Review guidelines
SchoolWise reviews help thousands of Dubai families make one of the most important decisions they'll face. These guidelines help keep them honest, helpful, and trustworthy.
Who can write a review
Current parents — your child is enrolled at the school right now.
Past parents — your child previously attended and has since left or graduated.
Families who went through admissions — you applied and went through the process, whether or not your child was offered a place.
Families who toured — you visited the school as part of your research.
School staff — teachers, administrators, or any employee reviewing their own school. This includes former staff members with an ongoing relationship with the school.
Students — reviews must be written by a parent or guardian, not the child themselves.
People without direct experience — reviews based solely on reputation, word of mouth, or online research rather than personal contact with the school.
One review per school per academic year. If your child moves from Primary to Secondary at the same school, you're welcome to write a new review reflecting your updated experience.
What makes a great review
Be specific. "The Year 4 maths teacher explains things three different ways until everyone gets it" is far more useful than "teaching is good." Real details help other parents know what to expect.
Be current. Mention the academic year your experience relates to. Schools change — a review from 2019 about a school that has since changed leadership may no longer reflect reality.
Be balanced. The best reviews acknowledge what works and what could be better. A five-star review with no nuance is less credible than a four-star review that explains both strengths and limitations.
Write from your child's stage. A Year 12 parent's view on exam support, and a Year 1 parent's view on settling-in, are both valuable — but they're different experiences. We show readers your context so they can calibrate accordingly.
Focus on what parents can't find elsewhere. KHDA ratings are public. What's rare is a parent's honest account of daily life — what drop-off feels like, how teachers communicate, whether your child is happy.
What isn't allowed
Promotional content. If you're connected to the school in any professional capacity, you cannot write a review. This includes current or recent staff, consultants, or anyone with a financial relationship with the school.
Personal attacks. You may comment on systems, culture, and institutional behaviour — but not name, identify, or personally attack individual staff members, students, or families.
Defamatory or false claims. Reviews must reflect your genuine experience. Fabricated or exaggerated negative content intended to harm the school's reputation is not permitted.
Commercially motivated reviews. Reviews that promote a competing school, tutoring service, or other business are not allowed.
Private personal information. Do not include names of specific students, families, or staff in a way that could identify or embarrass them.
Off-topic content. Reviews should be about the school experience. Comments about unrelated political, social, or personal matters will be removed.
How moderation works
Every review is screened before it appears publicly. Our process combines automated checks with human review.
Submission
Your review is submitted and enters a pending queue. It is not immediately visible on the school profile.
Automated check
We run automated checks for spam, prohibited content, and duplicate submissions.
Human review
Our team reads every review. We look for whether it follows these guidelines and provides genuine value to other parents.
Publication
Approved reviews are published, typically within 24 hours. If we have questions, we may reach out before publishing.
We may decline to publish a review that doesn't meet these guidelines. We may also remove published reviews if new information comes to light, or if a review is flagged by other users and found to be in violation.
Tips for a more helpful review
Describe a specific experience
"My daughter was nervous about starting Year 7. The tutor group system meant she had a dedicated person checking in on her every morning for the first term" is far more vivid than "good pastoral support."
Mention what surprised you
What did you discover about the school that you couldn't have known from the prospectus or website? That's exactly what other parents need to hear.
Say what you'd do differently
"I wish someone had told me to attend the Year 10 curriculum evening before choosing subjects — it made a big difference" is the kind of insider advice that parents treasure.
Be honest about limitations
A review that says "outstanding in academics but the communication app is unreliable and needs improvement" is more credible — and more useful — than one that says everything is perfect.
Questions or concerns?
If you believe a review has been published in error, contains false information, or violates these guidelines, please contact us. We take the integrity of our review platform seriously.
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