Travel, nursery bug swaps and the jump from heat to air conditioning make it feel like something is always going around. Dr Sadeem Bashiti on whether flu season still exists here, what the vaccine actually covers, and when to stop watching the thermometer.

Uniforms, devices, bus fees and the more expensive pencil case. Charis Marr on turning back-to-school spending into money lessons, with what actually lands at each age from under sevens to university leavers.

Dinner got later, one more episode became three, and now the 6am alarm is real. Sleep consultant Yasmine Gaddis on shifting bedtime back without a two-week fight, plus naps, screen curfews and first-day nerves.

The most important thing your child carries through the school gates isn't in the stationery aisle. Four ways to build a lunchbox that comes home empty, from batch-cooked snacks to making last night's dinner do double duty.

Not every child returns to school from the same starting line, especially after a disrupted Term 3. GEMS Education's Lisa Crausby OBE on the academic gap parents worry about, why teachers still outrank the tech, and starting the year with a reset rather than a race.

A new school year usually puts the focus on children: new classrooms, new routines and a fairly frantic return to early mornings. But behind every child settling into school is an educator doing far more than delivering a lesson. That was the message from Aisha Miran, Director General of Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority, as more than 8,000 educators joined a series of virtual town halls ahead of the 2026–27 academic year. Miran described teachers as mentors, caregivers, role models and partners to parents, and pointed to the launch of the Dubai Educators Council as a way of giving them a direct voice in how education develops. With teacher numbers across Dubai's private schools up 17.5% in three years, here is why it matters for families.

Back-to-school shopping gets out of hand fast. Eight of this season's launches worth a look, from bottles and backpacks to school shoes, picked for parents who want things to survive the term and kids who want to actually carry them.

Independence sounds wonderful until you are watching them walk through the gate with one shoelace undone. Four ways to talk to your child at home that build confidence without you disappearing from the picture.

The 2026 to 2027 school calendar is confirmed, so the flights and annual leave can be sorted before prices climb. Every term break, public holiday and potential long weekend, plus which dates are safe to book and which are not.