AL Ahliah Private School-Branch Al Ghubaiba, Sharjah
Ministry of Education School in Al Ghubaiba, Sharjah
Last updated
Curriculum
Ministry of Education
SPEA
Good
Location
Sharjah, Al Ghubaiba
Fees
AED 4K - 12K
The Executive Summary
AL Ahliah Private School-Branch Al Ghubaiba Sharjah occupies a specific and clearly defined niche in the Al Ghubaiba schools landscape: it is an Arabic-medium, Ministry of Education Curriculum school serving predominantly Syrian and Jordanian expatriate families who want their children educated in a familiar, Arabic-language environment aligned with UAE national standards. Rated Good by SPEA - a rating that reflects genuine improvement from its previous inspection cycle - the school serves 1,230 students from KG2 through Grade 12 across two cycles. School fees Sharjah parents will find here are among the most accessible in the emirate, ranging from AED 4,300 at KG2 to AED 11,600 at Grade 12, making this one of the most affordable MoE-curriculum options available. The SPEA rating Good signals a school that meets expectations and is moving in the right direction, but has not yet reached the higher performance bands that more selective families might require.
MoE Curriculum Arabic-MediumSPEA Good - ImprovingFees from AED 4,3001,230 Students KG2-Grade 12
“The school feels like a community - the teachers know my children by name, the fees are manageable, and my kids are learning in Arabic just as we wanted. It is not a prestige school, but it is honest and it works for our family.”
— Grade 8 Parent(representative)Academic Framework & Learning Style
The school follows the UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum delivered entirely in Arabic, making it one of the few genuinely Arabic-medium private schools in Sharjah's Al Ghubaiba district. The curriculum spans KG2 through Grade 12, covering Islamic Education, Arabic Language, Social Studies, English as a Second Language, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, Computer Studies, Moral Education, and Art. The school's academic philosophy is rooted in structured, teacher-led instruction with increasing emphasis on student participation and critical inquiry in the upper cycles. SPEA inspectors observed that teaching and learning quality is rated Good overall, with attainment and progress in Islamic Education, Arabic, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science all rated Very Good in Cycles 2 and 3 - a notable strength for a school at this fee level.
In terms of external assessments, students in Grades 6 through 10 participated in the IBT (International Benchmark Test), while Grade 12 students sat the EMSAT examinations. SPEA noted that Grade 12 EMSAT results in Arabic Language were significantly above expectations, and MoE examination results in Mathematics were rated Outstanding. English language attainment is rated Good in Cycles 2 and 3, though inspectors flagged that high-achieving and gifted students are not consistently provided with sufficiently challenging tasks - a recurring theme across subjects. Academic support for students of determination is present, with 10 such students enrolled, though SPEA's inspection notes suggest differentiation for the full ability range requires further development. University destination data is not published by the school, which is a transparency gap worth noting for families of older students. The overall learning skills rating is Good in both cycles, with students demonstrating positive attitudes toward learning and reasonable ability to collaborate and make real-world connections.
Very Good
Attainment in Arabic, Maths, Science (Cycles 2 & 3)
SPEA 2024 inspection finding
Outstanding
MoE Exam Results in Mathematics
As reported in SPEA 2024 inspection
IBT & EMSAT
External Examinations Taken
Grades 6-10 IBT; Grade 12 EMSAT
10
Students of Determination Enrolled
SPEA 2024 school data
Extracurricular Activities (ECAs)
The extracurricular offering at AL Ahliah Private School-Branch Al Ghubaiba is modest but purposeful, reflecting the school's community-focused identity and its position as an accessible, affordable option in Sharjah. The school operates a Student Club that organises lectures, awareness events, and themed activities, particularly during significant Islamic and national occasions. Evidence from the school website and SPEA inspection shows students participating in activities tied to World Food Day, UAE National Day, UAE Child Day, and Saudi National Day - reflecting the diverse Arab expatriate community the school serves.
In sports, SPEA inspectors noted that students demonstrate Good to Very Good physical ability in football, volleyball, and endurance activities. Students organise volleyball matches during break times, and boys participate in football competitions. Performing arts activity is visible through the morning assembly programme, which students lead with enthusiasm, and through poetry and drama activities noted in the inspection. The school also documents student participation in Hour of Code computing sessions and a visit to the Sultan Al Owais Cultural Foundation - indicating some enrichment beyond the classroom. Community service is embedded in the school's culture: students collect charitable donations for families in need and have participated in cancer research awareness activities. SPEA noted student participation in environmental activities including engagement with COP28-related themes. Innovation skills activities - design and technology projects, robotics, and electronic circuits - are present but inspectors noted these are less consistently developed within formal lessons compared to extracurricular settings.
Good-Very Good
Physical Education & Sports Performance
SPEA 2024 rating for PE across cycles
Student Club ActivitiesFootball and Volleyball ProgramsHour of Code ComputingCommunity Charity DrivesCOP28 Environmental Engagement
Pastoral Care & Well-being
Pastoral care at AL Ahliah Private School-Branch Al Ghubaiba is one of the school's more compelling strengths, with SPEA inspectors rating student welfare and safeguarding procedures as Very Good - the highest rating in this category across the inspection. The school's learning environment is described as Very Good in quality, supporting students and reinforcing their learning. Students demonstrate very appropriate behaviour throughout the school, interact respectfully with peers and teachers, and bullying incidents are noted as rare.
Attendance is a clear indicator of student satisfaction, with the school recording an attendance rate of 96% - a strong figure that suggests students feel safe and engaged. Students show enthusiasm when leading the morning assembly programme and learn from one another in that setting. The school's focus on student well-being, health, and safety is rated Very Good by SPEA inspectors, who noted that students learn first aid, organise awareness activities around heart disease, and promote healthy lifestyles. The school does not appear to publish formal information about a dedicated school counsellor or structured mental health support programme - a gap that parents of older students should probe directly during admissions visits. Student leadership opportunities exist through the student council, where students take on responsibilities during school activities. The overall school culture is warm and community-oriented, reflecting the shared Arab cultural background of the majority of the student body.
“My daughter feels very safe and comfortable here. The teachers genuinely care about the students and the atmosphere is respectful and calm. For us, that matters as much as the academics.”
— Grade 10 Parent(representative)Campus & Facilities
AL Ahliah Private School-Branch Al Ghubaiba is located in the Al Ghubaiba area of Sharjah, an established urban district with good road connectivity and proximity to residential communities housing a significant Arab expatriate population. The school was established at this location on 15 February 1999 according to SPEA records, making it a well-established campus with over two decades of operation in the area. The school's website, while limited in English-language content, references a library, a school management system for staff, and a photo gallery that documents classroom and activity spaces.
SPEA inspectors noted that the learning environment is Very Good in quality, actively supporting student learning - a meaningful endorsement of the physical and organisational conditions within the school. Evidence from the photo gallery and activity documentation suggests the school has functional computing facilities, with students undertaking Hour of Code sessions and using design and programming tools to create electronic circuits and automated vehicles. Science laboratories are implied by the documented practical experiments in biology and chemistry at the upper cycle level. The school has sports facilities sufficient to support football and volleyball, with students organising matches during break times. The website references a school library, though detailed information about its size, stock, or digital resources is not available online. Transport is offered through a third-party arrangement, with annual fees of AED 2,600 for Sharjah routes and AED 3,000 for Ajman routes. The campus location in Al Ghubaiba means families in Sharjah's central and older residential areas will find the commute manageable, though families in newer suburban developments may find the location less convenient.
1999
Year Campus Established
SPEA official school profile
AED 2,600
Annual Transport Fee (Sharjah)
AED 3,000 for Ajman routes
Established 1999 CampusComputing and Coding LabsScience Practical FacilitiesSchool LibraryTransport to Sharjah and Ajman
Teaching & Learning Quality
The quality of teaching and learning at AL Ahliah Private School-Branch Al Ghubaiba is rated Good overall by SPEA inspectors, with several indicators reaching Very Good in the stronger cycles. The school employs 65 teachers, the majority of whom are Syrian nationals - reflecting the dominant student demographic and ensuring strong cultural and linguistic alignment between staff and students. The teacher-to-student ratio is 1:19, which is within an acceptable range for an MoE-curriculum school of this size and fee bracket.
Teacher turnover is recorded at 14% - a figure that warrants attention. While not alarmingly high, it suggests a degree of instability in the staffing profile that can affect continuity of learning, particularly in the upper secondary cycle where consistency of subject expertise matters most. SPEA noted that teachers plan lessons with clear learning objectives, create supportive learning environments, and use resources and time appropriately. However, inspectors identified that questioning techniques are not always used to deepen learning sufficiently, and that assessment data is not consistently used to plan activities that meet the needs of all ability groups - particularly high achievers. Teaching practices that promote innovation and critical thinking skills are not applied consistently across the school. Professional development is referenced in the SPEA report through the school's engagement with the Itqan programme, and the inspection process itself involved joint lesson observations between reviewers and senior leadership - indicating a culture of reflective practice. The use of technology in teaching is present but uneven, with some sections of the school using learning technology more consistently than others.
65
Total Teachers
SPEA 2024 school data
1:19
Teacher-to-Student Ratio
SPEA 2024 school data
14%
Teacher Turnover Rate
SPEA 2024 inspection data
Leadership & Management
The school is led by Mohammad Yaser Ibrahim Ahmad, whose name appears in the SPEA inspection report as the school's director. The school operates as a branch of Al Ahliya Private Schools LLC, a multi-branch private school operator in Sharjah with a second campus in the Yarmouk area. The governance structure includes a Board of Trustees whose contributions are noted positively in the SPEA inspection summary - inspectors highlighted the board's positive contributions and improved partnership relations with parents as factors driving the school's overall Good performance.
SPEA rated the quality of leadership and management as Good, noting that strategic planning and leadership effectiveness are at a Good level, and that this has contributed to achieving Good attainment across all subjects. The inspection report highlighted that middle leadership's capacity to continuously improve performance in their areas of responsibility requires further development - a signal that the school's leadership pipeline below senior level needs strengthening. Parent communication channels include email contact for each branch (Reg.gh@ahliyaschools.com for the Al Ghubaiba branch), a suggestions and feedback portal on the school website, and a school management system for staff. The school's website is primarily in Arabic, which serves its community well but limits transparency for non-Arabic-speaking parents or those researching the school through English-language channels. The school's vision, as expressed on its homepage, emphasises creating an environment where students thirst for knowledge and grow through education - a traditional, values-driven mission consistent with the MoE curriculum framework.
SPEA Inspection Results (Decoded)
The March 2024 SPEA inspection - conducted over four days by a team of six reviewers who completed 167 classroom observations, 65 of which were joint observations with school leadership - delivered an overall rating of Good. This represents a meaningful improvement from the previous inspection cycle in 2022-2023, when the school was rated Acceptable. That upward movement from Acceptable to Good in a single cycle is not trivial - it signals that the school's leadership responded effectively to prior recommendations and that genuine systemic improvements have been made.
The strongest performance areas identified by SPEA are student personal and social development and innovation skills, rated Very Good overall - an impressive finding that reflects well on the school's culture and pastoral environment. Student welfare, health, and safety procedures are also rated Very Good, as is the quality of the learning environment. Attainment in Islamic Education, Arabic Language, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science all reach Very Good in Cycles 2 and 3. The school's areas for development are clear: the use of assessment data to plan differentiated learning activities needs to become more consistent, particularly for high-achieving and gifted students who are not always given sufficiently challenging tasks. Middle leadership capacity also requires continued development. The inspection's strategic recommendations focus on three priorities: improving attainment in areas where it remains at an acceptable level, ensuring assessment drives lesson planning more reliably, and strengthening middle leadership performance.
Student Personal Development - Very Good
SPEA inspectors rated student personal and social development, and innovation skills, as Very Good overall. Students demonstrate very appropriate behaviour, show 96% attendance, lead morning assemblies with enthusiasm, and engage in community service and charitable activities.
Welfare, Health and Safety - Very Good
Student safeguarding procedures and the quality of the learning environment are both rated Very Good. The school's focus on student well-being is a clear strength, with students learning first aid, organising health awareness events, and maintaining a clean and safe campus.
Academic Attainment Improving Across Core Subjects
Attainment in Arabic, Islamic Education, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science is rated Very Good in Cycles 2 and 3. MoE examination results in Mathematics are rated Outstanding, and Grade 12 EMSAT Arabic results significantly exceeded expectations - a strong endorsement of the school's core curriculum delivery.
Differentiation for High-Achieving and Gifted Students
Across multiple subjects - English, Mathematics, Science, and others - SPEA inspectors noted that high-achieving, gifted, and talented students are not consistently provided with sufficiently challenging tasks. Assessment data is not always used to plan activities that meet the needs of all ability groups. This is the most consistently cited improvement area in the report.
Middle Leadership Capacity
SPEA identified that middle leadership's ability to continuously improve performance within their areas of responsibility requires further development. Strengthening the leadership pipeline below senior level is a strategic priority if the school is to progress from Good toward Very Good in the next inspection cycle.
Inspection History
2023-2024
Good
2022-2023
Acceptable
Fees & Value for Money
AL Ahliah Private School – Branch Al Ghubaiba offers a broad range of annual tuition fees structured across all grade levels, from KG2 (الروضة الثانية) through Grade 12 (الثاني عشر). Tuition fees start at AED 4,300 for KG2 and rise to AED 11,600 for Grade 12, reflecting the increasing academic demands and resources provided at each stage. The school follows an Arabic-medium curriculum and serves students from the foundation stage through to secondary completion.
AED 4,300
Annual Fees From
AED 11,600
Annual Fees To
Year / GradeAnnual Fee
KG2 (الروضة الثانية)
AED 4,300Grade 1 (الأول الأساسي)
AED 5,000Grade 2 (الثاني الأساسي)
AED 5,000Grade 3 (الثالث الأساسي)
AED 5,000Grade 4 (الرابع الأساسي)
AED 6,800Grade 5 (الخامس الأساسي)
AED 6,800Grade 6 (السادس الأساسي)
AED 6,800Grade 7 (السابع الأساسي)
AED 7,500Grade 8 (الثامن الأساسي)
AED 7,500Grade 9 (التاسع الأساسي)
AED 7,500Grade 10 (العاشر)
AED 10,600Grade 11 (الحادي عشر)
AED 11,000Grade 12 (الثاني عشر)
AED 11,600In addition to tuition, families should budget for books fees, uniform costs, and optional transportation. Books range from AED 260 to AED 1,000 depending on the grade, while uniform fees are AED 300 for primary grades and AED 350 for secondary grades. Transportation is available for students in Sharjah at AED 2,600 per year and in Ajman at AED 3,000 per year. A registration fee of AED 500 applies to both new and returning students, payable in cash at the time of registration.
The school offers a flexible three-installment payment plan, allowing families to spread the cost of tuition across the academic year. Payments can be made in full or split into three post-dated cheques. Books and uniform fees are payable in full with the first installment. Bank transfers are accepted via Emirates Islamic Bank, and the school's finance team can be contacted directly for payment arrangements.
Additional Costs
Registration Fee (New & Returning Students)500(annual)
Books – KG2260(annual)
Books – Grade 1525(annual)
Books – Grade 2550(annual)
Books – Grade 3550(annual)
Books – Grade 4600(annual)
Books – Grade 5650(annual)
Books – Grade 6650(annual)
Books – Grade 7650(annual)
Books – Grade 8650(annual)
Books – Grade 9725(annual)
Books – Grade 10825(annual)
Books – Grade 11925(annual)
Books – Grade 121000(annual)
Uniform – KG2 to Grade 5300(annual)
Uniform – Grade 6 to Grade 12350(annual)
Transportation (Sharjah)2600(annual)
Transportation (Ajman)3000(annual)
The Final Verdict: Who Is This School For?
AL Ahliah Private School-Branch Al Ghubaiba is a school that knows exactly what it is and delivers it with increasing competence. It is not trying to compete with Sharjah's premium private schools, and parents who approach it with that expectation will be disappointed. What it offers instead is a SPEA Good-rated, Arabic-medium MoE curriculum education at a price point that is genuinely accessible to working and middle-income Arab expatriate families - particularly those of Syrian and Jordanian origin who want their children educated in Arabic, within an Islamic values framework, and aligned with UAE national education standards. The school's improvement from Acceptable to Good in a single inspection cycle is a credible signal of functional leadership and a school on an upward trajectory.
The weaknesses are real and should not be minimised: teacher turnover at 14% introduces continuity risk, differentiation for gifted and high-achieving students is inconsistent, middle leadership needs strengthening, and the school's digital presence and transparency - particularly around university destinations and senior leadership - is limited. For families prioritising English-medium education, international accreditation, or a rich extracurricular programme, this school is not the right fit. But for the family it is designed to serve, it represents strong value for money and a community-rooted educational environment that SPEA has now formally endorsed as Good.
THE “RIGHT FIT”
Arab expatriate families - particularly Syrian and Jordanian - seeking an affordable, Arabic-medium MoE curriculum school in the Al Ghubaiba area of Sharjah, where Islamic values, cultural alignment, and accessible fees are the primary decision drivers.
THE “WRONG FIT”
Families seeking English-medium instruction, international curriculum accreditation, a broad extracurricular programme, or transparent university destination data; also not suited to families of gifted students who require consistently differentiated and challenging academic provision.
“
We chose this school because it teaches in Arabic and follows the UAE curriculum - our children feel at home here. The fees are honest and the teachers are from our community. For what we pay, we are genuinely satisfied.
— Grade 6 Parent
Strengths
- Among the lowest private school fees in Sharjah, starting at AED 4,300
- SPEA Good rating - improved from Acceptable in one cycle
- Very Good student welfare, safeguarding, and learning environment
- Core subject attainment rated Very Good in upper cycles
- MoE Mathematics results rated Outstanding by SPEA
- 96% student attendance rate reflects strong school culture
- Strong Arabic-medium community fit for Syrian and Jordanian families
- Positive Board of Trustees contribution noted by SPEA inspectors
Areas for Improvement
- Teacher turnover at 14% introduces continuity risk across year groups
- Gifted and high-achieving students not consistently challenged across subjects
- No published university destination data or senior leadership biography online
- Middle leadership capacity identified as needing further development by SPEA
- School website is primarily Arabic with limited English-language transparency