Ajyal International School - MbzBritish Curriculum, Subjects & QualificationsLast Updated: April 7, 2026

Ajyal International School - MBZ follows the English National Curriculum (EYFS through Key Stage 5), offering a continuous academic pathway from FS1 to Year 13. The framework progresses through IGCSE in Years 10–11, then branches into A Levels, AS Levels, or BTECs in Years 12–13, giving Sixth Form students a choice between purely academic and applied vocational routes. Throughout all phases, UAE Ministry of Education subjects — including Arabic, Islamic Studies, and UAE Social Studies — are integrated alongside the British core, a dual-framework approach that reflects the school's approximately 40% Emirati student body and its founding mission to serve the MBZ community.

The school's most compelling academic evidence comes from international benchmarking. In PISA 2022, AJIS MBZ students exceeded the school's own targets in all three domains: scientific literacy 531.5, mathematical literacy 519.5, and reading literacy 519.1 — all above international averages. ADEK inspectors noted these results as evidence that senior-phase attainment in English-medium subjects exceeds international expectations. The 2024–25 ADEK inspection awarded the school a Very Good overall rating, an improvement from Good in 2022 and a significant climb from Acceptable in 2016–17, placing AJIS MBZ among 24 of Abu Dhabi's 105 British curriculum schools to hold a Very Good rating. Inspectors specifically highlighted that student achievement in external examinations in Years 12 and 13 is strong in Arabic, Islamic education, maths, and chemistry, and in Year 11 English.

Specialist provision adds meaningful breadth. The Read Write Inc. phonics programme runs from FS2 through Year 3, with ability-streamed guided reading sessions twice weekly for Years 1–6. A Buddy Reading Programme pairs Year 13 students with Years 1 and 2, building fluency for younger learners while developing leadership in older ones. The school library holds 11,200 English books and 820 Arabic books, supplemented by Oxford Owls digital resources. GL Progress Tests in English, mathematics, and science track attainment from Years 4 to 10, and the school participates in TIMSS and PIRLS alongside PISA. Languages of instruction are English and Arabic, with French and Spanish available as additional languages from primary onwards. A Gifted and Talented programme, SEN/Students of Determination support, and EAL provision round out the inclusion framework, though inspectors noted the identification process and dedicated staffing for students with additional learning needs require strengthening.

The inspection report is candid about where the academic programme falls short of its own ambitions. TIMSS 2019 results placed Year 5 and Year 9 students at the low international benchmark in both mathematics and science, and targets were not met. GL Progress Test data for AY2023/24 showed weak progress in English, mathematics, and science across Years 4 to 10. Attainment in Arabic as a first language remains at acceptable in the KG and lower primary phases, and inspectors flagged the need to maximise extended writing opportunities in Arabic across all phases. Teaching quality in the KG phase regressed to acceptable, with inspectors calling for reduced teacher talk, deeper questioning, and greater consistency in written feedback and peer-assessment. Staffing turnover — particularly at middle and senior leadership level — was identified as a structural risk to sustaining improvement.

For parents comparing options, the school's trajectory is its strongest argument: four consecutive inspection improvements over eight years, PISA scores above international norms, and a maximum class size of 15 students per class across all phases that is notably smaller than many peers. The challenge ahead is translating senior-phase strength into consistent very good performance across the primary years and in Arabic-medium subjects — the area where the gap between internal data and observed lesson quality remains most visible.