
New headteacher of JESS Jumeirah announced
#EXCELLENCE #COMMITMENT
01/02/2022
Jumeirah English Speaking School is delighted to announce that Mr Luke Rees has been appointed as the new Headteacher at JESS Jumeriah from April 2022.
Mr Rees is a very familiar face at JESS who has spent over a decade as a key member of the JESS Jumeirah team and brings a wealth of creativity and drive.
As Mr. Shane O’Brien Director of JESS explains,
“I am delighted to welcome Mr Rees as the new JESS Jumeriah Headteacher. Anyone who has worked with him will know he has an incredibly creative mindset, passion and a strong work ethic. I know he will continue to drive JESS Jumeirah forward."
Coming from a background in Music, Mr Rees developed his leadership skills through Assistant and Deputy Head roles at JESS proving he is more than ready for this promotion. It is very reassuring that JESS has the confidence to appoint two primary Headteachers in the past two years from within our own ranks. In these uncertain times stability and continuity in leadership is crucial. Mr Rees’ commitment to Jumeirah and the JESS mission is absolute.
Mr. Rees won the position following a rigorous interview process against a strong field of candidates from within Dubai and internationally, many of whom are existing Headteachers at excellent schools.
Mr Asa Firth, at present in his seventh year as Headteacher and his thirteenth year at JESS returns to the UK in April.
“It's humbling to know that I am ready to step into the shoes of my mentor and friend, to lead the Jumeirah community as we provide a world class education for our pupils”
- explained Mr Rees.
“I am in a unique position having spent ten years under the tutelage of JESS leaders who have developed my ability to be creative, resilient and to present my views to others with clarity. I have the wellbeing of the JESS community at heart; I care deeply for the individuals that make it up and I will continue to put their needs at the foremost of my thinking, as I serve them, by becoming the next Head Teacher of JESS Jumeirah. My driver for this role will be one of legacy; I want to leave this great school in an even better place than it is now."
As Mr O’Brien explained, “we will be saying a very fond farewell to Mr. Asa Firth after thirteen years of service at JESS Jumeirah and I would like to pay tribute to the legacy of excellence he leaves and thank him personally for his unwavering support and strength in his leadership particularly during the past trying eighteen months of the Covid pandemic.
Everyone at JESS would like to wish Asa success as he returns to the UK with his family to take up the Headship at Ashville Prep school in Harrogate – his beloved Yorkshire.”

JESSFest is our first-ever Music Festival, where performers from across the three schools (JESS Jumeriah, JESS Primary and JESS Secondary at Arabian Ranches) will come together to perform across 3 stages at our Arabian Ranches Campus. JESSFest will be a fun, family day filled with a wide array of music styles including bands, orchestras, choirs, rock groups and soloists. Performances will take place across 3 different stages around the school. With over 300 performers involved, it promises to be a very special event. As well as all of the amazing music, we will have food trucks on site, as well as vendors to create a real festival vibe. Bring your picnic blankets, camping chairs, cushions and/or beanbags as the music is set to last until 8pm.
This is a JESS Community Event only, which means only JESS Performers, JESS staff, JESS students and their families are permitted to attend.
NO TICKET = NO ENTRY:
Collect your tickets from main reception at both Arabian Ranches and Jumeirah. Students can also collect tickets from Primary and Secondary Receptions at Ranches, and Sixth Formers can collect from Carly Cole at the Sixth Form Centre.
Date: Saturday 11th March 2023
Time: Gate Opens at 13h45 for a 14h00 start.
ANNOUNCING OUR HEADLINE ACT:
We are excited to announce a very special headline act for the festival:
Fyfe Dangerfield will be performing on the mainstage at 7pm!
Fyfe Dangerfield is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the indie rock band Guillemots. In a recording career spanning over two decades, he has achieved huge success, not only as a performer but also a songwriter and composer whose works have been performed throughout the UK and beyond. in 2010, Fyfe's cover of 'She's Always a Woman' by Billie Joel appeared on the UK TV adverts for John Lewis and he has been commissioned to write music for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the play 'Howls Moving Castle'.
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