Meet the team

OUR
PRINCIPAL
Neal Dilk
Neal has more than twenty years of experience working in international schools, with sixteen years in senior leadership positions across Europe and Asia. He has extensive experience in strategic planning, curricular planning and program development, accreditation and compliance systems, budgeting and financial management, risk management planning, and crisis management.
Over the course of his career, Neal has worked to develop opportunities for students that strengthen and enrich learning. Neal has developed service-learning programs, STEAM programs, mother tongue-based language programs, learning support systems, personalized learning systems.
Neal holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University, and a School Management and Leadership Certificate from Harvard University. He is a certified International Baccalaureate administrator, and an active member of the Association of International School Heads, and the Council of International Schools where Neal serves as an inspector.
MEET OUR LEADERSHIP

Welcome to Al Bateen Academy. My name is Simon Murphy, and I am delighted to be the Primary Principal of such a vibrant and family orientated learning community.
Initially, from the UK, I have significant school leadership experience both at home and within the UAE. Most recently, this has included leading a whole school change project alongside Harvard University’s Project Zero department.
Al Bateen is a nurturing environment for our students, where they enjoy their learning and feel comfortable. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than seeing our students arrive at school, bright-eyed, enthused and eager to learn. My passion for education is to put the choices & decisions for learning into the hands of our students and empowering them to inquire and make choices on what interests them. As a result of this, I am a firm advocate for the world-leading International Baccalaureate PYP curriculum that we offer our students. Through its blended approach to learning and critical learner profile attributes, we will inspire students to become risk-takers who are open-minded, principled and reflective.

I completed my PGCE in Geography at Keele University. The first 8 years of my teaching career were in Mansfield, England, specialising in delivering History and Geography at KS3,4 and 5, while also taking a keen interest in pastoral care as Head of Year 9.
I joined Al Bateen Academy in the summer of 2014 as Head of Year 8, before becoming Head of Year 7 and Transition Coordinator. In 2017 I took on a role in the schools extended leadership team before being appointed Head of Lower School. I have completed Penta school inspection training and in April 2019, I was appointed as Assistant Principal with responsibility for Teaching, Learning and CPD. I currently line manage the MOE subjects at Al Bateen Academy as well as ICT and teaching staff in leadership roles.
My passions within school are broad, ranging from teaching and learning through to pastoral care. In my current role I am looking to develop evidence-based teaching and learning strategies which support students to become highly successful learners in an ever-changing world.
AT A GLANCE
Year Group | School fees Per Annum (in AED) | Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 |
---|---|---|---|---|
FS2 | 54,490 | 21,796 | 16,347 | 16,347 |
Year 1 | 57,220 | 22,888 | 17,166 | 17,166 |
Year 7 – Year 8 | 58,650 | 23,460 | 17,595 | 17,595 |
Year 9 | 62,870 | 25,148 | 18,861 | 18,861 |
Year 10 – Year 13 | 66,060 | 26,424 | 19,818 | 19,818 |
Year 12 – Year 13 | 68,830 | 27,532 | 20,649 | 20,649 |
*Fees for the term 2020-2021. Please note, our fees are regulated by ADEK and are subject to change.
Al Bateen Academy invites you to tour our school and meet our leadership teams. Click here to see our upcoming virtual events.
If you would like to book a virtual tour at another time, please contact our Parent Relations Executive at PRE@albateenacademy.sch.ae to arrange a personal tour.