Clare Turnbull, principal at Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai, said the school doubled its number of pupils to about 700 this year, from 350 in 2021.

She said new pupils would come in on day one and others would join on Tuesday.

“We spend a lot of time in the first week on relationships. It is all about making those new friends, re-engaging with our previous friends, getting to know your teachers. Because if you get those strong emotional bonds from day one, the rest of the year comes easily,” she said.

Some pupils will be involved in a big treasure hunt around the school on the first day back as they solve clues and look for their new classrooms.