The Village so far
The map of the Village changes every day and here's a log for the Village archives. There is so much that we can build and we'd like to hear from our community: what features would you like to see next? Get in touch and let us know.
Where we're headed
Villagers get their own keys
Save your favourites with a simple sign in, no passwords to remember.
Parent-approved, for real
Recommendations that come from parents themselves, not just our stamp.
What's popular this week
A "trending" view, once enough of us are using Village.
A spot on the high street
Providers can feature a listing: a handful of premium slots, never ads.
A few honest words
Light reviews from verified parents.
RSVP at the door
Reserve a place in a tap, if that's what you tell us you need.
New neighbourhoods
More of Dubai than the areas we cover now, then maybe further afield.
Skills for life
The unusual stuff: camping, kayaking, changing a tyre. Things every kid should get to try.
What we've built
- v0.15.0
The village hangs out its notices
Every listing on Browse is now open: what it is, who it is for, when and where, at a glance, and a tap takes you to its page. On that page, the ways to reach the host, the date and the address sit together at the top, with one button to register or book. Passing a listing on is new too: on a phone the card comes in three shapes, portrait, square and landscape, and a link pasted into WhatsApp now arrives with its date, time and place.
- v0.14.0
The village tidies its noticeboard
Some listings now happen online, and you can find them under Area. Camps are just camps: they are not only for summer. When a listing has a registration or booking link, it is the first button you see. On a phone, the filters stay folded away until you need them, and the listings start higher up the screen.
- v0.13.2
The village lays out its pages
This page is laid out like a newspaper now. What we have built runs across the page in columns rather than down it, oldest at the far end, and the ideas we are weighing sit beside it where you can see all of them at once. Nothing on the right is a promise. It is what we have done, and what we are thinking about.
- v0.13.1
The village turns with the season
Summer is over. A camp or a class now leaves Browse the day after it finishes, so nothing you are looking at has already ended. Until now that was only true of events, which is why the summer camps stayed up into September. Fewer listings for the moment, more on their way.
- v0.13.0
The village opens its doors
Every listing now has a page of its own. Tap a title on Browse to open it in full, in a new tab if you like, or to come back to later. The cards themselves are leaner and easier to skim. A listing's own page has been rebuilt too: the address and every way to reach the host now sit together in one panel that stays beside you as you read.
- v0.12.0
The village passes it on
Every listing has a share button that hands the link straight to WhatsApp, and every event has an add-to-calendar so it lands in your diary with a link back to book. The ways to reach a host now sit together in one place, whichever they prefer. A shared link arrives as a card rather than a bare address.
- v0.11.9
The village lets go
When you pick an area, it now jumps to the top of the dropdown so you can see what you chose, and a tap on the x beside it clears that area on the spot. No more scrolling back up to the Clear bar to change your mind.
- v0.11.8
The village runs all day
A class that repeats the same session through the day, like hourly skating from morning to evening, now reads that way. Alongside the start time and how long each class runs, you can add an end time for when the day's classes stop, so a full day of sessions no longer looks like a single early one. Leave it blank and nothing changes for a simple weekly class.
- v0.11.7
The village archives
We read the school cut-off guide back against the original documents, line by line, so every quote is sourced and attributed to the right one. The current KHDA guidelines now lead throughout, the older Ministry guide is marked as historical, and a handful of dates and small details were corrected to match the source.
- v0.11.6
The village keeps the lights on
Browse now shows recently finished events too, gathered at the bottom and marked as past, with every way to reach the host still live so you can ask about the next one. A "Show past events" switch lets you tuck them away whenever you like. Events now all live in one place, Browse, so the home page no longer has a separate events strip.
- v0.11.5
The village says welcome
When we publish your listing, you now get a welcome email with a link to your own page, ready to share. We confirm we have your listing when you send it, and we let you know when it goes live.
- v0.11.4
The village asks the right questions
Events can now welcome teens and grown-ups, not just the under-twelves, and any listing can show a promo code or special offer on its card. Providers give us a private way to reach them (WhatsApp, a calling number and an email), kept just for the Village team, and are asked for at least two ways for parents to get in touch.
- v0.11.3
The village writes back
Add a listing and you now hear back straight away: a short email confirms we have it and explains that a person reviews every submission, usually within a working day. The Village team gets a note too, so a new listing does not sit unnoticed.
- v0.11.2
The cut-off guide finds its shape
The school cut-off guide now comes in five parts: an overview that opens with why the guide exists, a close read of what changed line by line, the three clarifications parents keep asking about, the contradictions between the two official documents, and who to contact at KHDA. The parts share one name throughout and a sticky signpost on a phone, so you always know where you are.
- v0.11.1
A map for the school cut-off guide
The school cut-off pages have grown into a small guide, so they now open with a map: four ways in, depending on whether you want to understand the change, ask a question, read the sources, or raise a concern. Every page in the guide now has the same signpost, so you can move between the parts from anywhere and always know where you are.
- v0.11.0
Three questions at the school gate
A companion to our school cut-off explainer, built around the three questions parents keep asking: does a nursery place count, do British schools keep their readiness flexibility, and what changed since March. Each one answered plainly, then in the official documents’ own words, with the sources linked so you can check every line yourself.
- v0.10.0
The village signs its name
Village has a look of its own: the wordmark set in a quiet serif, a warm vermilion alongside charcoal and ivory, and "word of mouth, curated" as our line. Share a Village link now and it arrives with our name and colours.
- v0.9.0
A noticeboard at the village gate
Browse now shows its filters up front: type, area, age, timing and the rest sit in a sidebar instead of hiding behind a button. Anyone who runs something small can now add their own listing.
- v0.8.0
The village gets a new face
A redesign across the whole site: a reworked home page, three typefaces used together, and one editorial look from the front page through to every listing.
- v0.7.2
The directory reads like an index
Browse is rebuilt as one scannable column, with a line on every entry telling you when it runs: the date of an event, the weeks of a camp, the schedule of a class.
- v0.7.1
Directions to the door
Every listing with an address now offers directions in a tap, in Google Maps or Waze, so you can find your way without copying anything out.
- v0.7.0
A clearer way to post a notice
The submission form is rebuilt to prevent mistakes: it reveals one step at a time, asks the right questions for camps, classes and events, handles proper pricing, and shows a live preview of your listing as you type.
- v0.6.0
We start counting footfall
Gentle, private analytics: how many parents view and reach out to each listing, so we learn which activities families love.
- v0.5.2
Every listing gets an address
Each provider now has its own page: a single shareable link, ready to drop into any group chat with a clean preview.
- v0.5.1
A table is set
A Food category joins the directory, for the snack and treat side of village life.
- v0.5.0
The village calendar
Dated events get a "Coming up" rail on the home page and quietly retire the day after they happen, so nothing goes stale.
- v0.4.0
A town square
A reworked home and navigation, a proper Contact page, and listing cards you can open in place to read more.
- v0.3.1
The village gets its colours
A considered look: the warm "Slate and Butter" palette and an editorial typeface.
- v0.3.0
Summer comes to the village
Summer camps join classes, events and places as a listing of their own.
- v0.2.0
Signposts at every corner
Filters and tidy categories, so you can find activities by area and type.
- v0.1.1
A noticeboard goes up
Anyone can submit a listing, and every single one is reviewed by hand before it appears.
- v0.1.0
The village gates open
The directory goes live: browse local activities and contact providers directly.