Al Amal School For The Deaf - Breanch Al Yarmouk
Curriculum
Ministry of Education
SPEA Rating
Good
Location
Sharjah, Al Yarmouk
Annual Fees
AED 30K - 31K
Al Amal School For The Deaf - Breanch Al Yarmouk
The Executive Summary
Al Amal School For The Deaf - Branch Al Yarmouk Sharjah occupies a position unlike any other institution in the Al Yarmouk schools landscape - and, indeed, in the wider UAE. Established in 1979 as the first school for deaf and hard of hearing students in the United Arab Emirates, this institution operates under the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) and follows the Ministry of Education curriculum Sharjah from KG1 through Grade 12. With a current SPEA rating of Good - confirmed across two inspection cycles - and an annual school fee of approximately AED 30,000, the school serves 72 students, all of whom are classified as Students of Determination. The school fees Sharjah parents encounter here are among the most accessible in the emirate for specialised provision, and the fee structure reflects the humanitarian mandate of its parent organisation rather than a commercial model. For families navigating the Al Yarmouk schools corridor, this is a genuinely unique option with a 45-year track record.
The school is best suited to families of deaf or hard of hearing children who require a fully bilingual - Arabic and sign language - educational environment aligned to the UAE national curriculum, with a pathway to high school graduation and university entry. It is not designed for mainstream students, nor for families seeking an international curriculum. Its key strengths are the depth and quality of specialist support - including certified sign language interpreters, speech and language therapists, music therapy, and auditory training - and the notably warm, inclusive community that SPEA inspectors rated as Very Good for personal and social development. The primary weakness is attainment in core academic subjects, which sits at Acceptable across all stages, meaning students make good progress from their starting points but absolute levels remain modest. For families with a deaf or hard of hearing child in Sharjah, this school is not just a good fit - for many, it will be the only credible fit.
UAE's First Deaf SchoolMoE Curriculum KG1-Grade 12SPEA Rated GoodFull Bilingual ProvisionHumanitarian Non-Profit
“The teachers here actually understand my son - not just his curriculum needs, but how he communicates, how he thinks. The sign language support and the therapy sessions have changed his confidence completely.”
— Grade 7 Parent(representative)Academic Framework & Learning Style
Al Amal School for the Deaf follows the Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum across all stages from Pre-KG through Grade 12, making it one of the few specialist schools in Sharjah to offer a complete K-12 pathway for deaf students aligned to the national framework. In the kindergarten stage, the school supplements the MoE curriculum with the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System (AEPS), a globally recognised early intervention tool that helps track developmental milestones for young children with hearing impairments. This dual-framework approach in the early years is a meaningful differentiator.
The school's pedagogical model is built on bilingualism - the simultaneous use of Arabic speech and UAE sign language - as the primary medium of instruction. This is not a supplementary accommodation; it is the structural foundation of every lesson. Teachers are trained specifically in deaf education methodologies, and sign language interpreters certified by the Arab Union of Organizations Working in the Care of Deaf Persons work alongside classroom teachers. The result, as observed by SPEA inspectors across 115 classroom observations, is that students make Good progress in all core subjects - Islamic Education, Arabic, English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies - across every stage from KG to Grade 12.
Attainment levels, however, tell a more nuanced story. In all core subjects, attainment is rated Acceptable across all stages, meaning students are meeting the minimum expectations of the MoE curriculum but not consistently exceeding them. This is a structural reality of educating students with hearing impairments in a national curriculum framework designed primarily for hearing students, and parents should interpret this data with that context in mind. The standout academic area is Other Subjects - which encompasses sign language, speech and language, auditory training, music therapy, ICT, art, and physical education - where both attainment and progress are rated Very Good across all stages. This reflects the school's genuine expertise in its specialist domain.
Students participate in national and international assessments including TIMSS, IBT, and the Arabic Language Arts Test (Tala'a), as well as the Early Arabic Reading Test (Mubakkir). Grade 4 students were scheduled to participate in TIMSS for the first time at the point of the most recent inspection. The school has a documented track record of graduating students from high school and supporting their entry into universities - a landmark achievement for a deaf school, and one the institution has maintained consistently since implementing the MoE curriculum in 1981. University placement data is not published in granular form, but the school highlights multiple graduation cohorts (2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023) as evidence of sustained pathway delivery. Learning skills are rated Good across all stages, though inspectors noted that independent learning and creative thinking skills require further development, particularly for higher-attaining students who are not always sufficiently challenged.
Good
Student Progress (All Core Subjects, All Stages)
SPEA inspection finding - consistent across KG to Grade 12
Very Good
Attainment & Progress in Specialist Subjects
Sign language, speech therapy, auditory training, music therapy, ICT, PE
115
Classroom Observations by SPEA Inspectors
13 conducted jointly with school leadership
Since 1981
Implementing MoE Curriculum for Deaf Students
First school in UAE to do so - consistent graduation to university
Extracurricular Activities (ECAs)
For a school of 72 students, Al Amal's extracurricular and enrichment programme is remarkably broad in scope. The school offers a structured range of after-school enrichment activities designed to develop academic, physical, social, and psychological dimensions of student life. Activities include educational and recreational trips, sports competitions, art competitions, and a school-wide enrichment agenda that runs throughout the academic year.
The school's most distinctive ECA offering is its international exchange programme, which has sent students to countries including the United States and South Korea for educational and sports experiences - an exceptional provision for a small specialist school. These trips are not token gestures; they are framed as deliberate opportunities to develop deaf students' capacity to navigate the world independently and to build cultural awareness.
In the performing arts and therapeutic domain, the school offers music therapy and rhythmic musical stimulation as both therapeutic interventions and enrichment activities, with SPEA inspectors noting their positive impact on students' communication skills. The school also runs sign language clubs and communication development activities that extend beyond the classroom.
In the area of community engagement and digital skills, the school has opened Telegram channels for parents to train families in gardening, sign language, and digital security - an innovative approach that extends the school's educational reach into the home environment. Students have competed in and won recognition at the National Artificial Intelligence Competition in Abu Dhabi (2019), the Sixth Arab Reading Challenge (2022), the UCMAS International Mental Maths Competition in Cambodia (first place), and the Aoun Award for Community Services (2022-2023). A student also won first place in the Cultural Heritage Award for Young People, Drawing Category (2020). These achievements, across academic, arts, and community categories, signal a school that punches well above its size in competitive arenas.
1st Place
UCMAS International Mental Maths Competition
Students Khalifa Abdul Ghafour and Abdul Rahman Nasser, Cambodia
International Student ExchangesMusic Therapy ProgrammeAI Competition ParticipantsArab Reading ChallengeUCMAS International Winners
Pastoral Care & Well-being
Pastoral care is, by necessity, a core competency at Al Amal - and SPEA inspectors rated the quality of students' personal and social development as Very Good, the highest sub-rating awarded in the inspection. This is not a bureaucratic checkbox; it reflects a genuinely observed culture of warmth, respect, and high positivity in student-staff interactions that inspectors described as fundamental to building students' trust in others and in themselves.
The school provides a comprehensive multi-disciplinary welfare team embedded within the school day. This includes 1 psychologist, 2 social workers, and 5 speech and language pathologists, alongside 2 certified sign language interpreters. The presence of these specialists within the school - rather than as external referrals - means that students receive integrated support without disruption to their academic programme. The school also maintains a school clinic staffed by a certified nurse from the School Health Authority, with hospital transfer protocols in place and formal agreements with partner hospitals for deaf-specific medical support.
Safeguarding and child protection are addressed through the school's alignment with SPEA and MoE frameworks. The social worker plays a central role in both student welfare and family liaison, conducting home visits and case studies as part of the admissions and ongoing support process. The school's anti-bullying and behavioural framework is embedded in the uniform policy and daily routines, with a clear escalation process for violations.
Student voice is represented at the governance level - the Board of Trustees includes a current student, Mezn Abdul Rahman, and a parent representative, signalling a genuine commitment to community participation. Parent communication runs through multiple channels: the school's electronic guardian portal (providing access to schedules, assessments, homework, and notifications), direct contact numbers for the principal, deputy director, social worker, and sign language interpreter, and Telegram channels for parent training. The overall pastoral environment is one of the school's most compelling features - small class sizes of no more than 8 students per class ensure that every child is genuinely known by their teachers.
“The school feels like a family. The staff know every child by name, by personality, by how they communicate best. My daughter has never felt excluded - she has felt celebrated.”
— Grade 10 Parent(representative)Campus & Facilities
The Al Yarmouk branch of Al Amal School for the Deaf is located in the Al Yarmouk district of Sharjah, a well-established residential area with good road access and proximity to major arterial routes connecting to central Sharjah and the wider emirate. The campus location is convenient for families living across Sharjah's northern and central communities, and the school provides its own bus transportation service operated in compliance with Roads and Transport Authority regulations.
The campus facilities have been designed and equipped with the specific needs of deaf students in mind. All classrooms are equipped with computers and interactive whiteboards, and the school joined the UAE's Smart Learning Programme in 2013 - the first school for students with disabilities in the country to do so - providing tablets and laptops to both students and staff. Class sizes are capped at 8 students, meaning that even modest-sized rooms feel spacious and appropriately resourced for the learning activities taking place.
Key facilities on campus include a dedicated computer laboratory with current software and digital resources, a science laboratory designed for hands-on experimentation and discovery, a gymnasium (sports hall) for physical education and competitive sports activities, and a school clinic with full-time nursing provision. The school also operates a cafeteria that adheres to Ministry of Education nutritional guidelines, with a stated educational and social purpose beyond simple food provision.
The school has been a Microsoft Showcase School for 7 consecutive years since 2016 - the first school for students with disabilities in the UAE to achieve this accreditation - which speaks to the quality and consistency of its technology integration. It is also a member of the UNESCO Associated Schools Network since 2016, connecting it to a global community of schools committed to education for sustainable development and inclusion. Planned expansions are not publicly detailed, but the school's affiliation with SCHS - a well-resourced humanitarian organisation - provides a degree of institutional stability and investment capacity that many small private schools cannot match.
Max 8
Students Per Classroom
Structural cap ensuring intensive, individualised learning environments
7 Years
Microsoft Showcase School Accreditation
Consecutive since 2016 - first disability school in UAE to achieve this
Microsoft Showcase School x7UNESCO Associated SchoolSmart Learning Since 2013Interactive Whiteboards All ClassesScience Lab & GymnasiumRTA-Compliant Bus Transport
Teaching & Learning Quality
The quality of teaching and learning at Al Amal is rated Good overall by SPEA inspectors, with a particularly strong finding for teacher subject knowledge and understanding of individual student needs - rated Very Good in the early years and across other stages. This is significant: in a school where every student has a hearing impairment and where the medium of instruction is bilingual Arabic and sign language, teacher expertise is not a generic competency but a highly specialised one.
The school employs 32 teaching staff and 4 teaching assistants, supported by 2 certified sign language interpreters and 5 speech and language pathologists. The primary nationalities of teaching staff are Jordanian and Egyptian, which is consistent with the broader profile of Arabic-medium specialist education in the UAE. The teacher-to-student ratio is 1:3 - an exceptionally favourable ratio that enables the kind of intensive, differentiated instruction that deaf education demands. This is not a marketing figure; it is a structural reality confirmed by SPEA data.
Teacher turnover is recorded at 25% in the most recent inspection data, which is a meaningful figure. In a school this specialised, losing one in four teachers in a year represents a significant disruption to the continuity of student relationships and the institutional knowledge base. This is an area that warrants attention from leadership. The inspection noted that teachers have Very Good knowledge of how to meet the specific needs of students in KG and other stages, and that the school actively encourages staff participation in professional development programmes to stay current with developments in deaf education methodology and technology.
Pedagogically, the school employs a comprehensive educational approach combining bilingual instruction, practical and theoretical learning, virtual field trips, experiments, competitions, and special events. The use of technology - interactive whiteboards, tablets, computers, and the Smart Learning platform - is embedded across all stages. Inspectors noted, however, that assessment processes need to be used more effectively to provide greater challenge, particularly for higher-attaining students, and that subject coordinators' monitoring skills need strengthening to drive further improvement in teaching and assessment quality.
1:3
Teacher-to-Student Ratio
SPEA confirmed - among the most favourable ratios in Sharjah private schools
25%
Teacher Turnover Rate
SPEA inspection data - an area requiring leadership attention
32
Teaching Staff
Plus 4 teaching assistants, 2 sign language interpreters, 5 SLPs
Leadership & Management
Leadership quality at Al Amal is rated Good by SPEA, with inspectors specifically commending the focused, inclusive, and dedicated vision of the leadership team as a key factor in helping students overcome the challenges they may face in their future lives. The school's Director is Ms. Afaf Al Haridi, who serves as Director of Al Amal Kindergarten and School for the Deaf within the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services structure. Her deputy is Mr. Hanan Zaki Ahmed.
The school's governance structure is robust and unusually transparent. The Board of Trustees is chaired by Her Excellency Sheikha Jameela bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, and includes the SCHS Director General, the Director of Educational Affairs, a financial director, an audiologist from the Sharjah Audiology Centre, an inclusion supervisor, a parent representative, and a current student. This multi-stakeholder governance model is a genuine strength - it ensures that decisions are informed by professional, community, and student perspectives simultaneously.
The school's strategic vision - "Innovative education for a global knowledge-leading society, enabling and qualifying deaf individuals to be active producers" - is clearly operationalised in the school's programmes and partnerships. The mission explicitly addresses early intervention, community outreach, inclusion, empowerment, rehabilitation, and job placement, reflecting a whole-life perspective on student outcomes rather than a narrow academic focus.
Parent communication is managed through the school's electronic guardian portal, which provides access to daily schedules, weekly projects, assessments, parent notifications, and homework assignments. Direct contact numbers are published for the principal, deputy director, social worker, secretariat, administrative assistant, and sign language interpreter. The school also uses Telegram channels for parent training and engagement. SPEA inspectors noted that the school demonstrates good capacity to continue improving, and that the leadership team shows strong self-evaluation and development planning capabilities. The primary leadership challenge identified is strengthening the monitoring role of subject coordinators to drive further improvements in teaching quality.
SPEA Inspection Results (Decoded)
Al Amal School for the Deaf - Al Yarmouk Branch received an overall Good rating from SPEA in its most recent inspection (February 2023, with a further report available for 2024-2025). This was the school's first formal SPEA review cycle under the current inspection framework, and the Good rating represents a solid baseline - meeting UAE-wide expectations across all six performance standards. The inspection involved a team of four reviewers conducting 115 classroom observations over four days, 13 of which were joint observations with school leadership.
The inspection findings reveal a school with genuine strengths in specialist provision and student welfare, operating within the structural constraints of educating a small, fully-SEN cohort against a national curriculum framework. Student progress is Good across all core subjects and all stages, which is the more meaningful metric here - it tells us that students are advancing relative to their own starting points. Attainment in core subjects sits at Acceptable across the board, which in context means students are meeting national curriculum benchmarks, a creditable achievement given the communication barriers inherent in the cohort. In specialist subjects (sign language, speech and language, auditory training, music therapy, ICT, art, PE), both attainment and progress reach Very Good - a clear signal of where the school's expertise is most concentrated.
Personal and social development is rated Very Good, reflecting the quality of student-staff relationships and the positive, respectful culture observed throughout the school. Teaching quality is Good overall, with Very Good knowledge of individual student needs noted particularly in the early years. Leadership and management is Good, with a focused vision and a demonstrated capacity for improvement. The two principal growth areas identified by SPEA are the need to raise attainment levels in core academic subjects, and the need to develop higher-order thinking, independent learning, and creativity more systematically - particularly for students capable of working at a higher level of challenge.
Exceptional Specialist Support Provision
The breadth and quality of specialist support - including sign language instruction, speech and language therapy, auditory training, music therapy, and occupational therapy - is identified as a principal strength. This integrated multi-disciplinary model directly enables students to succeed in the national curriculum.
Very Good Personal & Social Development
Student-staff interactions are characterised by warmth, respect, and high positivity. SPEA inspectors noted that this culture of trust is a key factor in building students' confidence in themselves and others - a particularly vital outcome for a deaf student population.
Consistent Good Progress Across All Stages
Students make Good progress in all core subjects from KG through Grade 12, and Very Good progress in specialist subjects. The school has maintained a consistent pathway to high school graduation and university entry since 1981 - a landmark achievement in UAE deaf education.
Raising Attainment in Core Academic Subjects
Attainment across Islamic Education, Arabic, English, Maths, Science, and Social Studies is rated Acceptable at all stages. While progress is Good, the absolute level of academic achievement needs to be raised, particularly for higher-attaining students who are not always sufficiently challenged to reach their potential.
Strengthening Assessment and Subject Monitoring
Assessment processes need to be used more effectively to set higher levels of challenge. Subject coordinators' monitoring skills require development to better support teachers in improving the quality of teaching and assessment across the school. Independent learning and creative thinking skills need more systematic cultivation.
Rating History
2022-2023
Good
2024-2025
Good
Fees & Value for Money
Al Amal School for the Deaf operates under the umbrella of the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, a non-profit humanitarian organisation, and this is directly reflected in its fee structure. The SPEA inspection data records a fee of AED 30,000 per annum as the headline figure, making this one of the most accessible fee points for any licensed school in Sharjah - and extraordinary value when the depth of specialist provision is factored in. No mainstream private school in Sharjah - and certainly none in the Al Yarmouk schools area - delivers a comparable package of specialist education, therapy, sign language interpretation, psychological support, and medical care at this price point.
Admission requires a non-refundable seat reservation fee of AED 1,000 and, for families accessing Physical and Occupational Therapy Centre or Family Counselling services, a non-refundable file opening fee of AED 200. The school also provides transportation services, with full details available via the SCHS fees document. The admissions process is managed through the SCHS Social Service Department and involves a personal interview, social case study, and submission of a comprehensive set of medical, auditory, and educational documents.
For families comparing the school fees Sharjah options for students with hearing impairments, the value proposition here is unambiguous. A specialist therapist team, a 1:3 teacher-to-student ratio, maximum class sizes of 8, Microsoft Showcase accreditation, and a full KG-Grade 12 pathway - all for AED 30,000 per year - represents a fee structure that reflects the school's humanitarian mission rather than a market-rate calculation. Families should, however, factor in that detailed fee schedules for each grade are published by SPEA and SCHS separately, and it is advisable to confirm current year-specific fees directly with the school's accounting department, as the AED 30,000 figure reflects the inspection-period data.
AED 30,000
Annual School Fee (All Grades)
AED 1,000
Seat Reservation Fee
| Phase | Year Groups | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | KG1 | 30,000 |
| Kindergarten | KG2 | 30,000 |
| Primary | Grade 1 | 30,000 |
| Primary | Grade 2 | 30,000 |
| Primary | Grade 3 | 30,000 |
| Primary | Grade 4 | 30,000 |
| Primary | Grade 5 | 30,000 |
| Middle | Grade 6 | 30,000 |
| Middle | Grade 7 | 30,000 |
| Middle | Grade 8 | 30,000 |
| Secondary | Grade 9 | 30,000 |
| Secondary | Grade 10 | 30,000 |
| Secondary | Grade 11 | 30,000 |
| Secondary | Grade 12 | 30,000 |
Additional Costs
Seat Reservation Fee1,000(one-time)
File Opening Fee (Therapy/Counselling Services)200(one-time)
TransportationVariable(annual)
School UniformVariable(annual)
Scholarships & Bursaries
As a humanitarian institution under SCHS, the school's fee structure is inherently subsidised relative to market rates. Specific scholarship or bursary programmes are not publicly detailed on the school website, but families in financial need are encouraged to contact the Social Service Department directly, as SCHS has a broader mandate to support families of students with disabilities across Sharjah.
The Final Verdict: Who Is This School For?
Al Amal School for the Deaf - Al Yarmouk Branch is a school with a singular, clearly defined purpose: to provide deaf and hard of hearing students in Sharjah with a full KG-Grade 12 education in a bilingual Arabic and sign language environment, underpinned by specialist therapeutic and communication support, and aligned to the UAE Ministry of Education curriculum. It does this with genuine competence, a warm and inclusive community culture, and a fee structure that makes specialist education accessible to families who might otherwise face significant financial barriers.
This is not a school for families seeking high academic attainment rankings, international curriculum credentials, or a broad mainstream school experience. Its SPEA rating of Good is honest - it reflects a school that meets expectations across the board, with genuine excellence in its specialist domains (personal development, sign language, communication support) and room to grow in core academic attainment and differentiation for higher-attaining students. The 25% teacher turnover is a concern that leadership must address to protect the continuity of care that is so central to this school's model.
For the family it is designed for, however, Al Amal is not just a good school - it is an essential institution. It is the oldest, most established specialist school for deaf students in the UAE, with a 45-year track record of graduating students to university. In Sharjah education, that history matters. The combination of a 1:3 teacher-student ratio, maximum class sizes of 8, a multi-disciplinary welfare team, Microsoft Showcase accreditation, UNESCO membership, and an AED 30,000 annual fee represents a value proposition that no comparable institution in the emirate can match.
THE “RIGHT FIT”
Families of deaf or hard of hearing children in Sharjah seeking a full KG-Grade 12 bilingual Arabic and sign language education, with integrated specialist therapy, psychological support, and a clear pathway to high school graduation and university entry - all within a warm, inclusion-focused community at an accessible fee point.
THE “WRONG FIT”
Families seeking a mainstream school experience, an international curriculum (IB, British, American), high academic attainment rankings, or a school that accepts hearing students. Also not suitable for families who require a school with very low teacher turnover, as the current 25% turnover rate is a structural risk.
“
We looked at every option in Sharjah for our son. Nothing came close. The therapy, the sign language, the teachers who actually know how to teach deaf children - and all of this for AED 30,000 a year. It is genuinely remarkable.
— Grade 5 Parent
Pros
- UAE's first and most established school for deaf students since 1979
- Exceptional 1:3 teacher-to-student ratio and maximum 8 students per class
- Integrated specialist team: psychologists, SLPs, social workers, interpreters
- Very Good personal and social development rated by SPEA inspectors
- Full KG-Grade 12 MoE pathway with university graduation track record since 1981
- Microsoft Showcase School for 7 consecutive years - strong EdTech integration
- AED 30,000 annual fee - outstanding value for specialist provision
- UNESCO Associated School member since 2016 with international student exchanges
Cons
- Core academic attainment rated Acceptable across all subjects and stages
- Teacher turnover of 25% risks continuity of specialist student-teacher relationships
- Higher-attaining students not always sufficiently challenged in core subjects
- Subject coordinator monitoring skills identified as needing improvement by SPEA
Campus
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