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Al Najma Private School- Sharjah - Al AzraBritish Curriculum, Subjects & Qualifications

Curriculum
British
SPEA
Good
Location
Sharjah, Al Azra
Fees
AED 6K - 10K
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Curriculum & Academics

Good
SPEA Inspection Rating (2024)
Improved from Acceptable in 2022–23; 29 of 105 British curriculum schools in Sharjah share this rating
1:18
Student-to-Teacher Ratio
Above the Sharjah city average of 1:13.6, meaning larger class sizes than most private schools
71
Students with SEN Enrolled
Dedicated inclusion provision in place; SEN students reported to make expected progress across the school
AED 6,185–9,776
Annual Fee Range
Significantly below the British curriculum median of AED 49,630 in Sharjah — among the most affordable British options in the city
164
Lesson Observations (2024 SPR)
Conducted over four days by a team of 6 reviewers; 76 carried out jointly with school leaders
British NCfE to Year 9CAIE Exam BoardSTEAM ActivitiesSEN InclusionLife Literacy ProgrammeSPEA Good Rating

Al Najma Private School LLC — known locally as Star Private School — delivers the National Curriculum for England (NCfE) from FS2 (KG1) through Grade 8 (Year 9), with Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) serving as the external examination board. The school operates as a co-educational, English-medium institution and layers mandatory UAE Ministry of Education subjects — Arabic, Islamic Education, Moral Education, and Social Studies — across all phases. Additional languages offered include French, Urdu, and Arabic as a second language, giving the curriculum reasonable breadth for a school at this fee level. Critically, the school does not currently extend beyond Year 9, meaning families will need to plan a transition to a secondary provider for GCSE and A-Level years.

The most significant academic development in recent memory is the school's improvement from Acceptable to Good in the 2023–24 SPEA School Performance Review, following a four-day inspection in March 2024 by a team of six reviewers conducting 164 lesson observations. This places Star Private School within the largest rating band among British curriculum schools in Sharjah: of the 105 British curriculum schools in the city, 29 are rated Good — the same band the school now occupies. Eighteen hold Outstanding status, a tier the school has not yet reached. The inspection found overall student achievement to be good, driven particularly by science, which was rated Good across all three phases — one of the more consistent subject-level findings in the report. Progress in English and mathematics was also rated Good across most phases, though attainment in both subjects remained largely Acceptable, indicating students are moving forward from their starting points but not yet reaching the highest curriculum benchmarks.

Specialist provision includes SEN/Inclusion support for 71 enrolled students with special educational needs, STEAM Activities, club activities, and the recently introduced Life Literacy programme, which inspectors noted was producing good early progress. The school participates in a broad suite of benchmark assessments — TIMSS, PIRLS, CAT4, GLPT, TALA, and Mubakkir — providing meaningful external reference points even in the absence of published GCSE or A-Level results. Progress Tests administered to students in Years 4 through 8 indicated overall acceptable attainment in English and Mathematics, a finding that aligns with inspector observations and sits below the school's own internal data, which consistently showed higher figures. Parents should weigh this discrepancy carefully.

The inspection identified several areas requiring sustained attention. Reviewers flagged the need to raise attainment to at least Good overall, the limited and inconsistent development of the Phase 1 (KG) curriculum, and the absence of a rigorous framework for identifying and stretching gifted and talented students. Creativity across subjects was noted as underdeveloped, and the learning environment was described as variable in quality — classrooms are not consistently inspiring. Resourcing gaps, particularly in English and science, were explicitly cited, and information technology was found to make only a limited contribution to supporting learning in lessons — a notable gap compared to peer British curriculum schools in Sharjah that have invested more heavily in EdTech integration. A teacher turnover rate of 27% also presents a structural challenge to curriculum continuity that leadership will need to address to sustain the improvement trajectory.

What distinguishes Star Private School academically is less about headline exam results — none are yet published at GCSE level — and more about its value proposition and improvement momentum. With annual fees ranging from AED 6,185 to AED 9,776, the school sits dramatically below the British curriculum median in Sharjah of AED 49,630, making it one of the most affordable British curriculum options in the city. For families prioritising accessibility, a values-driven holistic ethos, and a school demonstrably on an upward trajectory, Star Private School merits serious consideration — with clear eyes about the attainment ceiling that still needs to be raised.