meet the team

Jan Steel was appointed Principal/CEO of GEMS Royal Dubai School in the summer of 2022, having first joined GEMS Education in 2016. Prior to RDS, Jan held significant senior leadership positions at GEMS Jumeirah Primary School, GEMS Metropole School – Motor City and GEMS Wellington International School.

Jan is a dynamic, strategic and creative education leader with extensive experience of driving school improvement across all age ranges and differing school contexts, in both the UK and UAE. Passionate about the pursuit of excellence within a high-performance culture that delivers positive outcomes, she believes children achieve their very best through a fully inclusive, innovative and stimulating curriculum.

Our Vice Principal, Jenny, has been a member of the Executive Leadership Team at GEMS Royal Dubai School since September 2020.
 
Originally from the northwest of England, Jenny has been a part of the GEMS family for 14 years where she has had the privilege to hold Assistant Principal and Deputy Headteacher positions in several GEMS schools across both primary and secondary phases. Prior to joining GEMS in 2011, Jenny was Head of Performing Arts at a secondary school in Greater Manchester.  
 
Passionate about school improvement and developing a culture of high-performance, Jenny believes that children learn best through an engaging and creative curriculum. Educating the whole child and ensuring opportunity for children to succeed both within and beyond the core curriculum are critical to her role as a leader.

Michaela has been working with RDS families since September 2019 and is thrilled to live and work in the Middle East. Originally from Milton Keynes, England, she holds degrees in Child Psychology from the University of Durham and Primary Teaching from Milton Keynes De Montfort University. Michaela has over 15 years of experience in education, including 11 years as a SENCO in the UK, supporting families and staff to overcome learning barriers. She has also completed a Masters in Education and SENCO standards. 

Passionate about personalised learning and wellbeing, Michaela is guided by Rita Pierson’s quote, "Every child deserves a champion—an adult who will never give up on them." 

Since joining GEMS Royal Dubai School in 2023, Tom has been the driving force behind elevating core curriculum standards across the school. He is delighted to be taking up the position of Head of Primary from August 2026.

Bringing a wealth of experience from award-winning UK primary schools and with a strong commitment to research-led practice, Tom has successfully implemented high-quality teaching initiatives that have pushed core subject delivery to an outstanding level. He is deeply committed to a culture of academic excellence built on strong relationships and highly engaging lessons.

By continuously refining tracking, assessment, and student progress, Tom ensures that every young learner at GEMS Royal Dubai School flourishes.