment year to register in FS1.

The new policy will take effect starting from the 2026–2027 academic year, and will apply to students who are not enrolled in the 2025-2026 academic year. It will not apply to students enrolled during the 2025–2026 academic year in schools, nurseries, or early childhood centres.

If your child was born in September, October, November, or December and is now eligible to start FS1 or FS2 in September 2026, we would like to share important information to support you in making a confident, well-informed decision—one that prioritises your child’s readiness rather than rushing the transition to formal schooling. Below, we explain how FS1 and FS2 are delivered at Blossom Nursery & Preschool and why remaining in a nurturing Early Childhood Centre (ECC) during these formative years best supports children’s emotional security, social development, and long-term readiness for learning.

High-quality early childhood education is built on two equally important foundations: a strong curriculum that defines what children learn, and a thoughtful approach that shapes how that learning is delivered. At Blossom, we deliver the British Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum through our new science-backed Sustainable Education Approach.

The British EYFS curriculum outlines the characteristics of effective learning as follows:

1. Playing and Exploring: children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’.
2. Active Learning: children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties and enjoy achievements.
3. Creating and Thinking Critically: children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things. You can read an article here about how in our classrooms, children engage in age-appropriate, differentiated learning experiences that develop early critical thinking skills, building confidence and problem-solving abilities essential for thriving in an AI-infused future.

The Sustainable Education Approach is a new science-backed education approach developed by Babilou Family (Blossom’s parent company) and informed by an independent scientific committee of experts in neuroscience, epigenetics, social and emotional sciences and psychology.

The approach is tightly focused on six critical pillars that are scientifically proven to have impact on a child’s long-term development:

1. Emotional and Physical Security: Young children are only ready to learn when they feel emotionally and physically secure.
2. Natural Curiosity: Curiosity influences the development of higher executive functions.
3. Nature-Based Learning: Studies have linked proximity to nature with better school performance.
4. Child Rhythms: Respecting a child’s cues supports their optimal brain development
5. Inclusion: Neuroscience shows that multicultural environments lead to greater emotional intelligence.
6. Partnering with Parents: Science shows when educators partner with parents, child learning accelerates.

You can learn more about our Sustainable Education approach here.

At Blossom, we believe that the early years are not a race to academic milestones, but a foundation for life-long learning. While the EYFS Curriculum prepares children for school, it also clearly recognizes that young children learn best through play, exploration, secure relationships, and developmentally appropriate experiences. An early childhood centre environment is uniquely designed to provide exactly this—something that formal school settings, by their nature, cannot always offer at FS1 and FS2 age.

By remaining in a high-quality early childhood environment, children benefit from smaller group sizes, highly specialised early years educators, and a pace of learning that follows their individual readiness rather than external expectations. Through our Sustainable Education Approach, we prioritise emotional and physical security, respect children’s natural rhythms, and nurture curiosity and critical thinking at a stage when the brain is developing most rapidly. This allows children to build confidence, self-regulation, language, and social skills—the true predictors of long-term academic success.

Research consistently shows that children who are given time to mature emotionally and socially before entering formal schooling transition more confidently, engage more deeply in learning, and experience greater wellbeing over time. At Blossom, we do not rush outcomes; we prepare children properly. By allowing learning to unfold in a secure, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate environment, we ensure that when children do move on to FS1 or FS2, they do so not just earlier—but stronger, happier, and truly ready.

FS1 / FS2 in Nursery or ‘Big School’ – The Big Debate

Should I keep my child in nursery or move them to ‘big school’ next year now that he/she is eligible?

Although families rely on a variety of factors when making the decision to either keep their child in nursery or move them to ‘big school’ regardless of the cut-off age, many families are asking themselves this question right now in light of these new changes. Suddenly, their child is eligible for FS1 next year, which means that they will be able to move them to a school one year prior than they had initially anticipated.

What to consider when making a decision?

The cut-off date change is meant to create flexibility and is not an indicating factor that a child is ready for the ‘big school’ environment; a child’s ‘school readiness’ is not merely down to age. There are a variety of factors to consider when you are making the decision to move your child from a smaller nursery environment - with smaller teacher to child ratios - to a much larger school environment.

• The learning environment

Does the setting offer a play-based approach that prioritises social and emotional development? Is the focus on building independence, supporting emotional regulation, and gently preparing children for transitions in a developmentally appropriate way?

• Individualised learning and care

Do the educators at the setting recognise and value each child’s individuality? Effective early years practitioners provide differentiated learning opportunities, allowing children to develop skills and confidence at their own pace rather than through a one-size-fits-all approach.

• Toileting independence

Is your child confidently using the toilet independently? Nurseries and early childhood centres are uniquely equipped to provide the additional one-to-one support children may need while learning personal care skills such as cleaning themselves properly and washing hands without prompting.

• Napping needs

Research shows that daytime naps can support young children’s learning by helping the brain process and retain new experiences. While children gradually outgrow naps as they get older, it is completely normal—and developmentally beneficial—for many children to continue napping up to five years of age. For this reason, our Sustainable Education Approach places strong emphasis on following children’s individual rhythms by responding to each child’s sleep needs, rather than applying rigid, age-based expectations, we support wellbeing, emotional security, and children’s development by respecting their natural rhythms and individual stages of growth.

• Practical considerations for families

Practicalities also play an important role. Blossom Nursery & Preschool offer longer operating hours and full-day Fridays - which may be an important factor for families when selecting the right early years setting.

The Bottom Line

In the end, research consistently shows that starting formal education in a larger school environment at an earlier age does not necessarily lead to better long-term academic or life outcomes. From a developmental perspective, children benefit most when educational transitions align with emotional readiness, social maturity, and individual rhythms, rather than age alone. For this reason, the Sustainable Education Approach prioritises readiness and wellbeing over early placement in large-scale school environments, recognising that strong foundations, not early starts, are what support long-term success.

Deciding whether to keep your child in nursery for FS1 or to transition them to ‘big school’ is a deeply personal decision, and there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer. It is natural for parents to feel uncertain during this time, so please do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have about your child’s and family’s needs with your child’s teacher and/or your Centre Director. Each child develops at their own pace, and what matters most is their overall well-being, age cut-offs do not define a child’s readiness or potential.