Brighton College Dubai Pupil Sets New UAE National Swim Record and Takes Home Gold at World School Games
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 22 May 2025: Brighton College Dubai is proudly making waves in the swimming world, both locally and internationally, following a series of standout performances.
Year 7 pupil and sports scholar Aya Al Dameh set a new UAE national record in the 50m Breaststroke at the Dubai International Aquatics Championship in April, finishing with a time of 00:36.51 in the Girls 12 Years category. This outstanding achievement makes her the fastest swimmer in her age group in the country for this event, marking a major milestone in her young swimming career.
Aya followed her national success with an impressive international performance at the World School Games (WSG) Swim Championships, held in London, UK from May 11th to 12th. The competition brought together over 500 athletes from schools worldwide, competing across U11, U13, and U15 categories.
Representing Brighton College Dubai at the prestigious meet, Aya secured a trio of medals – gold in the U13 Girls 50m and 100m Breaststroke, and bronze in the 100m Butterfly – leading the team in one of the most competitive school swimming events of the year.
Brighton College Dubai’s swim team collectively delivered a stellar performance, achieving 57 personal bests across the two-day meet. Further individual success came from Annie Gardiner, who claimed bronze in the U15 Girls 100m Freestyle. In the relay events, Brighton squads earned 4th-place finishes in the U11 Girls 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay, U11 Girls 4 x 50m Medley Relay, and U15 Girls 4 x 50m Medley Relay.
Remarkably, 50% of the Brighton College Dubai team placed in the top 10 of their respective events, a feat made even more impressive given their small squad sizes and the fact that every swimmer competed a full year above their age group.
Sarah Harrod, Director of Sport and Co Curricular Coordinator, said: “This year’s swim squad truly rose to the occasion. To perform at such a high level in older age categories, with many first-time competitors, is a testament to their hard work, resilience, and team spirit. Aya’s national record is the cherry on top of what has been a breakthrough year for swimming at Brighton College Dubai.”
Brighton College Dubai continues to set a high standard in sport and academics, with its athletes achieving at the highest levels both locally and abroad. The school’s growing reputation in competitive swimming is supported by its world-class 25-metre swimming pool and dedicated coaching team, reflecting its commitment to nurturing talent and providing exceptional opportunities for its pupils.
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Notes to Editors
About Brighton College Dubai
Brighton College Dubai is a co-educational independent school that offers a distinctively British education to pupils aged from three to 18 years old. As the sister school of Brighton College UK, Brighton College Dubai has strong and tangible links to England’s ‘School of the Decade’, as named in the Sunday Times Parent Power League Table 2020.
Since launching its purpose-built campus in Al Barsha South in 2018 the College has been crowned by Schools Compared Top School Awards as ‘Best New School in the UAE 2018-2024’, whilst Which School Advisor credits the College for delivering “quite possibly the most outstanding early year’s practice in the UAE”. In addition, the College was recently graded as ‘Very Good’ by the KHDA and achieved ‘Outstanding’ in all areas of a recent British Schools Overseas report and has also celebrated outstanding GCSE and A-Level results. Talk Education describes the College as “One of the most desirable schools in the city”.
Brighton College Dubai is operated by Bloom Education, a Bloom Holding subsidiary, and delivers the highest standard British curriculum in the UAE, as well as inspiring pupils to appreciate and value local heritage and cultural diversity. As well as Brighton College Dubai, Bloom Education operates a Brighton College campus in Al Ain, rated Outstanding by ADEK and another in Abu Dhabi, renowned for its outstanding GCSE and A Level results.
For more information please visit: https://www.brightoncollegedubai.ae/
About Bloom Education
Bloom Education supports the development of future generations through partnerships with world-class international education brands, owns brand schools and nurseries, and the operation of UAE Charter Schools and New Generation Schools.
A pioneer in the Middle East education sector for more than 14 years, Bloom Education has introduced and operated leading American, English and International Baccalaureate curriculum education brands in the UAE market and has provided exceptional educational experiences and opportunities to more than 20,000 students. The partner of choice for international school brand Brighton College, Bloom Education has been entrusted to deliver and sustain the highest international standards locally and has been selected by Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) to operate the Abu Dhabi Charter Schools programme. Bloom Education has also been chosen by Emirates Schools Establishment (ESE) to operate schools in the Northern Emirates, as part of the ‘Ajyal’ (new ‘generation’) school initiative.
With a keen focus on providing the best educational opportunities to help craft better futures for the youth of the UAE, Bloom Education launched its first ‘own-brand’ premium IB school, Bloom World Academy, in Dubai in August 2022. The school has introduced many firsts in the UAE, such as Learning Achievement Passports (LAP), individual learning pathways and the later start time of 9am, allowing for students’ learning to be in balance with family life.
Bloom Education’s opportunity-rich environments allow it to nurture its community of students so they can reach their highest potential – intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally and their success is reflected in the high quality of their graduates who continue their studies at leading universities around the world, including Ivy league and Russell Group.
As the global population grows and the world becomes increasingly competitive, Bloom Education remains committed to discovering the world’s best educational brands whilst expanding its portfolio of premium own-brand schools and nurseries. Additionally, it continues to maintain high standards of operation in ADEK and ESE government schools. This strategic focus enables Bloom Education to provide world-class educational opportunities to an ever-increasing number of students.
For more information, please visit https://www.bloomeducation.com/
