Liwa International School – Al QattaraPrincipal & Leadership Team

Liwa International School – Al Qattara is operated by Liwa Education, a group with over 30 years of American curriculum experience in the UAE, founded in 1992. LISQ is the fourth school in the Liwa Education family, having opened in 2022, and sits under the governance of a board chaired by Dr. Ali bin Harmal. The inspection report notes that the governing body ensures the school is well-resourced across all subjects and phases, with governance rated Good in the 2023–24 ADEK Irtiqaa inspection.

The school is currently led by Principal Ms. Cathy Hayes, who brings an international teaching career spanning Ireland, Australia from 2005, and the UAE from 2008. She holds a Master's degree in education and leadership. It is worth noting that the inspection report (conducted February 2024) listed a different principal name, suggesting a leadership transition occurred around the time of or shortly after inspection — parents should seek current confirmation directly from the school. The senior leadership team includes Vice Principal Ms. Abla Nabulsi, Assistant Vice Principal and Head of Inclusion Ms. Shauna-Kay, and Assistant Vice Principal Melanie Potgieter. Inspectors specifically cited the principal's leadership and the relationships among staff as key elements that positively influence the overall school environment — a meaningful endorsement for a school only in its second year of operation.

The school employs 44 teachers supported by 22 teaching assistants, serving 499 students. This yields a student-teacher ratio of 1:12 in KG and 1:13 in Elementary — notably favourable compared to the city average of 1:13.6 across Dubai private schools, and a positive structural indicator for classroom attention. However, the inspection raises a significant concern: among its key recommendations, ADEK explicitly calls on the school to seek options to mitigate teacher turnover and effectively recruit new staff — a direct signal that staff retention is an active challenge for a school still in its early years. Parents should weigh this alongside the otherwise positive staffing ratios.

Teaching quality received a rating of Good for teaching for effective learning across all cycles, though assessment practices were rated only Acceptable across KG, Cycle 1, and Cycle 2. Inspectors noted that teaching is not yet sufficiently personalised to meet the needs of different student groups, and that middle leadership requires further development. The school's professional learning communities (PLC) programme and targeted staff training in literacy support are positive steps in the right direction. Parent engagement is rated Good, with structured parent conferences, an open-door policy, Open Mornings for prospective families, and active guidance provided to parents on supporting reading at home — reflecting a leadership culture that treats families as genuine partners in learning.