The Extra-Curricular programme in Secondary is central to our Students’ whole school experience, and we are proud of the extensive range of activities on offer. JESS secondary students have the option to partake in a wide variety of extra-curricular clubs (pre-school, lunchtime and after-school), as well as trips (both local and overseas) and the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award. Like the Primary schools, the Secondary school supports the philosophy that education goes beyond the limitations of the classroom. Indeed, research shows that pupils with a lively extra-curricular involvement are happier, better behaved and do better academically. Consequently, we run a varied and exciting range of extra-curricular activities. The teaching staff have a wide range of interests that are reflected in an equally wide-ranging programme. As well as using facilities on the school site, we look to enhance the programme by opening up off-site opportunities that would allow us to take advantage of the excellent facilities and high level of expertise that exists within Dubai. By its very nature, the extracurricular programme of activities will be dynamic and respond to the expertise and interest that exists within the staff. It will change with each term and take into account the local climatic conditions. Generally, activities include traditional clubs such as swimming, Running and drama as well as more unusual hobbies such as Tibetan Bowls, indoor bouldering, and Warhammer. The important thing for the student is that he or she is given the opportunity to experience new areas of activity and to develop as an individual with a range of interests that may go beyond the school based years.

The Primary school offers individual and group lessons in a variety of orchestral, band and rock instruments. The lessons, which are provided by a team of visiting peripatetic staff, greatly enhance and support the work of the music department and the musical life of the school. Lessons are currently offered on the following instruments: Flute/piccolo Clarinet Saxophone Trumpet French Horn Tenor Horn Trombone Tuba Violin/Viola Cello Classical Guitar Electric Guitar Bass Guitar Drum Kit Piano Voice Most lessons take place during the school day on a rotational basis. By rotating the times of the lessons on a weekly basis, students do not miss the same part of the curriculum each week. Some lessons are available after school and during break times. Priority for these fixed times is given to students in Years 10 -13 who are preparing for GCSE and IB examinations. It is expected that students have access to an instrument before starting lessons at the school. However, a limited number of orchestral instruments are available for short term hire at an approximate cost of AED300 per term.

The Music Department at Jumeirah works closely with instrumental teachers from the Centre of Musical Arts and the wider community. Students have the opportunity to receive individual or group tuition on a wide range of musical instruments including flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, French horn, saxophone, violin, cello, piano and guitar, students are encouraged to sit an ABRSM exam in the final Term.

JESS has an established reputation for sporting excellence and continues to be one of the UAE's leading sporting schools. JESS prides itself on producing over 75 competitive teams and numerous individuals across a wide range of sports and abilities. The philosophy for Sport is based on participation and enjoyment. When pupils are involved and happy, they are more likely to achieve their potential, whether as a team performer aspiring to represent the 1st team one day or someone simply wanting to play for fun. For those pupils who do not enjoy team sports, the school has a proud traditional in individual sports such as Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics. Our aim is to create sportsmen and women who are confident, calm under pressure, coachable, respectful and physically conditioned. In the team sports we want all our players to be fast thinkers, have fast feet and fast hands and have a high work ethic. We want players to be versatile; attackers can play as defenders and defenders as attackers. Everyone could play everywhere. As such our style of play is high intensity, entertaining, risk taking, cavalier (at times) and the team ethic is never to give up. This transfers into individual performance sports such as Swimming, Cross-Country, Multi-Discipline and Athletics. JESS Athletes understand the importance of training and preparation. Success might not always happen, but the willingness to work hard and to improve always is the aim. Effort is simply the most important element of anything any boy or girl does when training or representing JESS. The Department has five objectives across the whole school: To promote health and wellbeing through sport. To provide opportunities for competitive sport. To identify, nurture and support those individuals who have the talent and ability to progress in their chosen Sport. To encourage a positive work ethic through competition for places. To develop coachability and resilience. Our major sports are: Boys - Rugby, Soccer, Swimming and Athletics Girls - Netball, Soccer, Swimming and Athletics Other competitive include Cross Country, Aquathlons, Touch Rugby, Basketball, Golf and Rounder’s’. Teams compete on a weekly basis throughout the year, with fixtures played against other top schools in the UAE. Teams are entered into local and region competitions in all the major Sports. As part of the program there is also opportunity to play against visiting sports team from around the world. Strength & Conditioning Program The role of strength and conditioning is to help individuals to be healthy, improve performance, injury prevention and to understand the proper mechanics within their sport. Strength and Conditioning is about more than lifting weights – it encompasses the entire development of the athlete and what is needed to improve physical performance. This includes, speed and agility, endurance and core stability with strength training being just one piece of the jigsaw. For a sporting movement to be performed well, pupils need to have the technical skills involved in the movement and the specific strength qualities which underpin it. This helps pupils to become faster, stronger and more flexible and to build their muscular endurance so they perform better and remain injury free. At JESS there is a guided learning programme that operates through the Major Sports and across the extra-curricular programme when possible. Generic sessions and team specific sessions are offered. Pupils are given specific exercises and programmes that relate to their needs and requirements. Physical maturation amongst boys and girls happens at different times and as such exercises are scaled. Body weight and resistance exercises underpin all exercises, such as squats, push ups and pull ups.

It is recognised that students can derive a great deal of educational benefit from taking part in school trips and they can be an essential enhancement of a school’s curriculum, where they can undergo experiences that are not available in the classroom. As such, we continually offer a rich and expansive programme of educational trips at JESS, providing authentic experiences to our students across the age range, fostering cross-cultural links and relationships, enhancing international ethos and promoting tolerance within our students. Importantly, trips can be invaluable in developing social skills and self-confidence and often form a truly memorable experience in a student’s school life. For secondary students, numerous residential trips which link back to the curriculum are offered throughout the year in order that students may experience different cultures and expand their knowledge and education. The annual school ski trip (usually to Switzerland), is always a favourite, as is our Sixth Form trip to Vietnam (involving jungle treks and house-building). Other trips visit such places as Tokyo and Kyoto to look at innovations in business and cultural trips to Washington DC and New York. Other destinations such as Thailand, Nepal and Sri Lanka have also been on offer to secondary students in recent years, in addition to many European cities such as Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, London and Paris. In addition to the residential trips, which can be up to two weeks long, JESS students also enjoy many more one-day local trips – probably in excess of 40 per year. Primary pupils also enjoy as many as 35 trips per year. These are mostly one day trips, but we also offer overnight camps for our Year 4,5 and 6 pupils. As well as providing an array of learning experiences for pupils to enrich the curriculum, the current curriculum topics are also taken into consideration when planning the school trips.