Meet the principal: David Cook, Repton Dubai

Repton Dubai is one of 16 schools rated Outstanding in Dubai. In the school's 10th year of operation, David Cook joins Repton Dubai as headmaster following JonathanHughes-D'Aeth's retirement in June.

This is Cook's first international role in the education sector, although he has served overseas during his time in the military.

Comparing Dubai's school sector to England's Cook tells Education Journal ME: "I sense a real energy, and there's a real seriousness about pedagogy and the science of teaching and learning. That thirst for knowledge of keeping up with the best practice, rather than just what the exam board is doing, I think is really energetic."

Cook joins Repton at a time when Dubai's education sector is seeing massive change. With supply now outstripping demand, parents have more choice when picking a school, which also makes the market price-sensitive.

Cook is acutely aware of the increase in competition, and asserts he is keen to maintain Repton's competitive edge. He explains: "We can't take people for granted, we can't take parents for granted. We must be effective at communicating why Repton is an outstanding school. Parents have got such a good choice now across curricula, and I intend to make sure to tell people exactly what it is that differentiates Repton from other schools."

He is also focused on continuing Repton's school improvement journey, noting: "I'm taking over at a school that was on a journey, and under Jonathan's leadership became an Outstanding school. It would be really arrogant for me to come in and say 'This is what we need to change'. I've got a lot of learning to do. I want to talk to parents and hear their views, as well as the students' and staff. We've just hit an important milestone — 10 years — which in Dubai is quite significant. So I want to ask everyone what's the next 10 years going to look like? We've reached that standing, how do we sustain it, how do we make an even bigger impact? And I need to have those conversations with the Repton community – that's my job this year."