Excel follows the British Cambridge International Primary Programme, which encourages active and inquiry-based learning. The Programme also aids identification of a student's strengths and weaknesses and is used to support learning and development for each individual child. The skills of communicating, creative thinking and improving own learning and performance are essential to effective learning and these are embedded in every part of our curricular (and extra-curricular) activities.

The Excel curriculum is:

• Exciting and stimulating
• Experimental - with lots of visits and visitors
• Creative
• Thought provoking, encouraging questions
• Relevant - making links between subjects and to student's lives
• Practical
• Fun!

We foster teaching styles which offer a variety of different learning opportunities and are suited to all learning styles.

Early Years Foundation Stage:

The EXCEL philosophy underpinning the Foundation Stage curriculum is that learning should be carefully planned and structured, with an emphasis on activities that are fun, relevant and motivating for each child. Teachers delivering the Foundation Stage curriculum, therefore, support children's learning through planned play and extending and developing children's spontaneous play. We aim to instill a love of learning in all of our students, giving them a strong foundation for their educational life.
Teaching in the early years in EXCEL means systematically helping children to learn so that they are:

• helped to make connections in their learning
• actively led forward
• helped to reflect on what they have already learned.

Arabic and Islamic studies (for Muslim students only) and Moral Science are taught in line with ADEC's directives.
The school also teaches Personal, Social and Health Education (PHSE) and value based education (taught by the school counselor as group sessions and projects).

Key Stage 1 and 2:

Key stage 1 & 2 follows the UK National Curriculum, which is a broad an balanced curriculum. Compulsory national curriculum subjects at our school are English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, Art and Design, Physical Education (PE) including swimming, Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Additional subjects taught as compulsory subjects are UAE Social Studies, Islamic Studies (only for Muslim students) and Moral Science (for non-Muslim students).
Arabic is taught as a compulsory language. French, Tagalog, and Urdu are taught as optional languages.

More Able and Talented:

At Excel we believe that all pupils have gifts, abilities, personal qualities and talents that should be developed and nurtured. We believe that all pupils should be given opportunities to achieve their best and to make the greatest possible progress. More able and talented children must be recognized early so parents and teachers can give them the opportunities to develop their specific gifts and talents. We differentiate work appropriately to meet these children's needs. We also recognize that some children have individual talents and these may be developed through particular activities and opportunities.