"Excited to Start" - MVA Middle East Students Sing Praises at 2026 Kickoff Event

Earlier this month, 200 people gathered at the Al Habtoor Polo Club in Dubai to kick off MVA Middle East's second year.

The Middle East team, led by Vice Principal Middle East Harry Allen, were joined on stage by CEO Hugh Viney, Athlete Development Manager Sol Rolls-Tyson, and a range of passionate students both past and present demonstrating the various ways in which online school can meet the needs of a child and their families.

Among these students was Darsh, who told his story of resilience and adaptability in the face of conflict and disruption that threatened to derail his A Levels at the last moment. Darsh admirably overcame these challenges, achieved fantastic results, and is off to study at UCL.

We also heard from elite young athletes Ryan and Neave, who spoke enthusiastically about how MVA has enabled them to fully embrace both their careers and their studies, able to travel the world and compete without missing a lesson or sacrificing their grades.

It is actually an incredible school...I am an athlete...and I am away a lot...all the work is there and organised so when I'm away I don't miss anything.

- Neave Masters, MVA Student and International Skier

But the event was also, of course, a fantastic opportunity for new families to meet and connect with the local MVA community in Dubai, which has fast become a tight-knit and passionate group built on mutual support and forward-thinking embracement of a more compassionate approach to education.

For years now, UK families at MVA have been all but guaranteed to find themselves living close to classmates, with the vast majority of students living in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In the fledgling Middle East division, however, the smaller student numbers mean families often have a little further to go if they want to meet up in person. Events like this are crucial in setting up those connections and laying the groundwork for the friendships that students will hopefully carry into adulthood.

Most of all, however, the event was a fantastic reminder of just how transformational MVA's flexible, adaptable model can be for families from all walks of life.

What could have been a purely practical school kickoff event was instead a room filled with enthusiasm and optimism for the year ahead.

In the words of MVA Student Cerise, who wrote and performed a song for the group:

I'm really excited to start.

So are we, Cerise.