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UK private schools' UAE branches teach wife discipline via textbooks.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

TL;DR

A Telegraph investigation found UK private school branches in the UAE using state-mandated textbooks that outline stages for husbands to discipline "rebellious" wives, including light beating.
Textbooks list three steps: good counselling, refusing bed-sharing, and beating lightly with a siwak twig or handkerchief "for remediation".
These elite schools market British values but must follow UAE curriculum requirements for Muslim pupils, raising questions about content oversight.[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/02/private-schools-middle-east-branches-teach-wife-beating)[[2]](https://www.instagram.com/p/DWoBpgblTMW)[[3]](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWs6oGUDPDx)

The story at a glance

The Telegraph investigated curricula at branches of top UK private schools like Harrow, Repton, and Brighton College in the UAE, uncovering UAE-mandated Islamic Education textbooks that teach boys how to handle "rebellious" wives. These single-sex schools for Muslim pupils use books with passages on light beating as a final disciplinary step, despite promoting British education. The report emerged from months of research into what children learn at these overseas outposts, amid school expansions in the region.[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/02/private-schools-middle-east-branches-teach-wife-beating)[[2]](https://www.instagram.com/p/DWoBpgblTMW)[[4]](https://www.facebook.com/marius.comper/posts/britains-most-prestigious-private-schools-are-teaching-muslim-pupils-in-the-uae-/10164188414144621)

Key points

UAE law requires all schools, public and private, to use approved textbooks for Islamic Education, one of six assessed subjects; only Muslim pupils take these classes, while expats do government-set morality lessons.
A Grade 9 Islamic Education book details three stages for marital discipline: "First: good counselling", "Second: refusing bed-sharing", "Third stage: beating lightly" to safeguard marriage and maintain companionship.
Beating is specified as using "a siwak or a light handkerchief", described as "for the purpose of remediation" without causing harm.
Other content warns of "grave risks" from gender role reversals, like men in women's clothes, and covers "Jihad in the cause of Allah", including duty to fight sudden attackers.
Schools named include Harrow (opening two UAE campuses in 2026), Repton Dubai (textbook pictured in classroom), Brighton College Dubai (rated "weak" in Islamic Education in 2022), plus Kent College, Cranleigh, RGS Dubai.
Schools either declined comment or did not respond to Telegraph requests.[[2]](https://www.instagram.com/p/DWoBpgblTMW)[[3]](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWs6oGUDPDx)[[4]](https://www.facebook.com/marius.comper/posts/britains-most-prestigious-private-schools-are-teaching-muslim-pupils-in-the-uae-/10164188414144621)[[5]](https://www.newenglishreview.org/britains-top-private-schools-in-middle-east-teaching-pupils-to-beat-their-wives)

Details and context

These branches operate in the UAE, where private schools must comply with Ministry of Education rules on religious curricula to gain approval and stay open. UK schools like Harrow (Churchill's alma mater) and Repton market "British excellence" but adapt locally, serving mostly local Muslim students in single-sex settings.

The textbooks aim to "fortify students against aberrant ideas", per descriptions, and reflect UAE efforts to blend Islamic teachings with education. Similar content appears in older analyses of UAE materials, though reforms have softened some violence portrayals elsewhere.

Expansions bring revenue—UK privates earn millions from Gulf sites—but spark debate on brand dilution when local laws mandate controversial topics. No evidence schools choose or endorse the content; it's government-required.[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/02/private-schools-middle-east-branches-teach-wife-beating)[[4]](https://www.facebook.com/marius.comper/posts/britains-most-prestigious-private-schools-are-teaching-muslim-pupils-in-the-uae-/10164188414144621)[[6]](https://www.impact-se.org/wp-content/uploads/When-Peace-Goes-to-School_The-Emirati-Curriculum-2016%E2%80%9321_Exec-Sum.pdf)

Key quotes

"Third stage: beating lightly... Its objective is to safeguard marital life against breakdown." – UAE Grade 9 Islamic Education textbook.[[3]](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWs6oGUDPDx)
"Beating for the purpose of remediation" using "a siwak... or a light handkerchief." – Same textbook.[[4]](https://www.facebook.com/marius.comper/posts/britains-most-prestigious-private-schools-are-teaching-muslim-pupils-in-the-uae-/10164188414144621)

Why it matters

UK private schools risk reputational damage by expanding into regions where local laws force use of textbooks clashing with British norms on gender equality and violence. Parents and investors may question sending children to branches—or funding UK originals—tied to such curricula, while UAE authorities defend it as cultural preservation. Watch for school responses, potential UK government scrutiny on overseas branding, or UAE curriculum updates, though changes seem unlikely soon.