UAE developer Arada has awarded the main construction contract for a new K-12 school in Masaar, its AED9.5 billion forested megaproject in Sharjah. Developed in partnership with UAE-based education provider Bright Capital Investment, Reigate Grammar School Masaar is the first branch campus of a UK school to be established in Sharjah.

The contract, worth AED183 million, was awarded to Al Rehab Al Arabi Building Contracting Company. Construction is currently underway and the school project is set for completion in 16 months.

Situated on a 450,000-sq-ft plot in Masaar’s northern corner – in close proximity to Masaar 2 and Masaar 3 – the 2,700-capacity campus will feature a broad array of premium amenities, including a performing arts centre, a library, a STEM Centre, multi-purpose halls, sports facilities and swimming pools.

Launched in 2021, Masaar is a 19-million-square-foot, 3,000-unit forested community designed to offer an active, healthy lifestyle in a verdant environment. 

The development features a distinctive ‘green spine’ comprising more than 70,000 trees, which connects each of its six gated districts to the community hub, said the statement from Arada.

Reigate Grammar School Masaar is officially set to welcome its first cohort of pupils in September 2027. The project marks the inaugural UAE expansion of Reigate Grammar School, which was founded near London in 1675 and named Independent School of the Year 2025 by The Sunday Times newspaper, it stated. 

Group CEO Ahmed Alkhoshaibi said: "This contract award reflects Arada’s ambitious vision for Masaar, as we continue to invest in world-class amenities that will benefit families in Sharjah for generations to come. Construction activities will begin immediately, meaning this exceptional campus will be ready to welcome its first pupils in 2027."

Esref Temel, Managing Director at Bright Capital Investment, said: "This is an important milestone in the development of Reigate Grammar School Masaar, and we are excited to see Sharjah’s first branch campus of a British school take shape."

Sean Davey, Global Business Director for Reigate Grammar School International, said: "Our entry into the UAE represents an important milestone in the expansion of our global village of world-class schools, following the establishment of branch campuses in Saudi Arabia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Turkey. We are delighted that the main construction contract for Reigate Grammar School Masaar has been awarded, and we look forward to witnessing the development of this incredible campus."

Located in the up-and-coming Suyoh district – near Tilal City, the Sharjah Mosque, Masaar 2, Masaar 3 and Arada’s first project, Nasma Residences – Masaar boasts easy access to both Emirates Road and Maliha Road. 

With construction of all six residential phases scheduled for completion this year, the master-planned community is a 15-minute drive from Sharjah International Airport and a 20-minute drive from Dubai International Airport, it added.-TradeArabia News Service